I'd like share with you an issue I've had with two Volkswagen dealerships in the space of 4 months in regards to purchasing a "used approved" car. I believe serious breaches of OFT regulations have occurred and the dealerships are simply either ignorant of these, or not bothered. Something must be done to protect the consumer, and force car dealerships to act according to the law.

On 18/07/2012 I purchased a VW Golf from an official VW dealer in the Buckinghamshire area. When I purchased the vehicle I asked about the history of the car. I was told it was a "one owner" vehicle. Upon delivery of the vehicle I noticed the vehicle's passenger off-side door was showing very bad paint fade and scratches in the sunlight, which only seemed more obvious in brighter light. In addition to this on closer inspection the bumper appeared to be badly aligned with an uneven gap, which seemed likely to be a sign of previous frontal damage. I returned the following day to have these issues looked at. Obviously this was of great inconvenience, having to return a long distance to sort out issues that should have sorted before collection.

A few weeks after owning the vehicle I became dissatisfied with the performance of the car and the engine was making occasional strange mechanical noises. I requested to exchange the car under VW's "30 day exchange". This exchange is advertised in VW's national website. The dealership rejected my request to change the car. I protested and pointed out that the website clearly said that cars could be exchanged for any reason, even if the person changed their mind about the car. The dealer said this exchange was only applicable in the event of mechanical issues (i.e. car breaking down), as it cost them money to run the scheme.

I had to go through the inconvenience of ringing VW customer services to get a VW dealer just to honour their own policy. The dealership even tried to "rip" me off by offering to take my vehicle in at a part-exchange value, which would have meant losing nearly £2500 is a space of 2 weeks. Obviously a great con tactic! I asked why the loss was so great the sales manager replied this was due to a further owner showing on the DVLA logbook. I now find this ironic considering it latter emerged that the dealership was selling me ex-rental stock, that before me the vehicle would have had many different users driving it at different conditions, yet this did not affect its value.

So here to the main point of the story. Around this time I then received the DVLA log book showing the car to be an ex-rental car. I was very disappointed at receiving this information as I was clearly told the vehicle was clearly 1 previous owner. I felt this misled me, at no point was I made aware that I was purchasing an ex-rental car which would have had many different users. Had I been aware that I may be buying an ex-rental car I would purchased a Golf at a much cheaper price from "Arthur Daley" down the road, therefore, saving my paying a premium price at a VW dealership. I made a complaint to VW finance, as I purchased the car on their finance package. I also complained to the Trading Standards and the Financial Ombudsman. After the threat of legal action the dealer accepted to have the car returned, and the finance HP agreement cancelled.

Unfortunately, I have made the regrettable decision of trusting the integrity of a VW dealer again. After 3 weeks of returning my vehicle I went to other VW dealership to find a replacement car. On 10/09/2012 I went to VW dealer in the Essex. On viewing the vehicle this latest vehicle, the one I currently one own, I was immediately concerned. When I first viewed the vehicle the condition of the vehicle was very poor. The plastic trim around the rear offside passenger side door area was in a poor state. Large areas of the rear passenger side trim were badly marked and faded. In addition to this the cloth headlining appears to be torn in a deliberate fashion. I was told this was the reason the vehicle was priced at £8295. I was immediately concerned about the car and I asked if it was an ex-private or ex-company/rental car. I was clearly told the vehicle was an ex-private car.

Having travelled up by train, against costing me money and time I was beginning to regret arriving at another VW dealership. However, against my instincts I decided to stay loyal to the VW brand. On the 18/09/2012 I arrived at the latest VW dealer at around 1100hrs. I went through the handover and completed the finance documents. I was then taken to the vehicle and handed over the keys.

In anticipation of my issues with the previous VW dealer being finally resolved I started the vehicle. As soon as I turned on the ignition a serious engine lamp alert appeared. I went immediately back into the showroom to bring this to the finance manager’s attention. It was discovered that a serious issue had occurred and the technician needed to check the vehicle. After an hour or so of inspection it was decided the vehicle was suitable to drive. However, this caused me to be late for work. Unfortunately due to being late for work I could not afford to reject the vehicle so decided to give the dealership the benefit of the doubt. I spent about 30 minutes expressing my concerns to the head technician!

Since having the vehicle I have encountered problems with the vehicle where it had a serious lack of power. Whilst driving the vehicle it would struggle, and at times almost appear on verge of stalling. On one occasion whilst travelling the vehicle almost cut out in front of oncoming traffic. As I rely on my car to take my young baby around this could have been a serious situation. After this scare I decided to book the vehicle into a VW dealership for an inspection. The dealership carried out some repairs which were the believed cause of the issues. The dealership stated certain parts were not replaced in line with recommended schedules, and they could not give me a reason why this hadn't been done before I collected the vehicle from the purchasing dealership. In addition to this the air condition provides a very unpleasant smell when turned on. I have also recently had to pay to get the a/c unit cleaned.

I then received the DVLA logbook which again showed my current vehicle to be an ex-rental vehicle, ironically the previous owner being the exactly same owner as previous vehicle. A case of lightning striking twice!

I was under the impression that purchasing a vehicle from a VW dealership would give the customer “peace of mind” and a guarantee of checks being completed. I believe the national VW website quotes something similar to this. Unfortunately, for the second time in the space of nearly four months I have encountered the complete opposite.

This is not the first time I have encountered poor VW customer service. This is new the third time in space of four years I've had to return a car to a VW dealership. Previously I purchased a VW Passat in 2010. After nearly a month the turbo diesel needed replacing. I was left without a vehicle for nearly a month having to pay taxi costs for my pregnant wife and travel around on public transport. At no time was I offered any apologies on that occasion, and VW failed to provide a courtesy vehicle. Therefore, as you may understand this latest experience with Volkswagen UK is very frustrating. This is now the THIRD problem I have had with a purchasing a VW “approved” car.

Unfortunately being a loyal VW customer appears seems not to count for much. At the very least I would expect to be treated fairly, and be given “peace of mind"

So I feel potential customers need to be aware of the problems they may encounter at VW dealers.

* Lack of honesty and integrity:

Put simply they will lie to you. The honesty and integrity of both dealerships have questionable. The have already admitted they lied to me with the sale of the first vehicle. When I returned to take the first vehicle back I questioned why they were selling ex-rental cars and openly admitted that they had a relationship with Zip car, hence buying their used stock from auctions and “ripping” people off. When asking the dealer about the history of the vehicle I was told it was a private vehicle, at no point was it disclosed the vehicle was an ex-rental. This is an offence under OFT guidelines, and if you look on the OFT’s website they state this is breaking the law.

* Vehicles that are in poor condition and not checked

The vehicle was not of satisfactory mechanical quality due to issues with the vehicle when I collected on the 18th September, and shortly after. In addition to this it was potentially dangerous due to correct maintenance not being carried out on it, therefore causing a problem with engine performance. On many occasions the vehicle failed to provide enough power to move off at junctions and roundabouts, a problem which became progressively worse to the point of not being able to rely on the vehicle. On one occasion the vehicle almost stalled in front of oncoming traffic. This could have posed a serious risk to safety of my young baby.

* Fraud

Quite simply they will ignore their own "approved used promises" and lie to you. If you try to use the exchange policy the will try to "rip" you off by saying they "ll buy your car back at a part-ex valuation. In my case they tried to de-fraud me out of nearly £2500. A matter I am still considering reporting to the Police.

If anyone wishes to refer to how car dealerships should act then the two important documents are on the OFT’s website, these are: Checklist for second hand car dealers - Complying with the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (as amended) and the second being the Guidance for second hand car dealers - Compliance with the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (as amended).