Looking for some advice please.

[Danny86]

Hi everyone I'm new to this forum and just looking for some advice regarding my GTI order please.

I was due to collect my new car on Wednesday 16th March, unfortunately on Tuesday I received a call from my dealer who told me my car had been stolen from the dealership. I was absolutely gutted!

The dealer has told me he can get hold of cars in the UK with the same colour however they have optional extras so my monthly payments would be more. I told him I will probably cancel the order then as I'm not willing to pay more.

Where do I stand here, should I be getting the higher spec car for the same price as my original order? Or is this just bad luck for me?

I'm considering cancelling the order an just buying a second hand Fiesta to save the hassle. This is the first new car I have ever bought and this has totally ruined the experience for me.

Thank you for any help.

[AntGTD]

Sounds suspect to me, like the car was sold by another sales person. These days cars don't get stolen without keys!

[p3asa]

I agree with Ant. Sounds pretty dodgy although can happen I suppose.
I don't think they are liable at all in giving you any extras for free but you would like to think due to the inconvenience that they might strike a deal with you.
Or can they not give you a runaround until a new one arrives? I'm sure they could alter somebody else's order that's just about to go to confirmed build date and that way it would be in 8 weeks or under!

[karlak]

As you were due to pick up the car the following day, had they already given you the Registration Number or better still the VIN number, so you could arrange insurance etc. ?

Would be very interesting to check if the VIN or Reg number appear as registered on the road....

[Danny86]

I was told they broke into the dealership found the keys and took the car from inside.

There's another order that I can change to but it is estimated to arrive late April. I'm not willing to wait that long as I've had no car since the 12th January so I've been getting the train to work everyday which adds an hour to my journey each way. I asked about a courtesy car when I placed the order but they told me they don't do that.

They had given me the registration number but they hadn't registered the car yet as they were going to do that on the Wednesday.

[Bungleaio]

Bad luck mate I would have been gutted.  I would hold out for the golf if you can but I would be expecting the dealer to be doing some serious good will gestures. Sorting you a temporary car whilst you wait should be a minimum. 

If you have the reg number then the car will be registered with the dvla. I checked mine on the dvla vehicle check website a couple of days before I collected mine and it was shown as being there but the registration date was a couple of days in the future. 

Good luck mate but don't get a fiesta.

[p3asa]

If you have the reg number then the car will be registered with the dvla. I checked mine on the dvla vehicle check website a couple of days before I collected mine and it was shown as being there but the registration date was a couple of days in the future. 

Good luck mate but don't get a fiesta.

Our experience was different. We had the reg number of ours for 3 days beforehand and couldn't understand why it wasnt coming up on any of DVLA's systems. We tried to insure it at the dealership in front of the salesman with the reg number and he told us its not registered yet it's all done instantly now online. So they did it there and then when we picked it up.

Best way to check if they've sold it is to look on the ask mid website. A thief isn't going to insure it.

[Booth11]

Sorry to hear of your woes OP.  I know yours was a GTI but there have been reports of thefts of R's from dealership forecourts, so it does happen. It does sound a little fishy though, so worth trying to see if the car shows up as insured as Stevie (p3asa) suggests.

I do think the dealership should be offering you something in goodwill as you are greatly inconvenienced and certainly insist on a courtesy car of a reasonable standard.  Hope you get it sorted to your satisfaction.

[chris1h]

get onto vw customer care!! i would say thats shocking  they should be doing everything possible to keep you as a customer and help with your in convenience all be it sounds very fishy!!

[dipstick]

Agreed with the above - sounds dodgy, but I would not go saying that to the dealer at this point.

Did you have an order number? I would ask the dealer about the possibility of a courtest car to bridge the gap between now and the end of April to keep your order in tact due to the inconvenience you are experiencing.

Should that not be possible I would then contact VW Customer Care, explain the situation and that you would have to cancel your order if no courtesy car or negotiations on an available higher spec car are forthcoming.

I can't believe they would want to lose you as a customer......