I was mis-sold a Vauxhall Zafira Tourer - what do I do now?

I bought a Vauxhall Zafira Tourer a couple of weeks ago from an approved used Vauxhall dealer. I made it clear when I bought it that I needed to fit three child seats across the back row, to be able to still use the boot for a pushchair. When I checked the manual, after purchase, it says that no child seat is permitted in the middle seat and there are restrictions on the seats that can go in the front. This makes the car useless to me. I went back to the dealer who said it's just a recommendation not the law and that they wouldn't worry about it. I'm a childminder and my business relies on child safety so I didn't find this very constructive. They eventually offered me part exchange at nearly £2000 less than I paid. I took it to Vauxhall's head office, who contacted the dealer, who suddenly decided they'd never known I needed to put three car seats in. So Vauxhall suggest I write a letter of complaint to the dealer. I will do this as a matter of principle but it doesn't solve my problem, I either get a car worth £2000 less than I paid or I potentially endanger children's lives. Any ideas where I go from here? I feel that I was completely mis-sold the car.

Asked on 1 April 2017 by Callie Hursthouse

Answered by Honest John
You tell the dealer that if he penalises you to the extent of £2000, you will sue him for it in Small Claims: www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money/overview/ This is the law you can use to do so: www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/consumer-rights/ However, you need to avoid full County Court action which is automatic for claims of over £10,000 because that could cost you a fortune in legal and court fees with no guarantee of a ruling in your favour.
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