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Company not letting me cancel order of replacement car key?

Four days ago I contacted a company to get a replacement key for my vehicle. They took a £30.00 deposit as they needed to order in the key specific to my vehicle chassis number. Today someone has found the original key and returned it to me.

I called the company straight away to tell them I wanted to cancel the purchase of the new key, but they said I couldn't as the new key was already being delivered to them in order for them to program it for my vehicle.

I'm just wondering if I'm in my right to cancel the purchase of said key. It's going to end up costing me a further £270.00 if I have to go ahead with the purchase.

The companies website has no terms covering cancellation procedures. When I paid for the deposit over the phone I was also given no information about cancellation terms.

Thanks for your time.
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Comments

  • Buzby
    Buzby Posts: 8,275 Forumite
    No - it is a bespoke purchase. You can walk away, but they retain the deposit and you don't have to pay the balance. They may not have cut the blank so there may be some room to manoeuvre, but as you started the ball rolling, it seems unreasonable for them to expend the effort for no financial benefit.

    An additional spare key is always useful.
  • Hintza
    Hintza Posts: 19,420 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    The key is programmed to your car therefore it will not fall under DSR so you will need to pay for it.
  • Hintza
    Hintza Posts: 19,420 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    The OP can't just walk away. They have entered in to a contract and the balance will be due.
  • bod1467
    bod1467 Posts: 15,214 Forumite
    Technically the OP can walk away. The seller would need to take court action to force the OP to pay the balance. (Such action the seller would win).
  • My apologies if this is wrong but if the company has yet to start programming the key and the key is only en route between the programmer and the key sender then nothing bespoke has been produced?

    We deal with lots of special productions at my place of work and if we have yet to start the job then the customer would not be charged for anything.
  • mttylad
    mttylad Posts: 1,519 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    If the key has not been cut then its not yet bespoke and can be reused on another order. The same with programming it, especially if its a common key but has programming to make it unique.

    It will cost the OP £30, that's how deposits work.
  • Hintza
    Hintza Posts: 19,420 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    mttylad wrote: »
    It will cost the OP £30, that's how deposits work.

    No it isn't.
  • NothingToLose
    NothingToLose Posts: 4 Newbie
    edited 1 July 2014 at 6:01PM
    Hintza wrote: »
    The key is programmed to your car therefore it will not fall under DSR so you will need to pay for it.

    It's not been programmed to my car yet. They have sourced the key and will be programming the car's code using the original spare key I have.
    Hintza wrote: »
    The OP can't just walk away. They have entered in to a contract and the balance will be due.

    I haven't signed anything. The only contact I have had is verbal over the phone. None of the companies terms and conditions have been given to me.

    As Twisted Spirit and mttylad say, it's only been ordered using the VIN number as reference to match it to the make and model of the vehicle. Cutting and programming can only take place if I were to bring the spare key to them.
  • System
    System Posts: 178,317 Community Admin
    10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    The key HAS been cut, that is why it was ordered against the chassis number. It still has to be programmed to the car.
    This is a system account and does not represent a real person. To contact the Forum Team email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com
  • Sorry, I didn't give them the VIN, it was the VRM.
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