Complaints soar over car seller's 'faulty' motors

1 hour ago

Lindsey Alderand

Libby Merrywood,BBC CWR

News image — Michelle Chancellor said her new car broke down two weeks after she bought it from Trade Centre UK in Wednesbury

Michelle Chancellor A woman stands at the side of a dual carriageway, with a thumbs up to the camera in this selfie photo. She is wearing a navy vest top and reflective blue sunglasses. Behind, parked half on the kerb, is a blue Vauxhall car with its orange hazard lights on. — Michelle Chancellor said her new car broke down two weeks after she bought it from Trade Centre UK in Wednesbury

Dozens of motorists have accused The Trade Centre UK of selling them faulty cars.

The company claims to be the UK's cheapest car supermarket and has branches in Coventry and Wednesbury.

The BBC has heard complaints against the business, including claims that customers are being sold cars that break down within weeks and allegations the company is not repairing them or offering a refund.

The Trade Centre Group Plc said it "strongly refutes any suggestion that we sell faulty vehicles or fail to meet our obligations to customers".

Michelle Chancellor, from Stourport on Severn, Worcestershire, bought her Vauxhall from the Wednesbury branch of The Trade Centre UK and said she soon had problems.

"It was not even two weeks after I'd taken it home," she said. "I was driving home from work and it started shaking from side to side.

"I pulled over a mile away from where I lived and it was making a really loud noise, like an extractor fan from a building but it was actually coming from my car's engine."

Google Cars are parked in front of a large windowed store front as part of a larger building. There is a blue sign top left with white writing saying "The Trade Centre UK". On the top right of the building is a red sign with white writing saying "Drive Away Today" — The Trade Centre UK in Longford, Coventry, is one of the branches with complaints logged against it

Chancellor said The Trade Centre UK told her it would be up to a six-week wait for them to repair it, so she took the car to an independent garage.

She said the garage told her: "We found a serious fault with the engine because it's filled our workshop with smoke. Your engine's either got to be stripped back and rebuilt, or it's got to be a whole new engine.

"Obviously when you've had the car just over two months, you don't expect it to be in that condition."

She said her car was now back with The Trade Centre UK, adding they had told her they would do an inspection and decide whether she could have a refund.

A man with light brown hair wearing a black shift sits on a blue and grey seat wearing a solemn expression. — Tom Barnwell said he was spending up to £300 a month on hire cars while waiting for his to be repaired

Tom Barnwell bought his car from The Trade Centre UK in Coventry earlier this year - but six weeks later, he said, it broke down.

He said he had been without a vehicle for two months after the company took it back for repairs.

Barnwell added that he was trying to reject the car to get a refund.

"It really has dampened my spirits recently and it's getting to a point where I feel like they're backing me into a corner," he said.

"They obviously want me to take the vehicle because it gets it off their hands.

"Financially, it's really affected me because I'm paying about £200 to £300 in hiring vehicles every week and I'm still being charged the finance for this car. So it has absolutely emptied my bank account."

Soo Townsend Seven people, a mixture of men and women, stand on the pavement outside a large building belonging to Trade Centre UK. They are holding signs which include the words "do not buy, ask us why!" — Disgruntled customers have protested outside Trade Centre UK's Wednesbury branch

In a statement, The Trade Centre Group told the BBC: "Every vehicle undergoes a comprehensive inspection and pre-sale preparation. Where concerns are raised they are investigated in a timely manner and handled in accordance with customers' statutory rights.

"While we recognise that a small number of customers can sometimes be dissatisfied with their experience, we take these cases very seriously and remain committed to resolving concerns fairly and responsibly.

"These isolated cases are in no way reflective of the vast majority of our customers."

Warwickshire Trading Standards, which looks into complaints from the area where The Trade Centre UK's Coventry branch is based, said: "The used car market is among the most complained about sectors by consumers in the UK.

"Warwickshire Trading Standards receives complaints about car dealers and garages, including The Trade Centre UK.

"Car buyers receive consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer helpline and Trading Standards analyses complaint information to target its resources toward traders that present the most risk to consumers, where for example unroadworthy or dangerous vehicles have been sold.

"Action can then be taken in accordance with our published enforcement policy.

"This is an ongoing process and currently no warnings, enforcement notices, undertakings, prosecutions, or other regulatory action has been taken in respect of the Warwickshire branch of Trade Centre UK."

Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.