I'm due to collect my Fabia vrs this Wednesday, however the car had some minor paint defects that i requested Skoda to sort out + I also asked for free 12 months road tax which was also agreed would be included. So far so good, however i've just checked the documents with the car info and figures and it clearly shows the £140 road tax is added to my final payment! Not included for free as salesman had promised it would be! :( I know it's not a big deal but i do feel the salesman lied to me which is unfair salesmanship and feel i should complain about it. Is there anything i could do if he refused to take £140 off? ie refuse to buy the car? I've not put any deposit down but have got documents. The dealership is S.G.Smith Skoda in Croydon.

Out of interest, when you say final payment, I'm guessing you're financing the car?

If so, the charge at the end is the 'option to purchase fee', in lehmans terms transferring the actual ownership over to you fee. Without paying this the finance company could still take the car back even if you have made XXX payments.

Correct me if I'm wrong on the finance though.

How are you paying for the car? Cash or finance? If it's cash just pay them what you feel the balance should be. At the end of the day it may be a genuine mistake, so talk to them.

Just confront him, his verbal agreement is still a contract. Take it up with him. Stand your ground!

Cheated by a salesman. Well I never.

If you agreed a price that included road tax and the final figure is still the same then what is the difference?

Yeah as long as the price agreed is the price paid then its probably an accounting thing. They probably make more by invoicing it like that

Stop for a moment and consider why your road tax that's paid for *now* would be charged for on your final payment in xx months time?

As pointed out what the invoice is made up of is largely unimportant, if the figure you are paying is the figure agreed it's up to them how they break it down for VAT/accounting purposes.

Check the paperwork, is the figure the one you agreed? Check the finance paperwork, are you sure it's not the final document fee etc. If you're still not sure then talk to the sales person and ask the question, it should be simple to resolve, if your not happy then don't buy the car. Simple

Even if the dealer is putting road tax on the car it will still have to be paid for, the dealer will still have to pay the post office for the road tax, so it will show on the invoice. Just make sure the price you agreed to pay is what you have to pay

Stop for a moment and consider why your road tax that's paid for *now* would be charged for on your final payment in xx months time?

As pointed out what the invoice is made up of is largely unimportant, if the figure you are paying is the figure agreed it's up to them how they break it down for VAT/accounting purposes.

Check the paperwork, is the figure the one you agreed? Check the finance paperwork, are you sure it's not the final document fee etc. If you're still not sure then talk to the sales person and ask the question, it should be simple to resolve, if your not happy then don't buy the car. Simple

When i first viewed the car, i pointed out a few paint defects that needed sorting out. The salesman agreed to do this inclusive of the price. He then told me the car needed to be taxed as it had no tax disk so he's given me a a 7 day free insurance under Swinton. I then thought why not ask him to take another £200 off the price as it has no tax or ask him to tax it for one full year for free. He agreed he'd insure it for free if i'd go ahead with the deal. I then made it clear i wanted all the defects & insurance done in the price. He agreed to do this, but when i look on the price on my sheet it says £5,655.00 and underneath it says £140 road tax Total cash price £795. Originally i was due to pay £995 to pay because he was going to give me 5.2k for my octy. Due to them wanting to avoid paying high taxes they moved the numbers back by £200. But i should still have another £140 deducted if the road tax is for free. Confused? I was, still am now! I'm going to give him a call and sort it out.

Stop for a moment and consider why your road tax that's paid for *now* would be charged for on your final payment in xx months time?

As pointed out what the invoice is made up of is largely unimportant, if the figure you are paying is the figure agreed it's up to them how they break it down for VAT/accounting purposes.

Check the paperwork, is the figure the one you agreed? Check the finance paperwork, are you sure it's not the final document fee etc. If you're still not sure then talk to the sales person and ask the question, it should be simple to resolve, if your not happy then don't buy the car. Simple

The point is, i shouldn't have to pay for the road tax if the salesman agreed to do it for free just like the defects. The total it asks me to pay is £795 but it should really be £655 shouldn't it? I feel like needing to phone and sort it out. I still want the car though

Right, just given the bloke a quick call to ask about the road tax issue and you guys are right, it is included for free in the deal because the price shown is the price it was without tax. I feel much happier now sorting that out. I have to be quite honest though, i feel a bit nervious parting my car because there's nothing wrong with mine so i'm hoping the Fabia will be problem free too. Also, i've just realised i never checked the electrics on the Fabia! I should have done that really. The fabia will be cheaper to run in the long run, not just on fuel but all round too.

