Car Finance Help, Please!!!

blademan1889

Hi all,

It’s my first post and I am very sure that it will not be my last. I have just bought a brand new car on finance and believe that I have been stung a little.

I asked the dealership about the possibility of car finance. I have a really poor history with credit and I believed that I was getting better (I owe nothing). I did say that I had 2 great guarantors (mum and dad) if need be as I understand it, my credit history is very poor with 3 defaults in there to mix. This was down to a fractured vertebra in my back resulting in 1 year sick pay. The dealership said that they could help me and would be happy to help. This resulted in an interest rate of 15% which I thought was very good for somebody in my situation.

I went to sign the documents later that week and noticed that the guy was very suspicious. I just thought he was a salesman after all I am a buyer and work against these creeps all the time. I read the documents properly and made sure that everything was ok. Then I received a letter FAO Gary when my name is Gareth. I thought this was strange and I noticed that the whole document was set up as Gary. When I thought about I remembered the fold with the paper clip covered my first name.

So sure that they did this on purpose I check my credit file. I did see that there were searches carried out for Gareth but no current credit was showing. Then I looked under Gary and there is was. The whole details of the finance were there.

The car is not registered in my name; it’s under my partners name to qualify for the discount with employment offer. I know that the sales department’s bonus was at an end this month and they pushed this through.

Now I don’t know what to do, I do not want my car to be taken off me neither do I want to be done for fraud! I was honest with them and I think they have stabbed me in the back for there bonus purposes. So in short the car is registered with my partner and the finance is under somebody who does not exist. I will tell the finance company but I am worried that when they check my history it will be a case of the car been taken off me.

PLEASE HELP, MANY THANKS!

8pnoodles

Firstly, in case this ever does end up in court for whatever reason, to cover your back I'd write a witness statement saying exactly what happened to the letter, what the guy did with as many details as humanly possible. Do you remember the name of the salesman, and a description? Etc. Then dates, times, the bit about the paperclip, etc.

Other than that I have no clue what to suggest other than contact the citizen's advice beauru who might suggest something.

crazygirl

I don't really know what I'm talking about but why not just ring up the finance company and say that you've just noticed that the name is spelt wrong and ask them to put it as Gareth instead? It may have been a genuine mistake with the spelling? I woudn't have thought that they would recheck your credit just because your name is spelt wrong? Or have I totally missed the point?

file_wizzard

blademan1889 wrote:

So sure that they did this on purpose I check my credit file. I did see that there were searches carried out for Gareth but no current credit was showing. Then I looked under Gary and there is was. The whole details of the finance were there.

Can you elaborate on how you searched under different names, but believe them to be related to different Individuals?

The credit agreement would not of been agreed on a fictitious person as a credit file wont exist for them, however what will exist is a either a financial link to yourself or an "alias" which is liked to your file with one ( if not all ) of the agency’s

The Fact that the name is partialy different to your Christian name is of little consequence.

It is also worth noting that regarding any future litigation the judge will assess the case on the balance of probability and if your date of birth, home address, and surname match with the first character of your Christian name i.e "G" this will be sufficient for the agreement to be enforced ( I take it you haven’t got a twin brother ! )

I think the best this to do is just phone the company and say you have received the letter and you think they have miss spelt / misinterpreted your Christian name, and to change from Gary to Gareth I cant see them really batting an eyelid

With regards to the witness statement I don’t think it would get to that stage, but even if it did I am afraid that this will serve little purpose, in the eyes of the law you have signed the document to be a true and accurate representation of the details you have provided. therefor your are held fully accountable.