[Sparklechick]

This is rather long but rather than try to explain it all over again, I have decided just to C&P the letter I wrote to the GM of Esanda ... as yet I have had no reply .....

Wayne Percival
General Manager
Esanda
PO Box 98 899
SOUTH AUCKLAND MAIL CENTRE


Dear Mr Percival

I wish to lay a complaint about a few members of your car sales staff; namely, Frank Moses, Dave Trenberth and Lui Ritchie.

I feel that not one of these men have any idea of the saying “The customer is always right”. Let me tell you my story.

Last week I contacted Esanda as I wanted to buy a vehicle. I spoke with Frank Moses who advised that Finance had been approved for me and I could come and collect the car I wanted (2000 Nissan Primera) on Saturday. I turned up on Saturday with my partner to sign the papers. It was then that Frank advised me that I had to have a license. When I told him he didn’t say that at all to me he said that he did tell me and I must have misunderstood. My question to him is “Why would I turn up to finance a vehicle if he had told me that I couldn’t if I didn’t have a license”. I felt extremely disappointed and wasn’t happy with the way I had been treated by Frank so I sent an email complaint through to Grant McFlinn (enclosed). I wasn’t overly happy with his response so I replied back to him but as yet have received no reply.

I arranged alternative finance through my bank which was approved so phoned Esanda on Wednesday (22 September) to ensure that Esanda would still give me a 3 year warranty if I made a cash purchase (as originally I was getting a 3 year warranty if I financed it). I spoke with Dave Trenberth. He assured me that I would still get the warranty and that the amount quoted originally would include the warranty. I asked him a few times about this as if I wasn’t going to get the warranty I was going to go elsewhere for the car.

I turned up on Wednesday afternoon to collect the car. I found out I was dealing with Frank Moses again which I wasn’t happy about as I had already complained about the way he had treated me the first time I was in there. However, I didn’t think he’d be able to make things difficult for me this time as everything was organised. He asked how much money I had and I advised him that I had $8,500. He then advised that the warranty was on top of that. I advised him that Dave had told me that the $8,500 included the warranty. He went to get Dave. Dave arrived and advised that there must have been some miscommunication and that I had misunderstood him and that he had told me that I could get the warranty only if I financed it. This is not what was said and I have colleagues in the office who heard my side of the conversation and know from hearing what I said that he had in fact told me that I get the warranty if I pay the $8,500 cash. Dave’s reply to this was “Looks like it’s your word against mine”. This is when I asked to see the Manager.

After some time Lui Ritchie entered the office and introduced himself as the Manager (it wasn’t until I had left the lot and looked at his business card that I realised he wasn’t *the* Manager at all but just a Team Leader). Lui advised that he believed his car salesman (Dave) and that we could take the car for $8,500 without a warranty or pay extra for a warranty. I asked him whatever happened to “The customer is always right” and he said he didn’t believe my story in this instance.

Ironic that the Code of Ethics was hanging in the office we were in.

I feel that Frank, Dave and Lui are a pack of bullies and Lui backed up his lying salesman – Lui didn’t really want to hear my side of the story as I’m sure that he, Dave and Frank had decided on what they were going to do when they were out of the room.

I turned down Lui’s offer and went to leave. I advised him that I was NOT happy and that he would be hearing from me and I would be telling people exactly what had happened with these people.

Upon leaving the lot I saw two customers and advised them that they shouldn’t deal with Esanda. This is when Lui ran after us and told us to get off the lot – yelled at us “now you’re showing your true colours”. I felt this deserved some sort of abuse and I gave it to him. I was hurt and angry at the way I had been treated and I lashed back and I make no apology for it.

This was the second time I had left the Esanda lot in tears.

I understand that you are new to Esanda and I want you to know what sort of bullies you have working for you and how they treat their customers.

I am an EXTREMELY unhappy customer and I will be telling my story to absolutely every media forum possible. The people I have told already are absolutely disgusted with the way I have been treated by these people.


