Buying from Cazoo given their financial woes
Discussion
Hi Folks,
What is the view on buying from Cazoo at the moment? I understand they are in quite a lot of financial difficulty, have closed their European business and are in the process of some fairly deep costs cuts here in the UK.
I ask because they have a car that seems to fit the bill at a just about reasonable price.
Is there a big risk in buying from them just now? I'm not really up to speed on the "buy a car over the internet" thing but as I understand it you pay the cash and they then deliver the car. I also see that you have 7 days to return the car if you are not happy with it.
I guess my question is: What are the chances that they will go under after they have got our money but before the 7 days is up?
Crystal ball gazing I know but I'm not up to date with how dire their situation actually is right now.
I guess the other more likely scenario is that they fold during the warranty period - so I suppose that is a consideration too.
Considered opinions welcome.
What is the view on buying from Cazoo at the moment? I understand they are in quite a lot of financial difficulty, have closed their European business and are in the process of some fairly deep costs cuts here in the UK.
I ask because they have a car that seems to fit the bill at a just about reasonable price.
Is there a big risk in buying from them just now? I'm not really up to speed on the "buy a car over the internet" thing but as I understand it you pay the cash and they then deliver the car. I also see that you have 7 days to return the car if you are not happy with it.
I guess my question is: What are the chances that they will go under after they have got our money but before the 7 days is up?
Crystal ball gazing I know but I'm not up to date with how dire their situation actually is right now.
I guess the other more likely scenario is that they fold during the warranty period - so I suppose that is a consideration too.
Considered opinions welcome.
Edited by TorqueDirty on Monday 30th January 18:19
Doesnt sound like a customer service focused company to me
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I suspect the only time you are at risk is the few days between ordering and collecting, so try and limit that time frame - maybe try and pay as little 'deposit' or initial payment, so if they do go under without warning then you aren't on the hook.
Things like finance and warranties are surely all done by third parties so no worries there.
Also. I suspect if they do go bust then signed orders are their only income so would be the first thing any insolvency administrator would be looking to complete.
Things like finance and warranties are surely all done by third parties so no worries there.
Also. I suspect if they do go bust then signed orders are their only income so would be the first thing any insolvency administrator would be looking to complete.
If you finance it you should have more protection.
Choosing the "cash" option you pay in full immediately. There is no deposit provision.
I had a laboured time dealing with Cazoo last year. Eventually rejecting the car for full refund (but it took months to get to that point).
I wouldn't buy from them again.
Choosing the "cash" option you pay in full immediately. There is no deposit provision.
I had a laboured time dealing with Cazoo last year. Eventually rejecting the car for full refund (but it took months to get to that point).
I wouldn't buy from them again.
Well I bought my car from them the week before Christmas bad the service was great.
Found the car I wanted online, it had full photo gallery including ‘imperfections’ along with breakdown of service history.
I popped it in my ‘basket’ and paid, received a confirmation email and calendar to chose my delivery day/time.
During the following few days I had several different calls to confirm various aspects along with an apology for a delay due to an air conditioning fault which had been picked up during PDi. As a result they put me in a hire car for 48hrs and delivered when promised.
Lovely delivery driver turned up with a covered lorry, car was gleaming, full handover on mums drive and job done.
Very very pleased.
Si
Found the car I wanted online, it had full photo gallery including ‘imperfections’ along with breakdown of service history.
I popped it in my ‘basket’ and paid, received a confirmation email and calendar to chose my delivery day/time.
During the following few days I had several different calls to confirm various aspects along with an apology for a delay due to an air conditioning fault which had been picked up during PDi. As a result they put me in a hire car for 48hrs and delivered when promised.
Lovely delivery driver turned up with a covered lorry, car was gleaming, full handover on mums drive and job done.
Very very pleased.
Si
I dont think many people are denying that they cant sell you a car...thats not the point. The point is if things with the car are not right then chances are the company will go pop before you get your money back and you are left with big bills and a duff car.
Even if buying on finance I dont see any reason to buy from them, just avoid the hassle and go elsewhere. Fortunately there are lots of places to buy cars!
Even if buying on finance I dont see any reason to buy from them, just avoid the hassle and go elsewhere. Fortunately there are lots of places to buy cars!
My experience has been terrible
Bought a car - MOT history was clean and it was very low mileage, imperfections were listed, and it was cheap… great!
Turned up and the interior looked like it had been cleaned with a dirty mop, everything covered in residue, and the outside was hologrammed worse than any car I’d ever seen. Should have left it there and then… but ultimately the boss of the branch was very helpful and had it detailed.
There was also a huge gouge out the brakes, and a multitude of other small issues. They promised me all would be sorted, my returns period extended, and booked me in with some dodgy local garage who said “we’ll see if we can even fit it in we’re getting battered by s*** from Cazoo” when I turned up to the booking Cazoo made. Needless to say nothing was sorted by this garage.
I also eventually realised that the rattle I’d been hearing was the knee airbag.
They would no longer let me return the car despite promising that my “returns period would be extended until the issues were resolved”.
I recently gave up and sold the hateful thing - the experience was so soured, I just wanted rid.
When I went to sell the car it had outstanding finance on it - this hadn’t shown up on the V-check I did.
