Ordered new car - wrong colour provided!

don9999

I ordered a new Peugeot car in later 2018 - colour light grey (called Cumulus).
Finally arrived this week (5 months after the order) - but the colour is dark grek (called Nimbus).

I have contacted the supplying garage (the car was delivered to my home address) and they have confirmed that they ordered the wrong colour (admin mix up at there end as some of their documents recorded the correct colour and some recorded the incorrect colour). They have asked me what I want to do........and are calling me back tomorrow.

Am assuming my simple options would be:
* accept the car with the colour supplied
* reject the car and request that a replacement is supplied in the correct colour.

However, I ordered multiple options to a standard model, so it would need to be built specially for me, as this one was. But am not sure I want to wait 'another' 5 months....although it may be sooner - they originally quoted a 6-week wait, only extended to 20-weeks because of 'unprecedented demand'.

Not sure how best to proceed.
I wonder if I could accept the current car, but request compensation in some form (money/accessories/free servicing).
But not sure if they'd accept that, nor what 'reasonable compensation' might be.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation (though I assume it is pretty rare!) and can suggest what they tried and/or decided to do?

Cheers,
Don

Alanp

Yes, I ordered a new fiesta in July 2017, initially we went for rear sensors, but when we went back to confirm the order/spec, we decided to have the camera with rear sensors ( only £50 extra) when the car arrived at the dealers it had the camera but no rear sensors, we were given the option to re order or take the car and they would fit the sensors, we decided to take the car, the dealer did say that he didn’t think the camera would show the proximity display ( the picture of the car in the screen) well we weren’t too concerned about this, as we had got used to the camera anyway we had the sensors fitted, the dealer gave us an extra two years warranty ( ford) and we also received £200 back from ford as a goodwill, which was the cost of the sensors, all in about £500 refund, see if you can get any extras if you decide to keep the car

happyc84

it happen to me a few years back. ordered an all white mini cooper S. Main dealer supplied one with a black roof and white body. Was given the option to have £250 worth of tyre insurance so I took it as compo.


Balance up the hassle and make a call

RichardD1970

I would keep the car, try to get a few freebies/service plan etc.

After all, when you're in it driving you don't see the colour anyway .

don9999

All valid points :-)


Wifey actually quite likes the colour, but I'm not too sure about it.


In any case, I think I should be given 'something' in order to accept a 'different' colour.
Just not yet sure what to 'negotiate'.


They've been trying to sell me a 3-year service plan for £510. Maybe I ask for that for free?


If I DID reject the car (which I assume I 'am' in my rights to do), then they would surely be looking at taking a substantial hit on it.

mark55man

service plan is good, as it doesn't really cost them £510 but it does save you that money. check the plan some of them only include labour - but even so its still a good thing. I would ask for that, maybe settle for 2 years, but I think your instinct is right - unless your options are the ones everyone will go for they will have a nearly new car to sell and not an actually new one, so on that basis £500 is cheap

other things you could ask for would be GardX type treatments - again not really costing them as much as the benefit you get. but I think ask for one big thing and hold your nerver rather than a pick list

don't think warranty/extra insurances would be workable as you are quite covered already as its new. and the new car insurances IMHO aren't that useful

how about completely rejecting it, getting your money back, and then getting your other half to go in and buy it nearly new for £1500 less :-)

don9999

lol....would take a LOT of guts to do your last suggestion....


Not really feasible anyway - bought it through a broker, so the car came from a garage 250 miles away!


Cracking deal though - my local garage said he couldn't even get it himself for the price that I wasy paying, let alone sell it on at that price.


Plus, I don't really have the option of 'rejecting' the car - I would have to hope to be able to request a replacement for same cost. Have checked costs again and they are nearly £3k more than I paid when I ordered it in October (or actually, the discount is about £3k less that what I received). So base options are accept, replace (if allowed), or accept (with compensation, if I can get it!)

Homersimpson

Just remember that if you reject they have a secondhand pre-reg car to sell and people will want a substantial discount on that (a few thousand depending on the cars original sale price).

If your going to keep it I would be expected at least a £1000 back . Have a look on their website and other dealers websites and see how much less a pre-registered car would cost.

If you reject you will also want them to make sure you have a car until the new one arrives and how much will that cost? If they let you keep the one you have now until the new one arrives it will then be a pre-reg card with a few miles on so the resale value is dropping further.

A few hundred quids worth of servicing wouldn't be enough for me, especially for something as basic and fundamental as getting the colour wrong. You ordered that colour because you wanted it and paid a substantial premium for a new car.

Personally I always buy secondhand cars so they are what colour the original purchaser ordered. Having said that I bought a 13month old Focus last year and saved 40% off the original price so having a new car to your exact spec is an expensive business and you should expect to get exactly what you want

knightstyle

Just to say that when you sell in a few years many/most buyers will prefer the darker grey over the light one.

don9999

Thanks for all the advice.

Is an unusual (to me) situation so not sure how to play it...... How much compensation to request....
Will ask them what 'they' think first - I think they are waiting for 'me' to make a suggestion first.

Hadn't thought about them having to give me a car whilst 'mine' arrives. That could be another 5 months, of 1,000 miles per month on the clock......

Regarding buying NEW, yes I 'did' pay a premium! So would have expected to get what I ordered.
(Though am weary that the premium is never as much as is often quoted. Lots of friends say they buy nearly new as they save 30% on the 'new-car' price after just a year. But they are basing the reduction on 'list-price'. Which is mis-leading. I purchased new, at 20% discount from 'list-price' - so if I were to sell it on, second-hand, the purchaser would still claim to be buying it at a 30% discount from new. But....I would only be losing 10% on what I paid, not 30 %.... Yes, I AM still paying a premium, but for the pleaure of driving a brand new car for a year....I wouldn't do it often ;-) )

Oh well......waiting to hear from them this morning.....

mark55man

One more thing. I do play spot the new plate and I do a fair amount of driving on busy roads and I have seen one 19 plate truck and no 19 plate cars.

I say this as it may be that your dealer is not having a good month and may be concerned about making a cash up front offer. So I do think the service offer is good in that respect as it spreads the load. But maybe is not quite enough given advice from other posters