PCP surrender - collection delay
Discussion
Thought this is the most appropriate place.
Wife s car is going back to Santander, last regular payment made 28/03 and intentionto hand back given. We re now 2 weeks past that and despite multiple chases have had no contact from the collections team. Today she has been told that there is a backlog, they can t give a date for collection.
They have said she won t be affected negatively but I can t see how. Her new car is going through prep ready to collect and we don t have space for both on the drive.
I ll dig out the paperwork but so many questions..
Do we need to keep it insured?
Do we need to keep it taxed?
I assume yes to both as it ll need to be kept on the road or an alternate location found.
Can we charge them for storage?
Who is liable for damage if the collection date is missed?
Big one they won t answer is should she cancel her direct debit in case they try to take the lump sum?
Anybody had this hassle before?
Wife s car is going back to Santander, last regular payment made 28/03 and intentionto hand back given. We re now 2 weeks past that and despite multiple chases have had no contact from the collections team. Today she has been told that there is a backlog, they can t give a date for collection.
They have said she won t be affected negatively but I can t see how. Her new car is going through prep ready to collect and we don t have space for both on the drive.
I ll dig out the paperwork but so many questions..
Do we need to keep it insured?
Do we need to keep it taxed?
I assume yes to both as it ll need to be kept on the road or an alternate location found.
Can we charge them for storage?
Who is liable for damage if the collection date is missed?
Big one they won t answer is should she cancel her direct debit in case they try to take the lump sum?
Anybody had this hassle before?
Edited by andburg on Tuesday 14th April 17:16
I'm in exactly the same position at the minute with returning my wife's Honda. Final payment went out on 18th March, I gave notice on the 20th that we're not keeping the car and that they need to collect it. Was told then that the collection agents would be in touch within 21 days. Heard nothing since, chased with Honda yesterday, they said that they've requested that the collection agents urgently call me to arrange for the car to be collected, and I'm still waiting to hear something. I've thought the same things to be honest, I'm currently paying to insure and tax a car that's just sitting on my driveway not being used.
I may be missing something here however......
This isnt your problem, its not your car anymore.
I did have this with an Audi a few years back, made all the calls and the new car was due after having paid my last payment. Cancelled the insurance. Parked it on the street and ignored it for 3 weeks as it got dirtier and dirtier.........finally uplifted.
This isnt your problem, its not your car anymore.
I did have this with an Audi a few years back, made all the calls and the new car was due after having paid my last payment. Cancelled the insurance. Parked it on the street and ignored it for 3 weeks as it got dirtier and dirtier.........finally uplifted.
alfasud1 said:
I may be missing something here however......
This isnt your problem, its not your car anymore.
I did have this with an Audi a few years back, made all the calls and the new car was due after having paid my last payment. Cancelled the insurance. Parked it on the street and ignored it for 3 weeks as it got dirtier and dirtier.........finally uplifted.
Well, that worked out for you because presumably nothing happened to the car during that time. If it had been vandalised or nicked while parked on the street, I'm not convinced the finance company would've just accepted the loss. This isnt your problem, its not your car anymore.
I did have this with an Audi a few years back, made all the calls and the new car was due after having paid my last payment. Cancelled the insurance. Parked it on the street and ignored it for 3 weeks as it got dirtier and dirtier.........finally uplifted.
That said, you shouldn't be left out of pocked for their delay. IMO the car should still be taxed and insured, but at the expense of the finance company.
Another chase and escalation, informed them that we cannot store the vehicle as we wont have space on the drive and would need to move it elsewhere with no insurance or tax as she has a new car coming and can't afford to tax/insure both cars. Collections agent got appointed yesterday and she's spoken to a guy so finger crossed she's sorted.
This same issue was rife during the early COVID period in 2020, particularly on lease vehicles, whereby the various collection agents could not physically collect cars during lock down, followed by an extended period where the lenders/auction houses/dealer groups simply did not want the vehicles back.
I know this was an extreme example, but there was lots of too-ing and fro-ing on this at the time (including chatter on the associated PH leasing forum), but the general consensus is as above - The safety and security of the vehicle is the responsibility of the owner / leasee until collected.
To this extent, as the issue was created by the 'others' (as seems to be the case this time also?), many were offered an extension of their rental period for either a much reduced rate or £0 and if I remember correctly, some were given complementary insurance and/or contribution towards it. I'd certainly explore this option with the Finance company - Don't ask, don't get.
I know this was an extreme example, but there was lots of too-ing and fro-ing on this at the time (including chatter on the associated PH leasing forum), but the general consensus is as above - The safety and security of the vehicle is the responsibility of the owner / leasee until collected.
To this extent, as the issue was created by the 'others' (as seems to be the case this time also?), many were offered an extension of their rental period for either a much reduced rate or £0 and if I remember correctly, some were given complementary insurance and/or contribution towards it. I'd certainly explore this option with the Finance company - Don't ask, don't get.
Re Santander.
Make sure the car is mint inside and out.
What happened with my Mazda 6 estate, the collection guy had a really good look around it for an hour,
Said there were a couple of light scratches. (I couldn't see them)....passed it and said everything was fine, I should be OK.
When it got back to base I was charged £350 wtf!!
I argued the toss, and they reduced it to £150 without too much trouble.
Personally I think the collection guy will say anything to get away quickly without fuss,
Make sure the car is mint inside and out.
What happened with my Mazda 6 estate, the collection guy had a really good look around it for an hour,
Said there were a couple of light scratches. (I couldn't see them)....passed it and said everything was fine, I should be OK.
When it got back to base I was charged £350 wtf!!
I argued the toss, and they reduced it to £150 without too much trouble.
Personally I think the collection guy will say anything to get away quickly without fuss,
Shirley for a big lease company, any delays in collection are their problem. They should be able to tax it for a month, insure it at minimal cost to themselves, so it can be left on your street until collection? Even if they put it in the T&Cs, it sounds unfair for the now ex-user to have to tax/insure/store it, especially for an unknown/extended period - a case for the Ombudsman maybe?
vikingaero said:
Shirley for a big lease company, any delays in collection are their problem. They should be able to tax it for a month, insure it at minimal cost to themselves, so it can be left on your street until collection? Even if they put it in the T&Cs, it sounds unfair for the now ex-user to have to tax/insure/store it, especially for an unknown/extended period - a case for the Ombudsman maybe?
Well.....yes and no. In theory yes, but pragmatically if they can't physically get someone to collect the car, they cover their arses by putting clauses into the contract requiring you to keep it legal and secure in the interim. Also they'll have a clause that it needs to be MoT'd, so it can be driven away instead of lifted/transported which is much more expensive.paul_c123 said:
vikingaero said:
Shirley for a big lease company, any delays in collection are their problem. They should be able to tax it for a month, insure it at minimal cost to themselves, so it can be left on your street until collection? Even if they put it in the T&Cs, it sounds unfair for the now ex-user to have to tax/insure/store it, especially for an unknown/extended period - a case for the Ombudsman maybe?
Well.....yes and no. In theory yes, but pragmatically if they can't physically get someone to collect the car, they cover their arses by putting clauses into the contract requiring you to keep it legal and secure in the interim. Also they'll have a clause that it needs to be MoT'd, so it can be driven away instead of lifted/transported which is much more expensive.Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff