I've just put a deposit down on a new VW Polo - currently offered with one year's free insurance before 31st. I bought through a VW dealer, only to be informed that, because the car is discounted, I can't have the free insurance too. Admittedly, I haven't seen the full t & c's of VW's insurance offer, but their official website lists the major exclusions and a discounted car (from Dovercourt, London) isn't one of them.
I'd appreciate any advise as to whether I should take the matter further. (They're not delivering, either, so I'm not minded to overlook this...) Many thanks.
frmarcus
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Erm, if they told you on the website that there is free insurance, and didn't mention that until the contract was signed, then they are guilty of deceptive advertising at the very least.
An exception would be if the car is a pre-reg - that would be excluded from it.
On the other hand, if it's the offer I've seen (£6,999 for a 1.2E 65 bhp) then it's so good that you'd have to be a 17 year old with points on their licence to walk away from it and go somewhere else.
I'm exaggerating slightly, but it should have come into negotiations. Usually the dealer gets credit towards the insurance offer - up to a few hundred pounds - that they can then discount without the insurance. They should have told you that in advance though.
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David: Thanks. No, it's not the offer you saw (I didn't see that!): it's for a 1.2 S 65 5dr metallic (£8445), rather than an E and probably 3dr that you saw. HJ advises that I shouldn't expect a discount AND free insurance; but if that's the case I think VW should make it clear in their free insurance offer that it cannot be had in conjunction with a discount. After all, many will be buying with SOME discount: are they all excluded? I guess it can't do any harm to take it up with VW that their advert is, prima facie, misleading...
Best wishes,
frmarcus
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David: Thanks. No, it's not the offer you saw (I didn't see that!): it's for a 1.2 S 65 5dr metallic (£8445), rather than an E and probably 3dr that you saw. HJ advises that I shouldn't expect a discount AND free insurance; but if that's the case I think VW should make it clear in their free insurance offer that it cannot be had in conjunction with a discount. After all, many will be buying with SOME discount: are they all excluded? I guess it can't do any harm to take it up with VW that their advert is, prima facie, misleading... Best wishes, frmarcus
HJ's advice based on industry practice is all very well, but it is absolutely misleading and there's no reason (from my point of view as a non-motor industry/journo person) that any element of the deal should disappear, without you being told, just because you get a discount.
You might as well say that you shouldn't expect a 3 year warranty, say, or road tax, (or, to get silly, wheels or an engine) as well as a discount.
They are all things which are advertised as forming part of the product. The price is a separate matter.
The website showing the free insurance promotion says absolutely nothing about discounts cancelling the free insurance.
If the dealer is intransigent, I would report VW to the Advertising Standards Authority www.asa.org.uk and more than likely they will reimburse you as part of fobbing the ASA off and claiming it's a one-off mistake.
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HJ's advice based on industry practice is all very well, but it is absolutely misleading ...
Sorry that was unclear - I meant that the advertising is misleading, not HJ's advice which I would hesitate to accuse of being wrong as regards industry practice!
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This is a question of when you were told the free insurance is not included. If this was introduced after you paid your deposit then VW don't have leg to stand on. English Law prevails so industry practice is irrelevant.
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MMD: Thanks, I'm going to take this up with VW. I seem to recall that, on enquiry, I was told by the dealer that I couldn't have the advertised discount and advertised free insurance; but, even so, this may run counter the VW's advertising and appears ambiguous at the least (in that it's attracting people's attention unjustifiably)
frmarcus
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