Psa finanace troubles - refusing to have the car back

LMS93

Hello I am looking for a bit of advice, please bare with as this is quite long winded.

Basically 3 years ago I got a peugeot 108 in finance from our local peugeot dealership on a just add fuel policy (tax, insurance, services and gap insurance all included for the 3 year contract) and was told by the sales man this was a great deal as I would not have to worry about tax, insurance or servicing/mots as it was a 3 year deal with it all included and I would either get a new car, but it out right or hand the car back before any news to mot, tax or insure the vehicle. So being a busy working mum at the time this was great for me.

I had a good full time job at the time and never missed any payments for 2+ years. I then during the third year had a baby and went on maternity leave. I prewarned psa finance (the company that supply the finance for this 3 year contract with peugeot) that I was going on maternity leave and may struggle with the payments and was there anything they could do (as if you become jobless and in receipt of benefits they give you a 6 month no payment period and if you still don’t have a job by the end of 6 months they’ll take the car back no questions asked) as I had recently started a new job and wasn’t there long enough for proper maternity pay so was in receipt of government maternity allowance. I was told no I would still have to make all payments and I said fine I will try this out, see how I go and reevaluate my options.

I really struggled to make the payment date as my maternity allowance was never paid on a set day, just every two weeks so I called them back up and notified I can’t make payments on the date they want as I didn’t have a set date myself and they said they can’t be flexible as they need a set date for contract purposes and would charge me late payment fees if I couldn’t make payment by the date specified which I understood but thought in the circumstances a bit unfair but left it.

Me and my boyfriend then really started to struggle with two kids living off his wages alone and maternity allowance and all the bills we had to pay. I rang peugeot and spoke to them again (always keeping them fully informed) they said I could potentially do a voluntary surrender of the vehicle but this will mark my credit file massively, I would have a bill for excess mileage, any damages, early exit fees, collection fees and a couple of grand bill for the remaking contact so this would cost me thousand. After some thought I decided against this and called psa to let them know I would continue with the contract till the end and they would just have to bare with me with regards to the payments they were fine with this.

(This is where the trouble really started to happen)

In late July/early August I received a letter from them stating my contact ends in October and I need to decide and let them know what I want to do with the vehicle and stating that the tax, insurance and service plans all ended at the end of September. I called psa at this point and stated I would like to hand the vehicle back and was told by a member of their company that they would now put the referral in to their third party agency that deals with collections/inspections upon return in order to get them to contact me to sort out handing the car back. I thought great this is all being dealt with and all I have to do is wait to be contacted to hand the car back before the contract and all things that go with it is over.

3/4 weeks went by and I had no contact, I called psa and paid them £700 which was everything owed and everything that was to come with regards to the last payment etc and said I’ve not heard from their third party. This employee said that they don’t arrange for the third party to get in contact with me to arrange collection and I should’ve done this myself but now with a week left until everything is over she doubted the third party would be able to sort anything out in time with regards to the vehicle return and I would need to mot it myself.

I was absolutely furious I stayed one of their employees told me they were sorting this out to be quite rudely told no they hadn’t and to contact the third party myself.

I contacted the third party and was told they can’t fit collection/inspection in before the service plan ended meaning I’d have no mot so they wouldn’t be able to accept the car without this.

I rang psa back and told them this to be told I’ll have to mot the car myself which I insisted I couldn’t as I have no income as my maternity allowance had now ended I rely solely on my boyfriend to pay for me and our two kids now and I have no job to go back to. I told them I could not afford an mot, car tax and insurance in order to take the car to get motd and that I refuse to do this as I tried to hand the car back within plenty of time of it still having an mot, the only reason it now can’t be handed back because it has no mot is down to their company giving me the wrong information!

I was passed on to the lady that originally said she’d sort the referral out who denied saying this to which I pointed out all of the telephones are recorded and this conversation would be on a log within my file they hold to which she said I must’ve miss understood her. So I stated I would like to make a complaint so psa could look into this themselves and see that she did indeed tell me she would sort it out and this missinformation was what has led to the car now being without an mot and can’t be handed back. In the meantime another psa employee told me that as I can’t afford the mot etc they would organise for a low loader to collect the vehicle but there would be a £300 charge for this which would be added on to my bill at the end. I said fine to this as it was the only way to get the vehicle collected but said I will be objecting to pay for this as this is a few that’s applicable because of their mistakes and misinformation.

Anyway a week or two more passes and I hear nothing, I call psa again who tell me no referral for a low loader has been made and that they won’t make one, I got passed around 4/5 different people and eventually the 5th agreed to arrange for a low loader yet again, again I wait to be contacted or hear further with nothing being said.

During the next few weeks there was various calls from me to psa trying to sort out collection of the vehicle and to the third party who have yet again told me psa haven’t authorised a low loader collection.

Again I made more calls to psa to be passed around between people telling me different things constantly but ultimately refusing collection of the vehicle unless I do a voluntary surrender and they will basically black mark me because of this.. which I pointed out how can I surrender a vehicle I’m not in a contract with anymore?

