Gillian A

Never Again!

I have a lot to say about my experience with this company, and I will be posting the receipts to support what I am saying. I bought a car from this company for £2,995, and honestly, I would never buy from them again. At the time I purchased the car, I was heavily pregnant. Because of my pregnancy, I asked my sister and her partner to view the vehicle on my behalf. I needed a reliable car that I could use during maternity leave and after returning to work. Unfortunately, my experience started badly. When the car arrived, it had not been valeted and was extremely dirty. There were also issues with the paperwork. The wrong name had been registered, which resulted in the road tax payment being refunded to the company's account after the details had to be corrected. There was also no gas in the car, meaning I had to spend additional money to have the air conditioning working. Then, approximately a week into driving the vehicle, I noticed a serious problem. The car was very slow to pick up gears, the revs became extremely loud, and at times the vehicle would lose drive. I contacted the company and had the vehicle recovered through my insurance. I then had to pay £130 to have the car returned to me after they said it had been repaired. When the car was delivered back, I immediately told the delivery driver that the original problem had not been fixed. I had taken a video of the issue and sent it to him, and he accepted that the car needed to go back again. The vehicle was collected by truck and I was subsequently told that it required a gearbox repair. All of this happened within approximately the first month of owning the car. I was left without a vehicle for almost a month, with no courtesy car and no discount or other compensation, despite the company accepting that there was an issue with the vehicle. Being without a car also cost me a significant amount of money getting to and from work. When the car was eventually returned on 9 October 2025, the same issue was still present. I contacted the company again and was then told that they had apparently forgotten to repair the clutch and that this was now the problem. At that point, I asked whether I could exchange the vehicle. I even offered to consider a more expensive vehicle, including one on finance. I chose another vehicle from their website, but was told that somebody had already purchased it. The alternative offered was an estate car, which I did not want. Instead of resolving the matter, I was told that the car was "driving A1" and that a mistake had been made but had supposedly been corrected. I asked for a diagnostic report because I was concerned about how a vehicle could have these continuing problems. I was also told that the car would be driven for around two hours before being delivered back to me. When it arrived, it was making different noises. I raised this with the colleague who delivered it. On one occasion, I was told that I was essentially imagining the problem and making it up in my head. Unfortunately, I wasn't. I was also reassured that more than £1,000 had supposedly been spent repairing the vehicle. Based on what subsequently happened, I have serious doubts about whether the underlying problem had actually been properly resolved. Fast forward to January 2026. I had given birth and, following my C-section, the car was parked for approximately six weeks. When I eventually needed to use it to move house, the vehicle lost power while I was driving on a dual carriageway and would not pick up speed. This was one of the scariest experiences of my life because I had my newborn baby in the car. It was the same fundamental issue happening again. I contacted the company. The vehicle was collected and I tried to negotiate a reasonable price for them to buy the car back. Instead, I was offered £1,600 for a vehicle I had purchased from them for £2,995, with the explanation that the mileage had increased. I understand that mileage affects the value of a vehicle, but given the history of repeated mechanical problems and repairs, I did not consider £1,600 to be a reasonable resolution. Before the car was returned again, I also had it tested by Ford. I was advised that the issue did not appear to be a new problem and that there were indications that temporary repairs or fixes may have been used previously. I have the relevant documentation and evidence. And now, as if everything that has happened wasn't enough, the car lost drive again on Saturday. This is extremely concerning because the vehicle has already been returned for repairs multiple times, and I was repeatedly told that the problem had been fixed. Yet the same serious issue has happened again. For me, this is not about normal wear and tear. It is about repeated mechanical problems, repeated attempts to have the vehicle repaired, being left without a car, additional costs, and ultimately having the same serious problem occur again. Most importantly, I had a newborn child in the vehicle when it previously lost power on a dual carriageway. Knowing that the car has now lost drive again makes the situation even more concerning. I have since contacted Citizens Advice and been advised that I have consumer rights in relation to the problems with the vehicle. After I raised my consumer rights, I was then told that a harassment claim was being considered against me. I find this extremely upsetting, particularly when I have simply been trying to resolve an ongoing issue with a vehicle I purchased from the company. I am not posting this out of spite. I am posting it because I believe consumers deserve to know about my experience and to have the opportunity to make their own informed decision. I have kept evidence of the issues, communications, recovery, repairs, videos, receipts and reports, and I will provide supporting documentation where appropriate. I sincerely hope this matter can be resolved fairly. No customer should have to go through this, especially when the reliability of a vehicle is so important to the safety of their family.