Ordered a new Citroen C4 via one of the brokers mentioned by HJ. The car was delivered by Citroen to a Citroen dealer on Wednesday 23rd. The car is prepped by the dealer and should be delivered to my home. However, the dealer has told the broker that they can't issue a registration number until Thursday or Friday next week. This means I can't get my insurance sorted out and won't get delivery of the vehicle until the following Monday or even Tuesday. That is almost 2 weeks from delivery to dealer.
I think the delaer is messing the broker about. I am sure that the dealer can pick from a list of registration numbers.
Can only assume that the dealer is not bothered about upsetting the broker, or me the customer, who chose to get over £4k discount rather than the paltry discount offered by main dealers.
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You don't need the new registration to sort out insurance, that can be done on the VIN No. I always have with new cars.
I thought most franchised dealers allocated and taxed new vehicles online, in real time. It sounds like the dealer just can't be bothered.
You do however need the registration before you can tax or drive it.
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have you seen the car ?
has it been damaged in transit, or is it sat in the showroom, acting as demo ?
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Cynic Alert!
I reckon Thursday is 1st December, sounds much more like a desire to fit with a manufacturer's sales bonus target.
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I was thinking much the same thing - dealer has probably met his targets for November, December will be a quiet month they will need all the registrations they can get.
There is no reason why they can't pick a reg number for you now and register it from 1/12. Whenever I've had new cars the dealer has always let me have the reg number a couple of weeks in advance of delivery to allow insurance etc to be sorted out.
They shouldn't tax the car without seeing your insurance documents first.
To simplify things I would tell the broker you suspect what is going on, will accept that you can't have the car until 1/12 but would like a reg number a few days before so you can sort out your insurance - this should also suit the dealer as they will be able to confirm insurance to issue the tax.
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Like hxj my first thought on reading this was that Thursday was 01 December and that dealer targets were in play - unles the DVLA are rationing numbers!!!!.
Time to lean on both broker and dealer I think.
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Thanks for the interesting replies.
The car has actually nothing to do with the dealer for sales target purposes I think. I ordered the car thro' the broker (UK-Car-Discount.co.uk). I paid the deposit to the broker. The bankers draft will be paid into the brokers account once I actually take delivery of the car and I am happy with it.
The broker has no reason to mess me about as he wants his money asap, so I think he is as frustrated as I am.
I have no idea who the dealer is, but I know it is not local to me. As I understand it, the manufacturer does not want to upset its dealerships local to broker customers. The dealer preps and delivers the car to the purchaser. There is nothing in it for them financially. I guess I will find out who the dealer is on delivery of the vehicle to me.
I will be calling Citroen UK on Monday to complain.
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Of course there is something in them for it financially, they don't think they are prepping your new car for you out of the goodness of their heart, do you? The Broker has paid for the car, and the dealer has been paid for the car presumably by the broker.
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Let's not forget that Tack needs his car when he needs it, not when the dealer is prepared to go to all that trouble to get it registered.
It takes no time at all to obtain a registation number. Only last year my new van was chosen, paid for, prepped, registered, insured, had extras fitted etc within a few days.
If the dealer is holding back the sale for December then that is wrong, unless tack has told the broker he can wait for December.
Otherwise, tack has every right to expect the car to be available as soon as possible. Inconveniencing the customer for their own ends is unforgivable.
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Tack- The dealer who the broker has employed to provide your car will still be getting a unit on their board for the month that they register it, which will help them towards their target.
I suspect that the dealer will have offered a better deal on the basis that they would register it in their December sales figures rather than November, however, it would appear that they didn't explain this to the broker or to Tack.
When we were doing deals it would be quite common to provide a different price depending on what month the registration would occur, I've once even sold a Focus at true cost price and used all of the commission that the finance company gave us to further reduce the payment in order to get a registration within a particular month. That knocked a lot off the woman's payment I can assure you!
Blue
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Blimey, Machiavelli himself would have enjoyed this process. Perhaps they could update the Bard's play, set it around the brokers/customers/dealers relationship. The broker could be one of the Medici's, the dealer could be Machiavelli, Citroen could be Borgia.
Me? I would be the poor peasant sap stuck in the middle of the triangle.
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Update 28/11/05
Have discovered I have been fed a large pork pie smothered in BS sauce.
Having been told by the broker that the car was indeed delivered on Wednesday last week and that the dealer was dragging feet over the issue of the registration number.....I have now been told that the car is actually still in Calais and will not be shipped until Wednesday next week. It will take a further week to get delivery of the car.
To say that I am cheesed off would be an understatement. Seriously considering asking for deposit back and going elsewhere. Don't mind being told the truth and being kept informed along the way.
I detest the idea that I am being lied to when I am a customer to the tune of just a tad over 12 grand.
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