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Need some advice re van
At the end of August last year we purchased a camper van from a company that specialises in campers, the purchase was made using finance. The company in question buys ex-fleet vans (from Sky etc) then converts them to your spec.
When the van was advertised, it stated it would come with 12 months MOT. When we picked up the van, following conversion, we were told it had a new MOT (pick up was delayed for several days due to said MOT). We were also told that they would send the V5 to the DVLA, along with the required photos, in order for it to be reclassified as a camper. There was also a second key that they had been unable to locate which they said they would send to us once found.
Throughout the past 11 months there have been a few snagging issues and this company have been a nightmare to deal with (I feel this is relevant), never being able to speak to the person in charge and being constantly told they would phone me back...but never did. Hours spent on the phone chasing and waiting for calls that never came.
6 months ago I phoned and spoke to one of the fitters as the MOT certificate, V5 and spare key still hadn't arrived. I was told there had been a delay sending the pictures etc off but had now been done and the MOT certificate and key would be sent to me that day. This is after being told the manager was, once again, out of the office. This year has been somewhat ridiculous and, with the constant chasing, I dropped the ball and left it.
Fast forward to Monday just gone...the van is booked in for an MOT at the end of the month....I get pulled over by the police on my way home from London and get told the MOT ran out in April. Oh, and the van is registered as "trade". So not even my van :mad:
To say I'm upset is an understatement. Thankfully the police didn't seize then van and I got it MOT'd the very next day but I can't help but feel like I've had my pants pulled down. I've requested the MOT certificate so many times, I have been assured the registration is in process so many times and yet here I am facing a big fine for a van that isn't even technically mine.
I've been in contact with the dealer's head office every day this week and don't seem any further forward. Now it may be worth me mentioning that, when we viewed and collected the van, the man we dealt with told us he owned the company. Today I got told he no longer "works for" the firm and a quick check on companys house shows a totally different name. I don't know what to think any more.
Thank you for getting this far, nearly finished!
My question now is.......where can I go from here? I've been paying finance, tax and insurance on a van that isn't really mine PLUS being made to believe the van had a new MOT when, in fact, it had 6 months and now I'm in trouble. Is there anything that can be done against this company? I feel lost.
When the van was advertised, it stated it would come with 12 months MOT. When we picked up the van, following conversion, we were told it had a new MOT (pick up was delayed for several days due to said MOT). We were also told that they would send the V5 to the DVLA, along with the required photos, in order for it to be reclassified as a camper. There was also a second key that they had been unable to locate which they said they would send to us once found.
Throughout the past 11 months there have been a few snagging issues and this company have been a nightmare to deal with (I feel this is relevant), never being able to speak to the person in charge and being constantly told they would phone me back...but never did. Hours spent on the phone chasing and waiting for calls that never came.
6 months ago I phoned and spoke to one of the fitters as the MOT certificate, V5 and spare key still hadn't arrived. I was told there had been a delay sending the pictures etc off but had now been done and the MOT certificate and key would be sent to me that day. This is after being told the manager was, once again, out of the office. This year has been somewhat ridiculous and, with the constant chasing, I dropped the ball and left it.
Fast forward to Monday just gone...the van is booked in for an MOT at the end of the month....I get pulled over by the police on my way home from London and get told the MOT ran out in April. Oh, and the van is registered as "trade". So not even my van :mad:
To say I'm upset is an understatement. Thankfully the police didn't seize then van and I got it MOT'd the very next day but I can't help but feel like I've had my pants pulled down. I've requested the MOT certificate so many times, I have been assured the registration is in process so many times and yet here I am facing a big fine for a van that isn't even technically mine.
I've been in contact with the dealer's head office every day this week and don't seem any further forward. Now it may be worth me mentioning that, when we viewed and collected the van, the man we dealt with told us he owned the company. Today I got told he no longer "works for" the firm and a quick check on companys house shows a totally different name. I don't know what to think any more.
Thank you for getting this far, nearly finished!
My question now is.......where can I go from here? I've been paying finance, tax and insurance on a van that isn't really mine PLUS being made to believe the van had a new MOT when, in fact, it had 6 months and now I'm in trouble. Is there anything that can be done against this company? I feel lost.
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Comments
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MOTs are now online, easy to check any time and it is your job to check when it expires.
There are new rules regarding registering vans as campers and they may have been caught out.
As they sound like a bunch of sharks how much money do you have to throw at lawyers for potentially no results?0 -
If it's on finance, contact the finance company and ask what they intend to do to fix the problems. They are jointly liable with the dealer for any problems.
PS. The V5 doesn't say anything about whether the van is yours or not - only who is the registered keeper. But you really want the V5 in your name anyway.If it sticks, force it.
If it breaks, well it wasn't working right anyway.0 -
Point 1. Of course there is truth in that (I wasn't aware of them now being online, our other van had an MOT recently and we were still given a certificate?) however, when you spend a small fortune on a van from a "reputable" (word used loosely) dealer and you are told it has 12 months MOT, you tend to believe them.MOTs are now online, easy to check any time and it is your job to check when it expires.
There are new rules regarding registering vans as campers and they may have been caught out.
As for the second point, nearly a year ago the rules hadn't changed so they wouldn't have been caught out. I have a feeling it will now be registered as a panel van with windows as they haven't done what they should have done. But that's not massively important, it's more the fact that it's not "my" van. In fact, it isn't registered to anyone.0 -
What about point 3?0
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Point 1, when would the mot expire then? You would need to check either way wether you believed them or notPoint 1. Of course there is truth in that (I wasn't aware of them now being online, our other van had an MOT recently and we were still given a certificate?) however, when you spend a small fortune on a van from a "reputable" (word used loosely) dealer and you are told it has 12 months MOT, you tend to believe them.
As for the second point, nearly a year ago the rules hadn't changed so they wouldn't have been caught out. I have a feeling it will now be registered as a panel van with windows as they haven't done what they should have done. But that's not massively important, it's more the fact that it's not "my" van. In fact, it isn't registered to anyone.0 -
25th August. That's when we were told it was MOT'd. We were supposed to pick up the van on the 23rd but couldn't as it was being MOT'd according to the "owner" (who turned out to be anything but). Van was booked in for MOT 23rd August.Point 1, when would the mot expire then? You would need to check either way wether you believed them or not
What was the 3rd point I missed?0 -
Thank you, speaking to the finance company will be first on my agenda on Monday. Don't know why that escaped me.If it's on finance, contact the finance company and ask what they intend to do to fix the problems. They are jointly liable with the dealer for any problems.
PS. The V5 doesn't say anything about whether the van is yours or not - only who is the registered keeper. But you really want the V5 in your name anyway.0 -
You can also check the tax status online, if the vehicle is in trade and you've actually managed to tax it, it won't be taxed when you become the registered keeper.0
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Tax is up at the end of the month. We taxed it online using the office computer and the V5 that was getting sent off. I am painfully aware that I can't tax it without the V5, it's all a bit of a mess really.You can also check the tax status online, if the vehicle is in trade and you've actually managed to tax it, it won't be taxed when you become the registered keeper.0 -
The "primary record" of the MOT changed from being the certificate to the online record in around 2005-6, with computerisation. The plain paper computer-printed A4 "certificate" you are given is purely a receipt - it carries zero legal weight. The computer record has been the important bit for the last fourteen years.Point 1. Of course there is truth in that (I wasn't aware of them now being online, our other van had an MOT recently and we were still given a certificate?)
You can check the entire MOT history since computerisation, for any vehicle, with only the plate, at https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/0
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