Vwfs are an absolute shambles to deal with, if there is any damage there’s no reasoning with them. BCA damaged my car after they’d picked it up and vwfs still tried to bill me for the damage, they refused to deal with BCA even though they’d appointed them to inspect the vehicle as they’re a third party and basically just left me to suffer. I ended up kicking off with the dealership I bought the car from and they covered the cost.
Won’t be using vwfs again, which is a shame as I love my GTI and typically use pcp deals for my cars.
Sorry to hear your unfortunate story. Based on what you've said though it would seem that's every bit BCA's fault as much as it is VWFS. It may not be much consolation, but what you've experienced is not the norm. Mine was inspected 9 days before collection and I was given a copy of the inspection report showing all items of note, and the condition of the bodywork, wheels and interior was also recorded on video by the inspector on his tablet computer. In the event of a dispute, you can ask for this footage to be taken into account. If you do not agree with what the inspector has noted on their report then you are entitled to refuse to sign, and a dispute is lodged with VWFS which can take up to 8 weeks to resolve.
It's always worth noting that as there is usually a gap of several days between the inspection and collection, there is still scope for things to go wrong. In which case, as others have said, you should always take photographs of your car on the date of collection to protect yourself from any funny business.
I have lodged a dispute with VWFS myself, and am happy with the outcome, after i was charged for bodywork damage that was the result of what they deemed an unsatisfactory repair. I objected on the grounds that as the repair was by an approved VW bodyshop then any costs should be recovered from them rather than me. They agreed and cancelled all the charges.