Also when going through the boot I found an old inspection sheet which I initially discarded, saying something about a “mileage defeat device” so I suspect it’d been clocked and they knew, which would certainly explain a lot about the car. I also spotted another clocked car when I looked at the cheapest Golf R they had (from the MOT history) so it’s probably not unusual. This wasn’t mentioned on the listing.
I also have a lot of colleagues who’ve bought cars and been happy, but my experience couldn’t be further from this.
Bought a car - MOT history was clean and it was very low mileage, imperfections were listed, and it was cheap… great!
Turned up and the interior looked like it had been cleaned with a dirty mop, everything covered in residue, and the outside was hologrammed worse than any car I’d ever seen. Should have left it there and then… but ultimately the boss of the branch was very helpful and had it detailed.
There was also a huge gouge out the brakes, and a multitude of other small issues. They promised me all would be sorted, my returns period extended, and booked me in with some dodgy local garage who said “we’ll see if we can even fit it in we’re getting battered by s*** from Cazoo” when I turned up to the booking Cazoo made. Needless to say nothing was sorted by this garage.
I also eventually realised that the rattle I’d been hearing was the knee airbag.
They would no longer let me return the car despite promising that my “returns period would be extended until the issues were resolved”.
I recently gave up and sold the hateful thing - the experience was so soured, I just wanted rid.
When I went to sell the car it had outstanding finance on it - this hadn’t shown up on the V-check I did.
Also when going through the boot I found an old inspection sheet which I initially discarded, saying something about a “mileage defeat device” so I suspect it’d been clocked and they knew, which would certainly explain a lot about the car. I also spotted another clocked car when I looked at the cheapest Golf R they had (from the MOT history) so it’s probably not unusual. This wasn’t mentioned on the listing.
I also have a lot of colleagues who’ve bought cars and been happy, but my experience couldn’t be further from this.
Ooof thats a shocker!
But ultimately, if someone asks the question, and the overwhelming evidence says DONT DO IT but go ahead anyway, thats on them! And dont come back to the Car Buying section asking the question 'I bought this car on cazoo and its a pile of crap and I cant get my money back...'
But ultimately, if someone asks the question, and the overwhelming evidence says DONT DO IT but go ahead anyway, thats on them! And dont come back to the Car Buying section asking the question 'I bought this car on cazoo and its a pile of crap and I cant get my money back...'
I didn't realise they were in that bad a position.
I would never use them anyway. I wouldn't buy a car without seeing and inspecting beforehand. Paying a lot of money and hoping the car is ok when it arrives doesn't sit well with me.
I've seen too many stories of it being difficult to hand the car back or being sent to backstreet garages for the cheapest possible repairs.
I would never use them anyway. I wouldn't buy a car without seeing and inspecting beforehand. Paying a lot of money and hoping the car is ok when it arrives doesn't sit well with me.
I've seen too many stories of it being difficult to hand the car back or being sent to backstreet garages for the cheapest possible repairs.
abucd4 said:
I also spotted another clocked car when I looked at the cheapest Golf R they had (from the MOT history) so it’s probably not unusual. This wasn’t mentioned on the listing.
The car you bought didn't happen to be a white golf R estate did it? They had a (20 or 70 plate I think) golf R estate at Christmas with less than 2,000 miles on it. 2 year old performance car...I assumed it had a mileage freezing device on it or had been clocked.Thanks guys,
As expected and noted.
I had already come to the same conclusions but thought I'd throw it open to debate on here to see if views were radically different. They are not.
I'll leave it. And actually I'll probably keep my current cars as they are for now in anticipation of the great 2nd hand car price crash so long predicted on here!
If nothing else I'll wait to see if the choice of decent used cars increases after the next new reg date. I'm guessing that there ought to be few more coming up once the trade ins start to filter on to the market.
As expected and noted.
I had already come to the same conclusions but thought I'd throw it open to debate on here to see if views were radically different. They are not.
I'll leave it. And actually I'll probably keep my current cars as they are for now in anticipation of the great 2nd hand car price crash so long predicted on here!
If nothing else I'll wait to see if the choice of decent used cars increases after the next new reg date. I'm guessing that there ought to be few more coming up once the trade ins start to filter on to the market.
Driver101 said:
I wouldn't buy a car without seeing and inspecting beforehand. Paying a lot of money and hoping the car is ok when it arrives doesn't sit well with me.
I think the premise is that you can thoroughly inspect and drive the car for a week and hand it back for a full refund if you're not totally happy. To me this, at face value, is better than a short, under pressure test drive with a dealer. However, only if the process runs smoothly and you have absolute faith that the company has the funds to refund you quickly if you don't want the car... and does refund you quickly. I think it's a great concept but one which will live or die on the real experience that customers have and I totally understand why some people simply won't go there.Jonno02 said:
The car you bought didn't happen to be a white golf R estate did it? They had a (20 or 70 plate I think) golf R estate at Christmas with less than 2,000 miles on it. 2 year old performance car...I assumed it had a mileage freezing device on it or had been clocked.
No this was another one. And the other one I spotted was in September (also white, ~20k miles on a 17 plate).I’m beginning to suspect it’s not unusual.
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