Garage refusing sale without purchase of additional warranty

EggMella

Hi all,

I'm about to purchase a new car and I've found the one I want nearby in a car showroom. It's advertised at £11k and I'm ready to purchase but the garage are refusing to sell unless I purchase as a minimum a 1 year warranty at £399.

Clearly this would cover them if I found a problem during the first few months but I have a few quick questions about this approach:

1. Is this restriction legal? I guess if they don't want to sell then they don't have to but isn't there then a requirement for them to advertise the real cost of the car?

2. If this restriction is legal can the garage insist that I purchase one of their warranties, rather than one from the manufacturer?

3. If this is legal, is it still legal if the additional cost is not made clear on their point of sale?

4. If this isn't legal how can I go about making the purchase without the inclusion of this additional cost?

cheers
Eggers

Note: I appreciate that I could go elsewhere but at the moment this is the only car I've found within a 100 mile radius of where I am that meets my spec.

ses6jwg

To put it extremely bluntly, I would remind them that car sales are at their lowest for years and many garages are going bust, and they can kindly "shove it up their !!!!!" and you'll be taking your fat wad of cash elsewhere.

bingo_bango

Put very simply it's a misleading price indication, and needs reported to your local authority's Trading Standards dept who will chase up. As a criminal offence they can halt this practice. This will be followed up under either the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, or the Price Marking Order 2004. Max fine of £5000 on summary conviction.

Unfortunately, they can't force the dealer to sell you the car at any price though.

As to the answer to point 4, you now have specific information which you could use to 'advise' the dealer and see if that sways them. You can still report the matter after that

Tozer

ses6jwg wrote: »

To put it extremely bluntly, I would remind them that car sales are at their lowest for years and many garages are going bust, and they can kindly "shove it up their !!!!!" and you'll be taking your fat wad of cash elsewhere.

I would agree with you....except having just spent nearly £20k on a new car, I could not find car dealers - or at least the 12 dealerships I contacted - less helpful.

We ended up buying a car despite their best efforts not to sell it to us.

Lorian

If it's advertised at £11K I'd be offering them £10.5K tops and expecting the warranty thrown in.

neilmcl

OP, I take it isn't a "new" car, what make of car and how old is it?

If it is new or less than 3 years old then it should already have a manufacturer's warranty.

pitkin2020

TBH I would walk away and find a dealership that wants to sell you a car without the tripe of an extended warranty at £400.

A car a couple of years old may still have the manufacturers warranty left on it if not a reputable dealership will do you a better deal on an extended warranty should you chose to have it.

Esqui

If I remember correctly, the legislation regarding extended warranties and service agreements mean that they should make you aware and allow you to buy extended warrranties from other companies.

OK, they are within their rights to refuse to sell to you for whatever reason. But it doesn't make any business sense. I know you say it's the only car meeting your requirements in the area...but do they sound like the sort of garage who are going to give you decent support after buying it?

Anihilator

I don't really see where any legal thing comes into it. The car costs £11k. Unless you purchase a warranty they wont sell to you

Probably sick of amatuar lawyers and SOGA claims in all likiehood.

pitkin2020

Esqui wrote: »

If I remember correctly, the legislation regarding extended warranties and service agreements mean that they should make you aware and allow you to buy extended warrranties from other companies.

OK, they are within their rights to refuse to sell to you for whatever reason. But it doesn't make any business sense. I know you say it's the only car meeting your requirements in the area...but do they sound like the sort of garage who are going to give you decent support after buying it?

I suspect when the OP agrees to pay for the warranty and the cars price there will be a forecourt removal charge of £100, tank of Fuel £50, a mileage calculator check at a bargain price of £14.99 and a restocking fee of £49.99 to replace the car you just bought.

Walk away there are plenty of dealers begging for customers, yes you may have to travel a few miles more but atleast you wont pay an extra £400 for a warranty the garage probably won't honour anyway. I bet if you read the fine print of this warranty it only covers bulbs lol.

wuckfit

Anihilator wrote: »

I don't really see where any legal thing comes into it. The car costs £11k. Unless you purchase a warranty they wont sell to you

Probably sick of amatuar lawyers and SOGA claims in all likiehood.

bingo bango has pointed out where the legalities come into it. It's perfectly simple. If goods or a service are advertised at a price, then no surcharges which apply to all purchasers can be levied. Since the dealer is refusing to sell the car without this surcharge, they are in breach of the law. Whether they're "sick of amatuar lawyers and SOGA claims" has no relevence. it's pure conjecture on your part, and is not based in fact. the fact is that this practice of compulsory add-ons is illegal

For example: Ryanair levy card surcharges on all but one type of payment (a rarely used payment at that) in order to circumvent this law. completely outside the spirit of the law, and only just within the letter of the law.