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Sorry, this is a long one! We took delivery of our new MG ZS a few weeks ago, and while the vehicle is great and we like it very much, the leasing company has just dropped a bit of a bombshell on us.
The paperwork and hire agreement prior to signing stated that the registration date of the vehicle was the date at which the vehicle was ordered - a brand new vehicle, exactly what we wanted. They've now sent a letter along the lines of, "Oops, we made a mistake, the vehicle was actually pre-registered by a dealer in October, and we're now actually the second keeper." They also stated in the letter, "Please note that this variation is of a minor and non-financial nature".
Now quite frankly for me this has changed the agreement completely, and I don't agree with their declaration that it is both "minor" and "non financial".
It is financial, because the vehicle is not 'new' as advertised, but is technically 'used'. This affects the value of the vehicle, and thus what I am willing to pay for it - frankly I wouldn't have entered into the agreement had I been told it was pre-registered. This is mainly because a pre-registered vehicle adds further financial liabilities to myself. Firstly, the vehicle will now need an additional annual service before the end of the agreement (the originally stated registration date meant that the service would not fall 'overdue' until a week after the return of the vehicle) - this has to be done at my cost. Secondly, because I/the leasing company is not the first keeper of the vehicle, my insurance considers the vehicle used and so won't provide 'new for old' cover - I therefore now need to take out GAP insurance to cover any insurance shortfall.
The change is not minor to me because I would not have ordered an EV that I knew had been sitting in a warehouse somewhere for three months, degrading its battery for that time. The battery is therefore likely to suffer greater degradation had the vehicle been actually new, thus affecting my enjoyment and utility of the vehicle. This is not likely to be an issue in the immediate term, but is likely to affect the latter part of the hire period.
So I suppose I'm gearing up for a fight. The lease is 48 months, which I was fine with for the new car, but not a used car. Has anybody any experience with mistakes by leasing companies? I'm not looking to end the agreement as such (but would do if push came to shove) - I'd now like to modify the agreement for it to be shorter, to reflect the vehicle not being new, the increased financial liability, and the greater-than-expected battery degradation.
I plan to write to the leasing company stating that I do not accept the variation and putting these points forward. Is there any mileage in this or am I wasting my time against Goliath?
The paperwork and hire agreement prior to signing stated that the registration date of the vehicle was the date at which the vehicle was ordered - a brand new vehicle, exactly what we wanted. They've now sent a letter along the lines of, "Oops, we made a mistake, the vehicle was actually pre-registered by a dealer in October, and we're now actually the second keeper." They also stated in the letter, "Please note that this variation is of a minor and non-financial nature".
Now quite frankly for me this has changed the agreement completely, and I don't agree with their declaration that it is both "minor" and "non financial".
It is financial, because the vehicle is not 'new' as advertised, but is technically 'used'. This affects the value of the vehicle, and thus what I am willing to pay for it - frankly I wouldn't have entered into the agreement had I been told it was pre-registered. This is mainly because a pre-registered vehicle adds further financial liabilities to myself. Firstly, the vehicle will now need an additional annual service before the end of the agreement (the originally stated registration date meant that the service would not fall 'overdue' until a week after the return of the vehicle) - this has to be done at my cost. Secondly, because I/the leasing company is not the first keeper of the vehicle, my insurance considers the vehicle used and so won't provide 'new for old' cover - I therefore now need to take out GAP insurance to cover any insurance shortfall.
The change is not minor to me because I would not have ordered an EV that I knew had been sitting in a warehouse somewhere for three months, degrading its battery for that time. The battery is therefore likely to suffer greater degradation had the vehicle been actually new, thus affecting my enjoyment and utility of the vehicle. This is not likely to be an issue in the immediate term, but is likely to affect the latter part of the hire period.
So I suppose I'm gearing up for a fight. The lease is 48 months, which I was fine with for the new car, but not a used car. Has anybody any experience with mistakes by leasing companies? I'm not looking to end the agreement as such (but would do if push came to shove) - I'd now like to modify the agreement for it to be shorter, to reflect the vehicle not being new, the increased financial liability, and the greater-than-expected battery degradation.
I plan to write to the leasing company stating that I do not accept the variation and putting these points forward. Is there any mileage in this or am I wasting my time against Goliath?