PCP Inspection?

GDJTAM

My daughter has 18 months left on her Toyota PCP agreement, she has kept the car in good order and kept to the service schedules. She received a telephone call from Toyota asking her to visit the garage for a meeting so they can do an interim inspection of the vehicle and mileage. I thought the sales person from Toyota is just trying to up sell and get my daughter to sign a new agreement. She called him back and said she wasn't interested in changing her vehicle or agreement, however the salesman said that he wanted to check the car over and mileage.

Am I right in thinking that this is unusual? If the mileage was higher than what is expected but with still 18 months to go, them surely the excess calculation is done on return of the vehicle and not part way through. Also. why would the garage want to inspect the vehicle before the return date in 18 months time? My daughter has not missed any payments and has looked after the vehicle.
Is this practice the norm or is the salesperson just wanting my daughter to take out another agreement?

berkshiregaz

Having being involved in the original training for PCP's many years ago, I would think that this is suggested so that the sales person can appraise her car and then upsell her into a new vehicle, it was a classic sales generating idea when we first sold this product. The idea was you keep rolling the customer over into a new vehicle every 18 months to 2 years. My info may not be up to date but my previous role was training Business Managers and salespeople on how to maximise sales and profit

Grumpy_chap

I am no expert as I have always steered away from PCP products as I don't like them.  So, my thoughts are those of a lay-man, but I hope reasonable.

My take on this is that your daughter is 1/2 way (18 months) into a 3-year PCP, so 18 months remaining.  During that time, she has obligations (which it sounds like your daughter is keeping) and should otherwise be entitled to the motoring equivalent of "peaceful and exclusive enjoyment".  Mileage and condition is only set at the end of the agreement, so your daughter could, if she wished, cover the entire 3-years' mileage in the first half of the agreement and do nothing thereafter.

I can only imagine, therefore, that the Dealer is seeking to up-sell early to a new agreement.  Your daughter could ask for the dealer contact to explain where in the agreement they are entitled to an inspection on the car before the end of the agreement (and other than routine servicing).

The approach seems odd, though, as to try to call your daughter in for an "inspection" that she is not obliged to agree would consume your daughter's time and seems disrespectful of her and her time.  She will then likely remember that poor treatment come the end of the agreement and time for a new car.  Had the Dealer been more upfront and said they would like to speak to her about a "very good deal" that would make it worth her swapping up early, then you daughter could assess what is being offered and make a proper, informed decision whether that is worth her time or not.  If it were me, this second approach would be more likely to secure the early upgrade than the more devious "inspection" approach that seems to have been tried.

Clive_Woody

Give them the option of visiting you to inspect the car, if he does and tries a sales pitch when visiting you then try and sell him something yourself...maybe a packet of biscuits.

Nearlyold

As above it's basically a sales pitch. the car will be either in such great condition they can offer a really good p/ex deal and the new payments will only be a bit higher than current for a brand new car, or it'll have lots of issues that'll cost if its handed back and/or will make it not worthwhile to pay the GMFV in 18 months-  but there'll  be a great deal they can do for a new car where the new payments will only be a bit higher and take away all the worry of hand back charges etc for the next X years.

Grumpy_chap

It is interesting that it is Toyota though as the nearest garage to where I live is Toyota main dealer and their used car forecourt is practically empty.  I didn't have any idea why but, perhaps, they are genuinely short of stock.  That would make enticing current owners that they know have good cars an offer to upgrade early sensible for the dealer.  I just never believed that car dealers ever genuinely get short of stock.

GDJTAM

Many thanks to all, this question was soon nipped in the bud due to each reply giving sound and comforting advice. I telephoned the Sales Manager and asked if he was aware of his sales person contacting my daughter. I then asked why my daughter was told that she had to take her car in for a vehicle and mileage inspection to a sales person. Surely if it was a vehicle inspection it should be inspected by the service department? I also asked where in the agreement there is a requirement for an interim inspection? The sales manager said his sales person would not have advised that the vehicle and mileage needed checking. Unfortunately for the Sales manager, the sales person also left a voicemail message requesting this! Needles to say, I received an apology and my daughter will also get an apology. 
Thank you to all that contributed, it allowed me to telephone the Garage with confidence knowing the call to my daughter was an up selling tactic. I told the Sales Manager I look forward to meeting him when the PCP contract comes to an end!

Grumpy_chap

Thanks for feeding back, and glad the forum was of assistance.
As for

GDJTAM said:

I told the Sales Manager I look forward to meeting him when the PCP contract comes to an end!

I would be looking for a more honest broker someplace else.

MinuteNoodles

I'd be going somewhere else buying a car in cash, not on PCP.

The_Rainmaker

I hope you suggested the salesman send her a decent bunch of flowers at the bare minimum.

Goudy

I had something similar the week before last even though I own the car outright and only told delivery in March.
I first thought it might be a recall, but then it seemed odd that a sales person was arranging an inspection so when they asked me about a date to come in, I asked if they could supply me with a courtesy car while the inspection took place as I was too busy to hang around while the inspection took place.

The guy on the phone ummed and arhed a bit and told me there wasn't any loaners. What, never ever? We'd not yet agreed a date yet how did he know there wasn't any? I said I'd wait until a loaner became available and to ring me back then.

In the end he gave up and explained it was a customer courtesy call to see if I was still happy with my car.
I told him I was, but wasn't happy they expected me to drag myself across the south of England under false pretenses to only be asked what he could have done on the phone in the first place!

I shot off a letter to the dealer principle, not heard anything back yet, doubt I will and I doubt they'll see me again.