Mini dealer not taking large card payments

2

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  • Head_The_Ball
    Head_The_Ball Posts: 4,067 Forumite
    Paradigm wrote: »
    I bought my latest car on a 0% credit card, the dealer charged me a 2% fee to cover his costs.

    Is that legal?

    I thought it was made illegal a few years ago.

    Please note I am questioning the legality of charging a premium for paying by credit card, not questioning a dealer's absolute right to refuse to take credit cards payments.

    The former is a question of law, the latter is a dealer's business decision and choice.
  • note-from-mum
    note-from-mum Posts: 14 Forumite
    ask the dealer for your money back to cancel the sale . the car salesman will not want to see his commission dissappear
  • AndyMc.....
    AndyMc..... Posts: 3,248
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    Is that legal?

    I thought it was made illegal a few years ago.

    Please note I am questioning the legality of charging a premium for paying by credit card, not questioning a dealer's absolute right to refuse to take credit cards payments.

    The former is a question of law, the latter is a dealer's business decision and choice.

    The DVLA charge for any card usage since the law was changed.
  • motorguy
    motorguy Posts: 22,452
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    I'm finding something very odd with this, but it could be that the rules have changed since I last bought a car with cash, so thought I'd run it past here....

    We put a deposit on a used Mini at the weekend (credit card), with the intention of paying the majority in cash (~8K), 1.5K as trade in, and the rest on a 0% credit card, which we have successfully applied for.

    At the time, the dealer mentioned that they needed the money for the car 2 days up front, and that the best option was to do a bank transfer. Hmm.... ok..... I've done this in the past using a card, but OK....

    We called them today to see if we could get the delivery date for the car put back whilst we wait for the card to be delivered. The salesman told us at that point that they no longer take payments over £2000 on cards of any kind - credit or debit.

    As I said, this is a main Mini dealer

    Why am I feeling uneasy about this? Should I be? It all seems very odd... I mean cash buying a car can't be so unusual, surely? Or is this down to changes in anti-money laundering regulations or something? (but then why would a bank transfer be any different?)

    Transfer the money from your 0% card to your current account, then move it over. Simples.

    It will invoke a small charge but keeps everyone happy.
  • motorguy
    motorguy Posts: 22,452
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    ask the dealer for your money back to cancel the sale . the car salesman will not want to see his commission dissappear

    Wont matter what the salesman wants, its policy of the dealership
  • Le_Kirk
    Le_Kirk Posts: 22,156
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    From Saturday 13 January (2018) all surcharges for paying via credit or debit card will be banned; this includes payment methods linked to your card, such as PayPal or Apple Pay. Companies are still allowed to levy a surcharge if you opt to pay by cash or cheque.
    Full article here.
  • Paradigm
    Paradigm Posts: 3,613
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    Is that legal?

    I thought it was made illegal a few years ago.

    Please note I am questioning the legality of charging a premium for paying by credit card, not questioning a dealer's absolute right to refuse to take credit cards payments.

    The former is a question of law, the latter is a dealer's business decision and choice.


    I suppose it's legal if you agree to it, I did as the 2% charges were more than offset by the 0% credit card savings compared to a bank loan at 6%....
    Always try to be at least half the person your dog thinks you are!
  • sleepymans
    sleepymans Posts: 902
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    Similar when I recently bought my nearly new car, the salesman made the payment terms clear before he took the deposit and handed me a sheet outlining the dealerships payment terms.
    I had the cash in my current account earning very little interest so it was convenient for me to pay by bank transfer anyway.

    Hopefully your salesman /woman did explain before taking your deposit?? Maybe you were too excited to take notice, lol!
    :A Goddess :A
  • motorguy
    motorguy Posts: 22,452
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    Le_Kirk wrote: »

    From Saturday 13 January (2018) all surcharges for paying via credit or debit card will be banned; this includes payment methods linked to your card, such as PayPal or Apple Pay. Companies are still allowed to levy a surcharge if you opt to pay by cash or cheque.

    Full article here.

    So there we go - they've covered themselves by simply not accepting debt and credit card payments. :)
  • Deastons
    Deastons Posts: 464 Forumite
    daveyjp wrote: »
    Considering how over priced Minis are for what they offer

    I see Minis everywhere, so I'd say they're priced about right.
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