Here is the latest in my saga about a motorhome purchased from Marquis Berkshire that I still don't have after seven weeks.
Firstly, am I doing this right by starting a new post each time there's a substantial update to the story? If feel that things could be missed by forum browsers if I just kept adding to the original post - and the thread would be multiple pages long by now and a tad confusing with all the replies, quotes and off-on-a-tangent comments.
First thing this morning I rocked up at the dealership with the documentation and proof I apparently needed to satisfy their anti-laundering 'policy', even though I just want the money paid back into the account it was paid from. There's surely not much of an opportunity to launder money by doing that! Still, I had the necessary and wanted to do it in person to avoid any further excuses. At this point I have lost all confidence in Marquis because of the delays and less than transparent information I had (not) received about the fact I would have to wait an indefinitely number of weeks to take collection, even once I'd paid for my van.
I met with the new Sales Manager since the original guy who sold me the van had left.
I said that as well as the remainder £75.5k refund, I also wanted a return of the £3000 deposit and to cancel the sale altogether. I told him that had I been told on my initial enquiries about the vehicle that I would still be waiting for it with no idea of an actual date of collection by October, I would have never gone ahead with the order.
New Sales Manager blew cold on my deposit refund and said Marquis has things in its contract to 'protect itself'. I told him that I wanted him to call head office to instigate the process of refund there and then and he flat out refused to do that. He said that there is a process that must be followed and he would be doing it later today. I stayed very calm (no voice raising etc.) but he was actually hostile to me, telling me I wasn't listening to him. Given the way I have been treated, any professional person would let me have my say but he just didn't want to listen to me and got up and walked away several times while I was explaining the situation and saying how unsatisfactory it all was.
I'm going to get stick from people in this forum but I left him with the details and he said that he would be back in touch later today or by 'first thing' tomorrow morning. When I pressed him on what he meant by first thing he got really shirty and said 'first thing means 10am because we don't open until 9am'.
Yes, I'm sure a lot of people would've chained themselves to the desk or refused to budge but I'm just not like that. With his assurance that he would sort it out and would speak to him director about the deposit refund, I left. I was red of face and fuming inside and it felt like leaving the headmaster's office. I'm subsequently annoyed with myself that I left but there you are.
I wrote a long and formal complaint which included everything that had happened, with date etc. and sent it via their website. Part of my complaint was now about the attitude of New Sales Manager (NSM) and, ridiculously, the Marquis website provides no details of where to send the complaint, stating only that you should email it to your local branch who would forward it on. I called NSM and asked him to give me direct contact details. He resolutely refused to do so. When I asked why he said it was because the process has to be followed. It seems obvious that Marquis is structured in such a way as to protect their head office directly wherever possible.
I sent him my complaint and used their online form to also forward it to the Head Office option in the dropdown menu. No actual email address or telephone available.
This afternoon I have been called by the company Sales Directory. He was much more calm and professional, even though all he did was explain the situation again despite the fact I am very aware of it by now and told him so.
Just in case I've not made it clear, here it is in a very brief nutshell.
Marquis needs a code from Stellanis. They then provide that code to the DVLA who issue the V55 on the vehicle which means they can they register it formally to me and it becomes road legal. Stellanis are not delivering that code despite 'numerous requests'. Sales Director guy told me what NSM and others have told me previously, that the 'big guns' of the company are now involved in trying to get this code from Stellantis.
Of course, at this point I couldn't really give a monkey's. I've had enough of dealing with Marquis and do not wish to give them any more of my custom. I have explained that I want to cancel the whole thing and have a refund of my deposit as well.
+ 10 minute pause +
That pause is because as I am writing, I've had a call from the Assistant Manager from Marquis. He has again explained the situation and was another level up again in professionalism and politeness. At this point I am convinced that this is as much a frustration for them as it is for me. I think it's a inexcusable way to run a business (to sell something you can't necessarily provide) so I'm not excusing that, but I do believe given we are where we are that they are doing what they can to progress things.
Apparently every other company they deal with has an online system in place but Stellantis still conduct business by paperwork in the post. That's not my problem, obviously. Every person I have spoken to at Marquis has told me they are all aware of the delays with Stellantis and THAT is my single gripe.
To repeat it again, nobody at any time warned me there could be a delay. Even if it didn't happen all the time with Stellantis, it happens enough that it's a known issue within the company and I should have been told that I could be waiting an indefinite time for my vehicle. That was never mentioned until after everything was paid and I had a date to collect it, which was then cancelled. At best that's negligent, at worst it might be described as a bit shady. The bottom line is that I would never have gone ahead with the sale had I known I would still be waiting in October, still without hint of an actual date.
I now have promises right up the line - from the branch manager to the company sales manager to the company assistant managing director (assistant to the managing director
- joke) that they will all get back to me tomorrow with details of my refund.
Is this situation ideal? No. Far from it. Am I doing what I personally am able to do? Yes.
