Need Advice (1 Viewer)

[captain18]

Hi everyone

We would appreciate your valuable advice in a situation we are in. We paid deposit for new 'SUNLIGHT' MH from Dethleffs in the recent MH show at the NEC with a dealer and were eagerly waiting for the delivery after two weeks. When this did not happen and when we contacted the dealer, they are saying the need 100% money as they have problems due to credit crunch situation. Now we are uneasy about this situation as parting with the whole money leaves us at their mercy and if anything happens later on we do not have a leg to stand on. Could you advice us what to do. Could we move to another dealer who hopefully will not have this problem and get our deposit money back from this dealer. Appreciate your valuable comments....

 

[Beachbum]

If it was me.

1) Get your deposit back immediately. From what I understand, on paying the deposit, it was agreed you get delivery in 14 days. Hope you have this in writing.

2) I would never ever hand over a penny until I have the keys in my hand with all papers.

That is the way I do business. There is no other or better way.

 

[Pikey Pete]

Do not wait, try to get your deposit back now. This has all the hallmarks of a company with a cash flow problem.
That usually means that the Bank will not extend their credit and nor will their supplier.

Pete

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[pappajohn]

i would say, as you paid the deposit in good faith and they have changed the financial side of things you should be entitled to your deposit back.
as you were not informed of the fact, at the time, that you would need to put up all the money before they ordered the m/h then to me, they have broken their contract with you.
any problems with them, make an appointment at your local CAB and ask them for help. they have solicitors on hand to give an initial free consultation and advise.
dont let it go.....they are in the wrong ...not you.

 

[Blisters]

Dont part with your cash, it is not common practice to pay upfront in this way, what a dreadful situation to be in. personnaly i would tell them your not paying up front and if this is the way they do business then you want your deposit back and out, and watch for their reaction. Like me I,m sure everybody would love to know who the dealer is, but would suggest you keep this to yourself as everything could yet work out ok. At the moment the most you stand to lose is your deposit which may well be sizeable but its a lot less than the full cost. Good luck hope you don,t need it

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

Hi,

Under no circumstances pay any more money, there is absolutely no need to pay up front before the MH is delivered to the dealer and handed over to you.

At the time of handover and you are satisfied with the vehicle, pay by Bankers Draft and if the dealer will not accept that, RUN AWAY FAST!

If you paid the deposit by credit card (NOT Switch or Debit) contact your credit card company.

With the credit crunch there are some dealers with cash flow problems coming over the slack season asking for large deposits, DONT, £1000 is quite enough and pay by credit card although frankly I would walk away in such circumstances as one never knows what will happen to business's in such a situation.

Regards

Peter

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[Kon tiki]

I put down a deposit with my credit card & didn't pay anything else until I was satisfied with the van. We even spent the night in the van (on the dealers forecourt) before we paid up & to be fair they never pushed us for payment, it was only sorted out just before we left.
As somebody else said if you paid by credit card you should be able to get your cash back but definitely don't part with anymore cash until you have sat in the van & have the keys in your hand. I would guess a few of the dealers are struggling with cash flow but that is their problem, there are stil many dealers who you are able to get the van you want.

 

[Tony Lee]

I agree that paying all of it up front is very risky unless you can somehow arrange for your money to be held in trust pending delivery - but of course that would require advice from a solicitor.
Advice to demand the deposit back is quite logical on the face of it but you run the risk of losing out on a special show deal and having to pay thousands extra to purchase the same vehicle from another dealer.

First step would be to sit down with the manager of the dealer and find out exactly what the situation is. Then a phone call to the motorhome manufacturer explaining your situation and perhaps negotiating the sale transfer to another dealer at the same price (since any show deals would likely be underwritten by the manufacturer rather than the dealer.

For the price of travelling to a meeting and a long phone call, you should have all the information you need to make an informed decision - surely better than our advice based on a short general post and very little information. Going all 'legal' and rushing off to lawyers or consumer organisations is a complete waste of time and money at this early stage.

 

[madbluemad]

Hi
Its always a good idea to try and resolve these matters by talking in a reasonable manner.

If talking doesnt work, do not hand over any more money. The resolution at the end of the talking should be, "You give me my mh and I will give you the money".

Its always good to have a backup plan and as previousley stated the Citizerns Advice Burea (CAB) are excellent.

Bets of Luck

Jim

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[captain18]

Thanks for all your invaluable advice. We would like to name the dealer but do not feel that it is appropriate at the moment. As suggested, we are trying to contact the manufacturer and somehow resolve this problem. Our hearts are set on this vehicle. We hope that we won't be disappointed with the outcome.

 

[pappajohn]

Thanks for all your invaluable advice. We would like to name the dealer but do not feel that it is appropriate at the moment. As suggested, we are trying to contact the manufacturer and somehow resolve this problem. Our hearts are set on this vehicle. We hope that we won't be disappointed with the outcome.

as do we all mate,

please dont forget if you do pay the full amount up front and the company does go t^ts up, you will be at the bottom of the creditors list
and probably get a few pennies on the pound if your lucky:Sad:

good luck

john.