[RuthB]

Not a happy bunny tonight - just found out about this http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/14742786.Basingstoke_car_dealership_consider_administration_blaming__poor_trade_/

Phoned them today to ask a couple of questions and wondered at the time why I couldn't get through. I've no idea if my car has actually been ordered (phoning Seat UK tomorrow to see if they can tell me) and if not how I get my deposit back.

Has anyone got any advice?

Total nightmare :x

 

[Tell]

Right, I had this 12 years ago with a Seat dealer in Walthamstow that went out of business. I had paid the deposit and three months latter checked how things were doing and the receptionist said we are closing down next week. I had paid the deposit by credit card. What Seat did was to reallocate the order to another Seat dealer and honoured the discount and the deposit. All ended well except in moving the order I reckon I got added to the back of the new dealers queue.

Ideally you need your Seat Order number and then they will look up your order when you contact Seat UK. The dealer has this number, if they have closed their lines and scarped you won't get this. It's possible that the dealer never placed the order with Seat and kept the deposit. That will be a claim on the credit card company if you did it that way dependent on what Seat UK says.

One suspects that the dealer may well have taken a fair few deposits over the weekend if they were still trading. I suppose you could cut your losses make a claim against the credit card company or bank if you paid by card and order another one from another dealer or wait will Seat UK sorts it out. If you paid cash you become a creditor if Seat UK doesn't step in and iron things out, then you get a percentage back. Could be a trip or phone call to Citizen Advice if it's cash payment dependent on what Seat UK say. I think if they have no record of your order and you paid by bank card get your money back that way and proceed with a new dealer. In my case the order had been passed to Seat so logically they had taken their cut of the money.

Given what happened to me I'm a bit worried myself when I pay off the balance that my dealer won't go under in that period the money is clearing and I pick the car up.

As all financial advisers say (I'm not one just a humble management scientist), blah, blah, blah. I did run my own consultancy business for 18 years, I always went proactively after people that owed me money, but they were public bodies. A personal visit can work wonders, least to try for that Seat customer number.

 

[RuthB]

Thanks Tell

At least this has all happened only a week or so after ordering. I have an order number on my paperwork so will try Seat UK tomorrow and see if I get anywhere. We did luckily pay the deposit on a credit card.

 

[Tell]

That sounds not bad then. You could wait a month or so for Seat UK to sort out what's going on with movement of the orders if they have it, so I would be tempted to get a full refund and place another order elsewhere in the meantime if you feel that's the quickest thing to do.

 

[Tell]

For what it's worth Companies House records

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/04301565

It changed its director on Monday. It has to do its annual return on 9th October, assume why things came to a head. Ran at a fair loss 2013 and 2014 most recent filing. Has a lot of "charges" against it still outstanding. Possibly / probably Hyundai Capital UK Limited brought them to their knees at the start of 2016, most recent tabled. Lloyd's the year before.

Thank fully my dealer looks more rosy on Company House records. Thought I had better look.

 

[RuthB]

Interesting.

I phoned Seat UK this morning and they were really helpful. As it happens the car has been ordered and I even have a build date of 10 October which is far earlier than I expected! I have advised that they will deliver the car to the nearest dealer (we won't know who until a couple of weeks before delivery) and have been assured that all the contract negotiations will be honoured.

It's lucky that we were able to test drive and place an order the week before the official launch as it looks (at the moment at least) that the order has beaten any rush of orders taken at the launch weekend.

Tell - I have updated your build date Poll.

 

[Tell]

So all ends good. Perhaps Seat UK are more in tune with dealers going under these days and have contingency plans. As said my order got shifted 12 years ago but I wasn't convinced that the dealer didn't put me at the end of their queue. I waited five months for my Altea DSG from Spain and when it arrived didn't have the parking sensors that I ordered. They were post fitted. Probably the dealer gave my car to someone else two months before and I got theirs two months later sans parking sensors.... I know other people were getting theirs sooner.

Ruth, I reckon we will both be on the road about the same time if I don't get the car before I go travelling which lòoks a bit tight. I won't be at the birth next week.