Dealer asking for a deposit

bigmun

Hi,

I'm after a second-hand car from this dealer. They called me just now saying that someone else is interested in the car as well and asked me to pay a deposit to secure it before seeing it. They said the deposit is refundable though "should I not be happy with the vehicle for any reason". Is this believable? If it's a refundable deposit, then it isn't a protection to the dealer at all. Is this a common practice?

The wording is also a bit strange, the email says: "We'd be happy to take the <Model> off sale at £<advertised price> with a £<price> deposit." Does that I'd have to take the car at that price and there's no room for discounts?

Thanks!

gilbert_and_sullivan

Plenty more fish in the sea, find another dealer.

I've never paid a deposit before inspecting a vehicle and concluding the deal.

Gavin83

I wouldn't pay a deposit before finalising the deal.

To be honest I don't see why he wouldn't offer it to the other party. He may well become stubborn about the deposit and it would be difficult to recover. Seems dodgy to me, I'd avoid buying this car and look elsewhere.

McKneff

Dont do it under any circumstances, the man's a fool or he thinks you are.

auroan

Typical sales technique unfortunately..... don't fall for it.

bigmun

This is a VW dealer (perhaps it makes no difference?). Do dealers commonly pull tricks like this?

I was being cautious, so I asked him to send me an email confirming that the deposit is indeed refundable. And he did.

Gloomendoom

Dealers get up to all kinds of nonsense. Some are worse than others and it doesn't depend on the brand.

If you do get asked for a deposit and you want the car, pay by card over the phone. That way you are covered by the distance selling regs. That gives you 7 days after paying the balance to change your mind about keeping the car... for any reason.

At least, that is the advice in 'What Car' magazine.

bigmun

Gloomendoom wrote: »

Dealers get up to all kinds of nonsense. Some are worse than others and it doesn't depend on the brand.

If you do get asked for a deposit and you want the car, pay by card over the phone. That way you are covered by the distance selling regs. That gives you 7 days after paying the balance to change your mind about keeping the car... for any reason.

At least, that is the advice in 'What Car' magazine.

I see. But does that protection apply to only UK cards or foreign cards as well?

Gloomendoom

bigmun wrote: »

I see. But does that protection apply to only UK cards or foreign cards as well?

As far as I am aware, as long as you are in the UK and buying from a UK seller, it makes no difference. The protection doesn't come from the card company, it's UK law.

More info here....

Understanding UK Distance Selling Regulations

daveyjp

A main dealer car will be on the internet so available to a wide audience. If you don't pay a deposit it stays available and could be sold to someone else who doesn't mind paying before seeing.

I paid a deposit without seeing my last car as it wasn't at the dealer when I called in - we negotiated the whole deal subject to me inspecting and test driving. It was the only one available locally so I needed to ensure I secured it. The receipt did say 'subject to inspection and test drive'.

funkycoldribena

daveyjp wrote: »

A main dealer car will be on the internet so available to a wide audience. If you don't pay a deposit it stays available and could be sold to someone else who doesn't mind paying before seeing.

I paid a deposit without seeing my last car as it wasn't at the dealer when I called in - we negotiated the whole deal subject to me inspecting and test driving. It was the only one available locally so I needed to ensure I secured it. The receipt did say 'subject to inspection and test drive'.

If it gets sold to someone else (seems like you're falling for the classic dealer line of "someone else is interested")so what? Is there a national shortage of cars Im not aware of?