Fowlers Finance Pickle!

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  • mrpatr1ck
    mrpatr1ck Posts: 5 Forumite
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    Hi Guys,


    and here I was thinking I was the only one having issues with Fowlers Finance..


    May 31st I took finance out on a Vauxhall Astra 55 plate at the Hemel Hempstead branch. Went to pick up the car and they advised they'd only just got the vehicle that morning as it had to be checked over.


    Filled out the paperwork and drove it home only to find the engine management AND oil light turn on 15minutes into the drive home. Not only that but the horn didn't seem to be working?! Got the car home and lifted up the bonnet to find there was no oil in the tank whatsoever.


    I called up the Hemel Hempstead Fowlers branch the next day who advised the car is under 6 months warranty and that the aftersales department will cover the repairs. So after 2 days of calling non stop I finally spoke to an 'Andrea' who advised that as long as I provide an invoice or quote for the necessary work from an independent garage a cheque can be sent out for the work. So although it sounded a little fishy I went to my local garage and they provided me with a quote on headed paper which Andrea advised her manager would authorise and then send a cheque for. To this date I still have not seen this cheque. Since then I've called and emailed my heart out to these people. After a long irate email back to Andrea she advised her manager had authorised and SENT the cheque directly to the garage for the repair work. A week later the garage haven't received any cheque and even agreed that the entire process sounds odd and abnormal.


    After reading this forum I've accepted that I'm not going to see any cheques from Fowlers anytime soon, but moving forward what options do I have? I've already had to spend money on this vehicle and I've only had it for 2 months. Would it be best to make a complaint to Financial Ombudsman and move from there?


    Thanks Guys
  • poppasmurf_bewdley
    poppasmurf_bewdley Posts: 5,910 Forumite
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    mrpatr1ck wrote: »
    Hi Guys,


    and here I was thinking I was the only one having issues with Fowlers Finance..


    May 31st I took finance out on a Vauxhall Astra 55 plate at the Hemel Hempstead branch. Went to pick up the car and they advised they'd only just got the vehicle that morning as it had to be checked over.


    Filled out the paperwork and drove it home only to find the engine management AND oil light turn on 15minutes into the drive home. Not only that but the horn didn't seem to be working?! Got the car home and lifted up the bonnet to find there was no oil in the tank whatsoever.


    I called up the Hemel Hempstead Fowlers branch the next day who advised the car is under 6 months warranty and that the aftersales department will cover the repairs. So after 2 days of calling non stop I finally spoke to an 'Andrea' who advised that as long as I provide an invoice or quote for the necessary work from an independent garage a cheque can be sent out for the work. So although it sounded a little fishy I went to my local garage and they provided me with a quote on headed paper which Andrea advised her manager would authorise and then send a cheque for. To this date I still have not seen this cheque. Since then I've called and emailed my heart out to these people. After a long irate email back to Andrea she advised her manager had authorised and SENT the cheque directly to the garage for the repair work. A week later the garage haven't received any cheque and even agreed that the entire process sounds odd and abnormal.


    After reading this forum I've accepted that I'm not going to see any cheques from Fowlers anytime soon, but moving forward what options do I have? I've already had to spend money on this vehicle and I've only had it for 2 months. Would it be best to make a complaint to Financial Ombudsman and move from there?


    Thanks Guys

    You need to give the garage/company that you bought the car from the opportunity to fix any problems. Who did you buy the car from? Return it to them in the first instance for them to attempt to rectify any problems.
    "There are not enough superlatives in the English language to describe a 'Princess Coronation' locomotive in full cry. We shall never see their like again". O S Nock
  • dizco
    dizco Posts: 47 Forumite
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    I eventually got my money back, after threatening them with Financial Ombudsman and Fair Trading.

    Stick at it.

    Even now, they're still phoning me to ask if I would like car finance?!
  • nicholasj
    nicholasj Posts: 1 Newbie
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    Just searching google to find the number for Fowlers for a friend of mine and stumbled accross this page. I can't believe what I am reading to be honest because when I used Fowlers back in December the process was quick and easy and I picked up a car 3 days after applying. I spoke to Steve in the head office who was brilliant and knew exactly what he was talking about. I even got a customer service call back in June from a lovely girl called Chantelle who informed me my warranty had ran out and would I like to buy a mechanical guarantee that lasted a year. Ive had no problems, but better than safe than sorry. These guys have been first class with me and the car has been solid.
  • DevCoder
    DevCoder Posts: 3,361 Forumite
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    nicholasj wrote: »
    Just searching google to find the number for Fowlers for a friend of mine and stumbled accross this page. I can't believe what I am reading to be honest because when I used Fowlers back in December the process was quick and easy and I picked up a car 3 days after applying. I spoke to Steve in the head office who was brilliant and knew exactly what he was talking about. I even got a customer service call back in June from a lovely girl called Chantelle who informed me my warranty had ran out and would I like to buy a mechanical guarantee that lasted a year. Ive had no problems, but better than safe than sorry. These guys have been first class with me and the car has been solid.

    Which department of Fowlers do you work for again?
  • Pixie5740
    Pixie5740 Posts: 14,515 Forumite
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    krisdorey wrote: »
    Which department of Fowlers do you work for again?

    I wonder if he got a free tin of SPAM with the car?
  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,560 Forumite
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    Pixie5740 wrote: »
    I wonder if he got a free tin of SPAM with the car?

    Lots of tins of SPAM, More SPAM than car?
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 35,242 Forumite
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    nicholasj wrote: »
    cringe worthy spam.

    Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Doesn't look at all fake.

    So not only do Fowlers sell dodgy cars, they also produce poor quality fake customer testimonials.

    Hope this helps your search engine optimisation, by the way. :)
  • chanz4
    chanz4 Posts: 10,898 Forumite
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    they are rogues, you cant trust them and the director used to own a company called Lloyds and lee, they used to deduct tax from people and not pass it on to the tax office. also their taxi insurance was another big thing and IVA business
    Don't put your trust into an Experian score - it is not a number any bank will ever use & it is generally a waste of money to purchase it. They are also selling you insurance you dont need.
  • mrpatr1ck
    mrpatr1ck Posts: 5 Forumite
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    poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »
    You need to give the garage/company that you bought the car from the opportunity to fix any problems. Who did you buy the car from? Return it to them in the first instance for them to attempt to rectify any problems.

    Hi Guys,

    Just an update on my situation with Fowler's. I decided to get in touch with the finance company and advise them that I would like to surrender the car and do not intend to make any further payments due to the fact that the car was not roadworthy when sold and that no attempts have been made to finance any repairs through warranty. They replied as I expected by saying I could surrender the vehicle but would still be expected to pay the finance left on the vehicle.

    Straight after I spoke to the Financial Ombudsman who advised they would send a letter on my behalf to the finance company advising that I would like to surrender the car without any outstanding finance based on the fact that the car was not roadworthy when sold and that no effort has been made to finance the repair of the vehicle as promised. I decided to bypass the option of having the vehicle repaired or a replacement being offered just because ive already wasted too much money on trying to repair and pay for the car. Fowlers messing me about has resulted in me having to pack in a brand new job because I haven't been able to commute to and from work.

    So for now im waiting to hear back from the finance company with an offer of some sort.

    Fingers crossed...
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