They have charged me another £400+ as the vehicle is still technically in my possession even though I have been trying a month before the contract ended to hand it back and have tried to arrange it going back plenty of times since then and even though its not been used it’s not insured or taxed and I’ve told the dvla it is SORN and off road. It is just sat in our communal car park taking up space which my neighbours aren’t happy about.

So today after being passed around yet again between 4 people after yet again trying to sort it out going back I have told psa I can’t deal with this anymore and I will not be sorting anything out anymore or calling again and if they want the car they’ll have to collect it. I was told if I don’t sort things out with them they repossess the car to which I said is this what I’m going to have to do to get you to collect it, to be told yes! So I said fine I have no choice but to wait for your repossessions team to knock my door to collect the vehicle. I was told that this will also give me a massive mark against my credit file but either way they are going to mark it so right now I do not care.

I feel as though psa have bullied me, ignored me and left me in a complete mess due to their incapableness of giving out the correct information... information that if correct that when I first rang up to sort out handing the car back, then this whole situation could’ve been avoided!

I did state considering I’m not paying you the 5k to buy the car out right you’d think your company would want the car back as soon as possible to recover some losses and send me a bill for anything else but you aren’t.., to which I just got a “hmm” reply.

Please is anyone clued up with regards to being mistreated by companies that can give me some advice as is really appricoate it as I don’t believe I should be getting all these charges, Black marked or in this position waiting for the car to be repossessed due to being misinformed by the finanave company themselves?

Someone please help as there is nothing else I can think of doing myself

Thank you for reading and please ignore any typos as wrote this in a rage whilst trying to entertain a baby!

LMS93

Also... I have put in a complaint myself with psa as I didn’t like the fact an employee did it on my behalf as I wanted to put my own side across and inform the complaints department of everything that’s happened but am yet to get a response and new revaluations have happened since then which I haven’t pointed out to them... I can see them disregarding my complaint anyway and just continuing with their bullying methods

[Deleted User]

If you could summarise the issue in a few bullet points, I'm sure someone will be able to advise.

BoGoF

If you want people to help then you are going to need to shorten that I'm afraid.....nobody is going to read it.

Stick to the relevant facts, no he said/she said

LMS93

Ok...

1. I’ve been told the wrong information by psa finance when trying to hand a vehicle back which as resulted in the car now needing an mot etc which I’m expected to pay for but wouldn’t of needed if I was told the correct info upon first contact.

2. I’m being bullied by them and charged for them not having the vehicle back even though they’re refusing to collect it.

3. Is there anything I can do with regard to being mistreated and given the wrong info which has created all of these issues.

It’s quite hard to summarise really as I don’t feel it gets the point across of everything they have done.

DrEskimo

Have you entered the car details into WeBuyAnyCar, or Evans Halshaw to see if the trade in valuation is the same/greater than the final amount owed?

If it is, you can just sell it to them and they will settle the finance. No need to be chasing PSA or even discussing it with Peugeot.

LMS93

Yes it is worth less than the final amount payable by 2k

-taff

Make a complaint in writing to them instead of phoning. Summarise the phone calls.
If their phone calls are recorded then send a SAR and ask for copies for evidence.

DrEskimo

LMS93 wrote: »

Yes it is worth less than the final amount payable by 2k

Have you gone considerably over the allocated mileage in your contract?

LMS93

I think it’s done about 4K miles over, it’s also got a big dent in the side as on my last day of work before maternity someone drove into the side and drove off and I didn’t have the £500 excess to get it repaired

DrEskimo

LMS93 wrote: »

I think it’s done about 4K miles over, it’s also got a big dent in the side as on my last day of work before maternity someone drove into the side and drove off and I didn’t have the £500 excess to get it repaired

Ah OK.

To be honest, I would be tempted to contact a local Paintless Dent Removal (PDR) guy to fix the dent (around £40-£60, and nothing else needed if there paint is OK), stick an MOT on it (get it checked out and hopefully it will pass and just be the test fee of £40), and then find a local garage that will advertise for you for £5k on a sale or return basis. Alternatively you can try Tootle.com. I sold my last car that was on finance, and they gave me a good price for the car. Allowed me to settle the finance in full and pocket £500.

Even if it doesn't fetch the £5k, and goes for around £4k, you will probably be better off paying the £1k shortfall to clear the finance, as the excess mileage costs, transportation and any other damage costs will be higher than this by the sounds of it?

I completely sympathise with you, as I can't see why you should have chased the collection company in the first place....I would personally do the above as I wouldn't want to deal with PSA or Peugeot, as I would have no trust in them being able to settle anything...

Definitely file a complaint, and take others advice on how to go about that. But the above is a alternative solution to try and get rid of the car in the most cost effective way. Appreciate organising it all with 2 young kids might prove challenging....!

Best of luck with it.