An Inchcape dealership in Macclesfield has told the owner of a £40,000 Volkswagen Golf R which had been stolen from the workshop that it wasn’t to blame and that the owner should claim through their own insurer.
The Knutsford-based owner said: “Two months after I took possession of a £40,000 factory-ordered VW Golf R, I was involved in an accident that was not my fault.
“It was taken for repair by the dealership I bought it from, Inchcape in Macclesfield, and was subsequently stolen, along with two other cars, from its workshop.
“Inchcape has refused to accept liability and advised me to claim through my insurer, thus incurring an excess and affecting my premiums and no-claims discount.
“It provided me with a loan car after the accident, but was quick to demand it back the day my car was stolen ‘as it was no longer being repaired’.”
The dealership later decided to refund the customer’s insurance excess and some of the items that vanished with the car.
Inchcape maintain that the car and workshop were locked on the night of the theft and that it took “all reasonable steps” to keep it safe.
The owner’s insurer has paid the full value of the car and they now have a replacement.
Have you been faced with vehicle theft at your workshop? Share your experiences below.