A Llanelli woman says she has been left with a huge debt after paying thousands for a car that she never got, following a series of incidents at the Motorpoint dealership in Swansea.
Rebecca Green exchanged her Range Rover for an Audi Q2, incurring a negative equity of £5,700. After making a £2,500 payment, she owed £3,200 on the new finance agreement. Minutes after leaving the forecourt, the Audi broke down.
Green said: “I had black smoke coming from my engine. My son couldn’t get his seatbelt off quick enough and I was obviously screaming to get him out of the car. I had to swing myself out, there was smoke everywhere.”
The dealership took the car back, deemed it a write-off, and offered a replacement. Green chose a Mercedes A200, which also broke down after three miles when the engine management light came on. She later found a diagnostic sheet detailing faults in the glove box. After four weeks of repairs, the light came on again five miles after collection.
Green decided against a third attempt, opting instead to pay the outstanding £3,200 for the original Range Rover using a loan. She stated: “I just took out a loan to pay them off because it was the only option, I didn’t want to pick another car off them. So now I’m five and a half grand out of pocket and I have no car. Because I’ve taken a loan out, with interest now it is nearly £10,000.”
Motorpoint Swansea stated they are taking “all issues raised by Ms Green very seriously” and confirmed they offered to reinstate her previous finance deal and return her Range Rover, which was declined. The company noted: “Without choosing to enter into a new finance agreement, there was nowhere for Ms Green’s negative equity to be absorbed and therefore needed to be paid in full.”
Source: Wales Online