anonymous A

Shocking Service, Unprofessional Conduct & Refund Still Not Received

My partner and I visited the Autoworld dealership in Goodwood on November 7th after being contacted following a bank pre-approval. We were told to pay a deposit upfront so the vehicle could be “kept for us.” After inspecting the car, we found dents and mechanical concerns, and we were told these would be fixed. When we requested written documents showing the costs and rates discussed, the team initially refused something other dealerships provided without any issue. When the document was finally given, the figures did not match what was communicated in the office. When we questioned this, we were met with unprofessional and impatient responses. To make matters worse, on 11th of November a close family member passed away. We informed the dealership and explained that we urgently needed the refund to cover funeral expenses. Instead of compassion, my partner received a rude and accusatory phone call claiming we had “planned this situation.” This was extremely insensitive and unacceptable. As of Friday, 28 November, we still have not received our refund, despite requesting it in the second week of November. We were told the money is “in the boss’s account,” which is completely unacceptable. The dealership then attempted to charge us for dents and a radio they initially said came with the car. We never signed anything agreeing to these charges. After questioning this, they changed the story again now saying we won’t be charged repair fees, but instead a cancellation fee. We completely reject these excuses. We are legally entitled to a full refund, and the constant delays, shifting explanations, and unprofessional behaviour are unacceptable. We are urgently requesting that our full deposit be refunded immediately. This experience has been extremely stressful during an already difficult time for our family.