What can I do if a business is unable to fulfill my vehicle order?

There may be occasions where a business is unable to fulfill your vehicle order for a variety of reasons. It may be that the vehicle can no longer be supplied due to production issues, be at the end of its product lifecycle, or a specific specification has been withdrawn since the time of order.

• Production of the specific model is cancelled

For example, If you have placed a deposit down at the time of order, and the business is unable to supply the car due to production issues or if your chosen specification cannot be provided, a refund will often be due. Similarly, if the seller needs to cancel the order if a car is no longer available, a deposit refund will also apply.

A deposit implies that you have a contract with the business, so if they are unable to fulfill the contract, other remedies may also be considered. However, these can vary greatly depending on the circumstances.

If an order has been cancelled by the seller without prior authorisation from yourself, it is important to speak to them in the first instance to see what remedies can be offered to put you back in the situation you would have been in, had the contract been fulfilled correctly or if the order had never been made.

• Delivery has been delayed beyond the scheduled date 

In this instance, it is important to check the terms and conditions attached your order form to understand whether there are any terms related to a delivery date or delays, as well as whether the scheduled date was an estimate or not. It may also be worth speaking to the business to discuss whether any assistance can be provided or any issues that have arisen due to the delay, so these can be addressed whilst the vehicle remains on order.

• The vehicle specification needs to be changed 

There may be instances where the specification ordered may no longer be produced or be changed due to factors including parts shortages. In these instances, the seller should contact you to inform you of any changes so that you have the option to decide whether to keep the vehicle with the changes, or make a claim for a refund or another remedy.

• The vehicle is delivered with the incorrect specification 

If, on the day of handover, your car has a different specification compared to what was ordered, which may once again be due to factors, such as parts shortages or errors made during the ordering or manufacturing process, or due to the withdrawal of product lines, it is worth speaking to the business in the first instance to see if they are able to correct the order such as retro-fitting parts, re-order a new vehicle, or make other remedies available to you.