Dealership lost my second key in the post - help

Anqu

Hi everyone, new to the forum. If the thread is in the wrong place please move it to the right one, thank you.


I purchased a used car through a dealership. When picking it up I was told that the other key is in safe and the person having the keys to it is not in. I picked up on Saturday, was told it will be sent the following Monday. I requested signed for delivery to my work.


A week has passed, the dealer calls me and says he was not in, he will send it following Monday. Nothing came. Wrote an email a week later to ask if it was sent at all, which he confirmed, but clearly not sent it recorded!


It has now been a month, 3 emails and several calls later.


Does anyone know if I can ask to have locks changed on their cost? Bought Toyota from approved Toyota dealership, key is now in the post, lost, with a reg no attached, anyone who has it can just open it and drive off.


I know it is my panic mode on, but that has been a lot of money for me, and if somebody is patient, they just need to go to a supermarket for a weekly shop and click a button! It might be a week, it might be a year, but they can just drive off.


I am beyond livid, and really not sure what else can I do?

m0bov

I'd write to the dealer and inform them unless you get a replacement key within 7 days as per the contract of sale, you will obtain a replacement key and sue for the cost.

George_Michael

m0bov wrote: »

I'd write to the dealer and inform them unless you get a replacement key within 7 days as per the contract of sale, you will obtain a replacement key and sue for the cost.

I would go one step further.
State that you want a new key and that you also want the immobiliser (providing that there is one fitted) and both of the keys reprogrammed.

stator

On most modern cars you can add a new key and also delete old keys. So you don't need the locks changed.

CardinalWolsey

Has the dealer provided a tracking reference for the key? If they can, and the post office confirm it is lost, then the dealer is responsible for providing a replacement (after all, they should have insured the package containing the key to the appropriate value, which they should now be able to claim). If not, and they are not able to do so, I would surmise that they never had a second key to begin with. That's probably good from a security perspective - as one of the previous owners has no doubt lost it, and is unlikely to be now associated to your car. That's bad because you have paid a price for a car on the basis that it had a second key.

In either event, the onus is on the dealer to provide a replacement key. If they fail to do so, MoneyClaims is the route to take.

Anqu

Thank you all for your help. Going to write an email and recorded delivery letters to the managers of the local Toyota, requesting deleting the old key, immobiliser re-programmed and a new key delivered.


I didn't realise you don't need to change the locks, so thank you #stator for that info! It is my first car from a dealership, always had at 'teenagers' - min 13years old, so didn't realise what you can actually do when it comes to locks etc.


CardinalWolsey - I guess if they had the tracking info they would have provided it already, last time I spoke with the Rep he said he had the receipt for sending it but he didn't remember if it was recorded, so safe to assume it wasn't. Foolish, I know!

shaun_from_Africa

stator wrote: »

On most modern cars you can add a new key and also delete old keys. So you don't need the locks changed.

But this would only prevent someone from using the remote lock/unlock and from starting the vehicle.
I know that it's unlikely to happen but even if the keys do get reprogrammed but some dodgy character had the old key and knew where the car was located, they would still be able to get inside the vehicle to steal the contents.

david_a

I would sumise there was no second key.

Google the garage and get the name of the dealer principle and contact him or her.