£99 "admin fee" for buying used car

Ratboy

I'm as confused as the OP, but I didn't buy a car;

You buy something that is taxed.

Then when it is resold on, you have to pay tax again?

Unless it's a commercial vehicle, but everything else that everyone buys, apart from childrens clothing.

Dave_®f©

Ratboy wrote: »

I'm as confused as the OP, but I didn't buy a car;

You buy something that is taxed.

Then when it is resold on, you have to pay tax again?

Unless it's a commercial vehicle, but everything else that everyone buys, apart from childrens clothing.

Road tax or vehicle excise duty.

Sago48

Thanks all - opinions are varied I see.

BTW this is a franchised dealer, not a car supermarket.

We've paid a deposit and so I think "bought" the car already. I doubt we'd get our £500 back if we pulled out.

I'll dispute it again when we go to get the vehicle but accept it if they won't move. I'll then read the 3 month "warranty" that "covers everything" with great care before paying the balance.

My guess is that a good % of their customers are not very pleased with this, but since most of us don't buy cars often it doesn't really matter to them.

Ultrasonic

Don't get too stressed about what is or isn't covered by the warranty. The Sale of Goods Act Covers you for anything serious over such a short period anyway.

The admin fee is irritating. The trouble is that if it is clearly stated it was part of the deal you were negotiating. A bit cheeky on their part perhaps, but as others have said this is increasingly common.

arcon5

Tell them not to tax it. Print yourself a copy of your insurance certificate, I trust it comes with the MOT certificate and the green slip will be sufficient for you to tax it at the post office.

worried_jim

Just tell them that you will save the £99 and simply tax the car yourself- watch their silly little faces drop.
Hope you enjoy the new car.

poppasmurf_bewdley

Tell them you are not paying an admin fee of any sort. And as for you having to pay for the HPI check - that is something they should do automatically to ensure they are not selling a dodgy car to a customer. The HPI check protects THEM from having to give you your money back should the car have a dodgy past.

I do find it astounding that a company should consider charging an admin fee for what other companies would call customer care.

spacey2012

Placing deposits on used cars is a recipe for disaster .
They have you over a barrel .

hieveryone

I find the 'fee' for an HPI check absolutely ludicrous! When my parents-in-law were buying their car the salesman tried this - I simply replied

'we trust you enough that you will have done all checks, surely you're not telling us that you are the kind of dealer who may accept stolen/financed/written off cars?!' with a shocked look on my face!

j0nathon2

One place I went advertised the £99 as a car preparation fee, so I am not sure what happened if you refused to pay it!

A family member got the £99 at Evans Halshaw knocked off; they warned him that any problems with HPI etc. would be his problem though. He did his own HPI for about £15 and it came back with a "stocking loan", so he asked the dealer to confirm to him this was their loan and it would be cleared, but they refused to acknowledge it because he hadn't paid the £99. (In the end the car was rejected under SOGA anyway for a major fault- not easy!).

The three month warranties by these dealers are total nonsense, e.g. Evans Halshaw (who are part of a larger group of companies) who tell you everything is covered, except if you find the board in their showroom it tells you it's only up to £500 a time. £500 isn't a lot when you bear in mind their labour charges. SOGA is your better protection. I had to take my car back because of a fault on the horn, was told if it cost more than £500 I'd have to pay - told them in no uncertain terms I wouldn't be (esp. as it was part of a recall).