|
Update on my Hertz UK V5 story
A quick update for anyone who may be interested.
After buying from an official dealer what was described as an ex Alfa car only to discover that it was in fact an ex Hertz UK rental car, I'm glad to report that the whole matter has been concluded to everyone's satisfaction....well maybe not the dealers, but certainly to my satisfaction.
Rather than ranting and raving I took what I thought was controlled and measured approach with the dealer, stating my position and asking for their assistance and help in resolving it. After only a little bit of arm twisting at the end of a patient two weeks, I eventually got them to give me a full refund on the car, which I returned yesterday.
To add the icing on the cake, this morning I drove up to Inverness to collect a 11 month old 3k miles Alfa Red 2.2 Brera which I'm absolutely delighted with. Not one sweak or rattle, none of the dreaded 2.2 hesitation between first and second gears, and while well off the pace of the 156GTA I had, I do much prefer the petrol engine in comparsion to the 2.4JTD I've just spent the last 5 weeks driving. It's not got anywhere near the torgue of the diesel and you do have to rev it to make even half decent progress, but IMHO petrol engines are just so much more civilised.
So without tempting fate, I'm glad to report a happy ending. Lesson for me will to be weary of any car in the dealer network which is just over a year old with just under 14k miles on it. I was in a National Alamo hire car this morning which had a wee sticker saying must be returned before reaching 14k miles. And in future, when in a dealer, I will always ask to see the whole V5 before signing the new owner slip. Hopefully others can learn from my mistakes, and indeed the "mistakes" the dealer made in not correctly advising me of the car's history.
I realise I have had a bit of luck in this instance, because the wee bit of arm twisting I eventually had to resort to in order to focus the sales managers mind, was me telling him that I went to school with and was pals many years ago with the guy who actually owns the whole multiple franchise group of car dealerships, of which Alfa was only one amongst many. I mentioned that I did not want to, but ultimately would, phone my old pal and give him all the graphic details of how my ex Alfa car had somehow transformed into an ex Hertz UK car. Seemed to do the trick. (Incidentially I was glad I did not have to phone the guy, as I'm sure over the years many of our old classmates have bothered him for a discount or with a complaint about one thing or another.)
Despite what I was told, I just can't believe that they did not know it was an ex Hertz Uk hire car, but they never admitted that they knew and who was I to argue with them given that I was getting a full refund.
|
Did you know..?
Recently 'Read'
Useful Links
Alfa Romeo
Competitions
Recent Image
Search
