Anonymous

Appalling Conduct

We placed an order with Blenheim Cars for a (quite expensive) Land Rover which we had viewed on their forecourt, paid a substantial deposit and arranged collection of the vehicle for the following week. On closer inspection of their website (after placing the order) I had some major concerns - which I contacted the dealer to discuss. It turned out that they were falsely advertising various features of the vehicle. They claimed it had two front airbags and an alarm system fitted - when in fact it had neither. Various excuses followed - 'it's not my fault', 'the website self-populates information I can't change' or my personal favourite, 'YOU should have spotted it didn't have these things when you inspected the vehicle'. Sorry, but if you are falsely advertising products on your website then you are in the wrong, not me, and I'm sure Trading Standards would agree. I told the owner that I felt mislead by these false claims, particularly where safety features were concerned, and would need to take some time to consider whether or not to go ahead with the order. Two days later, after careful consideration and discussion with my wife, I rang them back to say that we would go ahead with the order as planned. He then told us that he had sold the car to someone else the day before, and it was no longer on the premises. He did this without confirming our position, refunding our deposit or contacting us in any way. Completely unacceptable conduct. If you are considering buying a Land Rover we would highly recommend James French 4x4s around the corner, who are as professional and competent a service as Blenheim are useless.