You say originally you were due to pay £995 (presumably the difference between the price of the car you're buying and the PX for your current car). You're also saying you're now going to have to pay £795 to swap cars - £200 less, happy days. If you agreed to swap cars at a total cost to you of £795 then it's all good isn't it? It doesn't really matter that they've reduced the price of the car to offset the tax - it's the price to swap that matters.

EDIT - ignore this, posted at the same time as you just replied!

Edited 13 April, 201313 yr by JulieD

If I read your post right you were supposed to pay a balance of 995 but are now only paying 795 so he has taken off 200 as you asked (200 or tax the car) which is more than the 140 the tax would cost.

Enjoy your new

car.

If I read your post right you were supposed to pay a balance of 995 but are now only paying 795 so he has taken off 200 as you asked (200 or tax the car) which is more than the 140 the tax would cost.

No that's not it, It was just altered that way. Originally I was going to get 5.2k for my car and had to pay £995, he's moved the figures back by £200 so he avoids paying high taxes. So now i get 5k for my car and have to pay £795, if that makes sense.

Enjoy your new

car.

Thanks!

The point is, i shouldn't have to pay for the road tax if the salesman agreed to do it for free just like the defects. The total it asks me to pay is £795 but it should really be £655 shouldn't it? I feel like needing to phone and sort it out. I still want the car though

Could you still cancel the deal even though i've already signed for it? I haven't parted any money yet? Would be interesting to know, i always thought once you sign you are legaly binded to that and there's no turning back?

Stop for a moment and consider why your road tax that's paid for *now* would be charged for on your final payment in xx months time?

As pointed out what the invoice is made up of is largely unimportant, if the figure you are paying is the figure agreed it's up to them how they break it down for VAT/accounting purposes.

Check the paperwork, is the figure the one you agreed? Check the finance paperwork, are you sure it's not the final document fee etc. If you're still not sure then talk to the sales person and ask the question, it should be simple to resolve, if your not happy then don't buy the car. Simple

Could i still walk then even though i've already signed the forms? I haven't given any deposits, I thought once you sign that's it, you are legaly binded to that and there's no turning back? Please let me know thanks.

Dont you want it now then? :/

Could i still walk then even though i've already signed the forms? I haven't given any deposits, I thought once you sign that's it, you are legaly binded to that and there's no turning back? Please let me know thanks.

Depends what it says in the small print of the forms you signed

Technically rescission or withdrawal from a contract should be communicated to the seller as quickly as possible.

This minimises the loss or damage that the seller may claim to have suffered and any claim they have against you

Essentially, this amounts to posting or personally delivering a letter to the seller rescinding or withdrawing from the contract

You could send a copy of the letter to local trading standards as well, if this is needed to help pressure the dealer into excepting your withdrawal from the deal

SG Smiths are kicking you right in the nadgers. Ok, they are not really. We used to do a fair amount of work for them. It doesn't matter what you buy or where you buy it from, salesmen are natural liars.

Dont you want it now then? :/

I do want it, but i guess i'm a bit nervous that maybe the car might not be as reliable as my octy. I find it hard to trust sales people mainly because they only tell you all the things you want to hear. The other thing and this is really my fault, i didn't check the electrics other than the radio. In some ways it all felt a bit rushed. The test drive was very short mainly because we spend most of the drive stuck in traffic and filling up the tank as it only had 4 miles range left. The test drive was no more than 10-15mins, it does look very tidy and the engine bay looks very imaculate. I also asked if there was any record of the cambelt being replaced, but there is nothing in the Service shedule that this has been done yet. The salesman also did not know, the service book does show the car to have been serviced every 10k miles not all at Skoda dealers, one service had been done by Aston Martin?! bet that was pricey! Like i said, yes i'm happy to have the car and all checks by DVLA is all in order, but i just hope i made the right choice for the right reasons replacing it for my mint Octy.

Edited 13 April, 201313 yr by VRS-R

No cam belt done on an 05? 4 years/60k intervals, whatever comes first. Frankly man up and check the car before accepting it, if something is wrong they will fix it, it's not a massive drama.

You really should have checked the service history before you signed up for it. As said above, the cambelt is due every 4 years or 60k miles (whichever comes soonest) and will cost in the region of £300 to replace. If you do buy the car then get it changed ASAP.

Can you still walk away from the deal? Probably. The dealer would be entitled to recover their costs (especially if they've just taxed it for you), but they'll probably just put it down to experience and hope you never venture onto their forecourt again.