...
Virgin cars were our choice of company due to the model we wanted not being offered at many other companies we checked. Also the website seemed clear, easy to use and great prices with an estimated delivery time of 12 weeks.
After being sent an e-mail on the breakdown of the specification ... Read review
Advantages: price is excellent saving Disadvantages: no customer service
...
Virgin cars were our choice of company due to the model we wanted not being offered at many other companies we checked. Also the website seemed clear, easy to use and great prices with an estimated delivery time of 12 weeks.
After being sent an e-mail on the breakdown of the specification and total price (with all the extras like admin etc) we agreed it was still a great price and called with the deposit payment on ... ...but TWO ansaphone messages from virgin cars stating that they were due to receive the vehicle and pay us now please.( It is amazing that other than our own efforts to correspond this is the only time virgin have contacted us since we placed the order. Even when promised to return our calls or leave us e-mails!!.
Being wary of the lack of service we called and requested verification in writing that the vehicle was on it's way. A letter ... more
Enticed by the fact that a budget set aside for a second hand landrover defender, could actually purchase a brand new model in our preferred colour, is what prompted us to look at imports in the first place.
Virgin cars were our choice of company due to the model we wanted not being offered at many other companies we checked. Also the website seemed clear, easy to use and great prices with an estimated delivery time of 12 weeks.
After being sent an e-mail on the breakdown of the specification and total price (with all the extras like admin etc) we agreed it was still a great price and called with the deposit payment on 11th october 2004, and were given an estimated delivery date of 3rd january 2005 with handover on the 10th of january 2005.
Then we heard ...........nothing!
Weeks went past and we were not contacted in any form other than receiving the initial order form and very biased contract (don't expect to have many rights as a customer- as opposed to the seller to be able to recoup any expense or cost at any stage).
We contacted the customer service centre just before the christmas holiday period to confirm that with the bank holidays etc, the delivery and handover date would still apply.
Definitely! We were told!
Great we thought!..... Although this was not the case.
The delivery date came and went and then finally the day before the handover date i telephoned the centre to be told that no deliveries had been received over the xmas period and we would receive a phone call to let us know the 'new ' (estimated ) delivery date!!
Having both taken the weekend off to 'enjoy' the new vehicle which we still hadn't received , a weekend in the peak district calmed our nerves.
Until..... we returned home to find not one but TWO ansaphone messages from virgin cars stating that they were due to receive the vehicle and pay us now please.( It is amazing that other than our own efforts to correspond this is the only time virgin have contacted us since we placed the order. Even when promised to return our calls or leave us e-mails!!.
Being wary of the lack of service we called and requested verification in writing that the vehicle was on it's way. A letter was received stating it was due to be delivered (new estimated handover date of the 29th) and receive it's pre delivery checks-(17th january) and a lady in the centre told us the import container had docked the previous week and it would be a matter of 4 or 5 days now.
We paid the remaining balance of nearly £16,500 from our account on 21st january and were told we would receive the registration number in about 24 to 48 hours.
Still not heard anything!!!
I have made several calls and all the information conflicts, i am now being told the car is still with the supplier and has not been registered or brought to the depot. We only released the money because we were convinced by the customer service person it was a matter of 4 or 5 days.
A word of advice, take anyone's name who speaks to you and we have kept the (only two!!) ansaphone messages from them and letters..
So now we are two days away and still being told that they cannot guarantee the handover date of the 29th (and the car is still with the supplier!!!).
I am hoping things won't be too long now (ha!!), but judging by the previous lack of service and communication i have little faith.
This has been a long (14 week) process with a disturbing lack of customer service and quality of information being given to customers.
And now they have the best part of my £18500 gaining them interest in their account!!!!
...number 378, as do both Virgin and the companies mentioned above). If you email an enquiry to them the response will usually be a fairly poorly laid out email, which is partially automated/standard and includes the lines “I am delighted to provide the details of your quotation, I hope it meets and exceeds your requirements. I am certainly confident you will not be able to find a better quotation elsewhere.”
Do your homework well. The price they show ... ...– not that shown by Virgin (or rather Motor Solutions). In my case, the spec they showed was way out of date when leather was standard on a Rover 75 Connoisseur, the car I got did not have leather as it is no longer standard fit by Rover. Again, do your homework, do your sums and then decide whether the saving is worth the sheer hassle.
One final point before I tell you my story, remember that Motor Solutions want money up front and others will ...
tallboy50 07.10.2004
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Virgin Cars Car Importer
Advantages: cheap cars Disadvantages: Non-existent Customer Care
...the car, i.e. repeatedly asked Virgin and their depot in Sheffield to take it away. Every time we were promised someone would get back to us to arrange a time - which they never did.
27th June : I got a reply to my letter saying that the deposit had been refunded. It very obviously hadn’t. 29th June: I was told that they can’t refund us until they have the car back!
6th July: they finally took the car away
After that, it took them ... ...and was advised that since Virgin breached the contract (by misdescribing the goods to us), they also have to refund us for any consequential losses (i.e. any costs/financial damage we have suffered as a consequence of their actions). At the moment they are refusing to pay us back for the interest, which amounts to nearly £100 and as a matter of principle I will be going through the small claims court to get it back if nothing else works. They also ...
orsi22 17.08.2004
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Virgin Cars Car Importer
Advantages: ABSOLUTELY NONE Disadvantages: CUSTOMER SERVICE IS THE WORST I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED
...NOT GOT THROUGH! Tried phoning Virgin Cars themselves explaining I could not get through and could I speak to a manager. Told no-one was there to speak to me and that my car had not in fact been taxed at all and there was nothing they could do until Tuesday.
To be continued.....
My advice would be - DO NOT DEAL WITH VIRGIN CARS
UPDATE 3/6/05 -GOT OUR CAR TODAY AFTER THE MOST STRESSFUL WEEK SO FAR!
ONLY PROBLEM IS IT DOES NOT HAVE THE AIR-CONDITIONING ...
aebruce 30.05.2005 (03.06.2005)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Virgin Cars Car Importer
Advantages: Can't really think of any Disadvantages: Slow to deliver, useless customer service
...cheque eventually arrived four weeks after the car, twelve weeks after my order.
I think motor solutions should be ashamed to use the Virgin branding, and the Virgin group should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen at a company they lend their branding too. ...
caryh 06.06.2005
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Virgin Cars Car Importer
Advantages: Low priced vehicles Disadvantages: poor customer care
...of my 4-8 week order. Virgin Cars still can not give me any information as to where the car is. At no point have they offered any information without me first having to call them. 3 seperate sales staff have promised to call me back and failed to do so.
Anyone placing an order should read the small print. For example they add 30 days onto the delivery date before they class themselves as out of contract and then any refunds can take a further 30 ... ...order and no one at Virgin Cars has a clue as to where my car is or when it will arrive. I will keep you informed as to how this order progresses, but I must add that I am questioning that this car actually exists.
Throught the past 17/18 weeks they still insist on selling the Audi A3 on a 4 to 8 week delivery date.
At week 10, I was offered a renault clio as an alternative buy. No offence to Clio drivers but its not an Audi A3 is it?
I should ...
Thesandy1 07.01.2005
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Virgin Cars Car Importer
