The consumer’s issue:
The customer decided to purchase a vehicle in October 2021. The evidence showed the business told the consumer that they would only be getting new stock in 2022, and so the prices of the new model would be much more expensive than the current one the customer was enquiring about. As the vehicle was the last to be made available, the customer received a discount on the purchase price.
Four months later, the customer noticed the dealership had the same make and model advertised that they purchased, but was priced £6,000 cheaper. The customer therefore believed the dealership mis-led them about what vehicles they had in stock in order to secure the sale. The main complaint was that the consumer believed they were pressured into buying the vehicle in October 2021.
The case outcome:
When considering pressurised selling, we must look into what information the business was aware of at the time of sale. In this case, when the customer purchased the vehicle, it was the last one in stock. The retailer was also not aware that the manufacturer would release more inventory, just before the newer model was introduced.
Similarly, the evidence showed that, when the business told the customer about the vehicle being the last one in stock, the consumer waited nine days before deciding to buy it. Because of this, the evidence did not show the customer was pressured into the sale by the business, as they waited a significant length of time before making a purchase decision.
As there was no evidence that the retailer withheld information from the customer, or gave false information about the stock levels, the complaint was not upheld in the consumer’s favour, and the case was closed.