Yours





Christy Weightman

cc Chris Perry – Dealer Principal
Grant McFlinn – Regional Sales Manager
Lui Ritchie
Dave Trenberth
Frank Moses

[Penny]

You go girl! Sorry you had to deal with that sort of shit! It makes the whole experience horrible. I hope they sort themselves out.

[Dun Juan]

sorry Im spamming, Ive got a kid to entertain

[Loriena]

I am sorry you went thro this. It's a disgrace when pple try to bully others into deals. I have suffered from this kind of bully behaviour myself and I can really understand how completely frustrating it is. I was ready to pull my hair out esp coz I really needed the car for my job. When you are ready to have a car and then pple pull this nasty stunts, am telling you one can be forgiven for murder!! It's a bad experience.

The worst is they usually team together and even the 'managers' take the side of the employee. I had to threaten my dealer with suing him and the car was mysteriously repaired the next day! Most( not all) car dealers are dishonest, bitter and out to get the commission which blinds them. They get bold in their lies.
I hope you get your car soon and enjoy it knowing you didn't buy it from those guys.

All the best!! Don't let them get you down girl. And thank you for all the letters voicing your situation. You did alot of pple service coz they might think twice b4 pulling this stunt on someone else.

[NiteFenix]

This is just plain outragous.

Have you heard anything back re: this email Sparkly?

[Sparklechick]

Hey there everyone

As yet I have had no response from them. But I did only send the letter on Friday. I also forwarded it to our company's Esanda rep (we lease all our vehicles through them) and she was disgusted and said that she would follow this up personally but I haven't heard anything from her since Friday either.

Yesterday I sent letters to the Listener, NZ Herald, Paul Holmes and Fair Go. Today I'm going to be writing to AA Magazine and any other auto type publication I can find.

I'm sick of being crapped on and am really going to stand up for myself in this instance. I can't believe some people think they can treat customers like that.

On a good note, Kall and I picked up our new car on Saturday - bought it off a car dealer who just so happened to be a fisherman as well. Great bloke, gave us the car for $1,000 less than the Esanda vehicle and also threw in a warranty. The new car is a 1997 Silver Primera so a bit older than the Esanda one but even if Esanda begged I would never have anything ever to do with them again.

[Penny]

Just out of curiosity did they tell you why they don't let you get finance if you don't have a license? Becuase I can't see what having a drivers license has to do with it.

[Sparklechick]

It's just one of their policies, I don't know why they do it, the Manager I wrote to (the first time) told me that you needed to have a license to insure a car and also to drive it. I replied back saying I already had the car insured (full insurance with Kall as designated driver) and I wasn't going to be driving it but I didn't receive a reply to that.

I contacted the Human Rights Commission but it appears that discriminating against having a drivers license is not against the law.

What if someone disabled, who can't drive due to the disabilities, wants to buy a car for someone to drive them around? It seems through UDC you can't get finance. Definitely seems weird to me.

[Penny]

My flatmate just brought a new car, and I was looking at the papers and stuff for that, and it did ask for his license and he had to give a copy of a license for the finance. Of course I didn't think anything of it.

I can understand if you want it for Identification, but then you could just use a passport or something as an alternative.

Why do you need a license to insure a car? Insurance companies love getting money, they would just don't pay out if they don't like it (eg ifyou are driving it without having a license).

The only thing you should need your drivers license for is to drive with.

[Sparklechick]

Exactly and that's why I took Kall.

I didn't need a licence to get the car from the car yard on Saturday, just needed my passport as ID.

All very weird.

Yeah, AA insurance were more than happy to take my money to insure the car even though I don't have a license.

[Penny]

Oh well, atleast you guys have a new car (new to you!) car now.

Do ya like it? I went for a ride in my flatmates new car and it smells like cleaning stuff lol.

[Sparklechick]

Yeah, the car is all good.

[shrub]

European Wholesale in Christchurch are another dealer to avoid. They sell very nice motor cars, but the guys running it are as bent as George Dubbyerbush. I ended up with a good deal, but it took a letter from my lawyer, and half the reason I ended up happy was the mechanic told me a few things I used (and ended up pulling the stereo from a later model SAAB and fitting it to my one.)