What I hope will be a final update will follow.
Firstly, am I doing this right by starting a new post each time there's a substantial update to the story? If feel that things could be missed by forum browsers if I just kept adding to the original post - and the thread would be multiple pages long by now and a tad confusing with all the replies, quotes and off-on-a-tangent comments.
First thing this morning I rocked up at the dealership with the documentation and proof I apparently needed to satisfy their anti-laundering 'policy', even though I just want the money paid back into the account it was paid from. There's surely not much of an opportunity to launder money by doing that! Still, I had the necessary and wanted to do it in person to avoid any further excuses. At this point I have lost all confidence in Marquis because of the delays and less than transparent information I had (not) received about the fact I would have to wait an indefinitely number of weeks to take collection, even once I'd paid for my van.
I met with the new Sales Manager since the original guy who sold me the van had left.
I said that as well as the remainder £75.5k refund, I also wanted a return of the £3000 deposit and to cancel the sale altogether. I told him that had I been told on my initial enquiries about the vehicle that I would still be waiting for it with no idea of an actual date of collection by October, I would have never gone ahead with the order.
New Sales Manager blew cold on my deposit refund and said Marquis has things in its contract to 'protect itself'. I told him that I wanted him to call head office to instigate the process of refund there and then and he flat out refused to do that. He said that there is a process that must be followed and he would be doing it later today. I stayed very calm (no voice raising etc.) but he was actually hostile to me, telling me I wasn't listening to him. Given the way I have been treated, any professional person would let me have my say but he just didn't want to listen to me and got up and walked away several times while I was explaining the situation and saying how unsatisfactory it all was.
I'm going to get stick from people in this forum but I left him with the details and he said that he would be back in touch later today or by 'first thing' tomorrow morning. When I pressed him on what he meant by first thing he got really shirty and said 'first thing means 10am because we don't open until 9am'.
Yes, I'm sure a lot of people would've chained themselves to the desk or refused to budge but I'm just not like that. With his assurance that he would sort it out and would speak to him director about the deposit refund, I left. I was red of face and fuming inside and it felt like leaving the headmaster's office. I'm subsequently annoyed with myself that I left but there you are.
I wrote a long and formal complaint which included everything that had happened, with date etc. and sent it via their website. Part of my complaint was now about the attitude of New Sales Manager (NSM) and, ridiculously, the Marquis website provides no details of where to send the complaint, stating only that you should email it to your local branch who would forward it on. I called NSM and asked him to give me direct contact details. He resolutely refused to do so. When I asked why he said it was because the process has to be followed. It seems obvious that Marquis is structured in such a way as to protect their head office directly wherever possible.
I sent him my complaint and used their online form to also forward it to the Head Office option in the dropdown menu. No actual email address or telephone available.
This afternoon I have been called by the company Sales Directory. He was much more calm and professional, even though all he did was explain the situation again despite the fact I am very aware of it by now and told him so.
Just in case I've not made it clear, here it is in a very brief nutshell.
Marquis needs a code from Stellanis. They then provide that code to the DVLA who issue the V55 on the vehicle which means they can they register it formally to me and it becomes road legal. Stellanis are not delivering that code despite 'numerous requests'. Sales Director guy told me what NSM and others have told me previously, that the 'big guns' of the company are now involved in trying to get this code from Stellantis.
Of course, at this point I couldn't really give a monkey's. I've had enough of dealing with Marquis and do not wish to give them any more of my custom. I have explained that I want to cancel the whole thing and have a refund of my deposit as well.
+ 10 minute pause +
That pause is because as I am writing, I've had a call from the Assistant Manager from Marquis. He has again explained the situation and was another level up again in professionalism and politeness. At this point I am convinced that this is as much a frustration for them as it is for me. I think it's a inexcusable way to run a business (to sell something you can't necessarily provide) so I'm not excusing that, but I do believe given we are where we are that they are doing what they can to progress things.
Apparently every other company they deal with has an online system in place but Stellantis still conduct business by paperwork in the post. That's not my problem, obviously. Every person I have spoken to at Marquis has told me they are all aware of the delays with Stellantis and THAT is my single gripe.
To repeat it again, nobody at any time warned me there could be a delay. Even if it didn't happen all the time with Stellantis, it happens enough that it's a known issue within the company and I should have been told that I could be waiting an indefinite time for my vehicle. That was never mentioned until after everything was paid and I had a date to collect it, which was then cancelled. At best that's negligent, at worst it might be described as a bit shady. The bottom line is that I would never have gone ahead with the sale had I known I would still be waiting in October, still without hint of an actual date.
I now have promises right up the line - from the branch manager to the company sales manager to the company assistant managing director (assistant to the managing director
- joke) that they will all get back to me tomorrow with details of my refund.Is this situation ideal? No. Far from it. Am I doing what I personally am able to do? Yes.
What I hope will be a final update will follow.
