Import Scheme Nightmare

[ramusfamily]

Does anyone have any views on what to do when the Import Scheme goes horribly wrong? We bought our Mazda Bongo at the end of last November from Algys Autos in Bristol. It had already been purchased by Algys at an auction and was en route to Southampton. We were quoted an OTR price of £5,195. We were reasurred that it was in good condition and so we paid them their fee, then in December paid the Importers' fee and in February this year paid a tranche to the garage who have our Bongo and have been putting it through its IVA etc. The garage contacted us a week ago to say that before it could be put through its MOT, they needed to investigate the oil light which seemed to keep coming on. The next thing we knew we were landed with an estimate for works to make the Bongo roadworthy and capable of passing its MOT of...wait for it...£1,745 (plus a further £86.76 plus VAT for an oil flush already carried out). We contacted Algys who subsequently spoke to the garage and they confirmed that all the work has to be done. They agree that it is 'unfortunate' and must be 'frustrating' for us but have done the email equivalent of shrugging their shoulders and walking away. In the meantime we are left having to find nearly 50% extra on the OTR price. We have to date paid £107 over the initial OTR price in any event which Algys seem to suggest relates to fees to transport the vehicle from Southampton to Bristol (none of our invoices so far list payment for the MOT test itself, registration costs or 6 months' road tax - all of which are listed as included in the OTR price and we are concerned we will be further stung for these at a later date). Algys say that the OTR price is only ever an estimate. Whilst we accept that there is an inherent risk with the grey import scheme, we wondered what other Bongo owners make of our particular situation. Also we would like to put a warning out there that, yes there are no doubt countless instances where the import scheme can get you a bargain, but BE WARNED, if it all goes wrong, it appears that your rights are minimal and you could well find yourself facing a hefty bill. The OTR price is not the same as the common understanding of the OTR price - it is a guesstimate at best and if you are as unlucky as us, you could end up paying 50% more than Algys originally quoted. In terms of time (we have now been waiting over 3 months for our Bongo) and money, we would have been much better off buying off a local forecourt. Any ideas?

[lpgimports]

Ouch what exactly is wrong with it to amount to £1745

Which Engine is in it?

Paul

[ramusfamily]

Engine is petrol 2000CC. It is an '02 model, only 27 miles on the clock and apparently the low mileage has resulted in the oil becoming gunky and clogging various parts of the engine and resulting in abrasions in various other parts. We need to have the alternator, power steering pump, transmission, AC unit, timing belt assembly, big end shells, crankshaft and main bearing shells oil pump removed (and presumably replaced or cleaned). My mechanical knowledge is pretty minimal, I'm afraid, but these are the main items listed on the estimate of works.

[lpgimports]

Ok mention of big end shells suggests oil starvation through either no oil or complete lack of servicing.

Have they actually confirmed that the vehicle has low oil pressure, by fitting a oil pressure testing kit to it, if it is at the point of having no oil pressure and needing big end shells then it would be really grumbly from the bottom end of the engine, which with an experienced ear in the motor trade is a tell tale sign. If it is just the oil pressure lamp flicking on and off, it could be something as simple as a new oil pressure switch required.

You need to know the oil pressure is definitely low before having any other work done.

Paul

[dunslair]

I may be talking out of turn here, but i think you should be protected under the 'distance selling' regulations. If the good are not as described, then you have the right to return them and receive a full refund. Maybe worth a call to your local CAB office / trading standards office. Mods may want to keep an eye on the replies to this post as well Best of luck which ever way you go with it.

[flossie]

Ouch I feel so so sorry for you but I could havexwritten my own experience almost word for word about this company!! Unfortunately u have no recourse apart from the small claims court as u have to sue them through the Cypriot courts . Trading Standards will mot get involvedt please please put this on record with them via Consumer Direct at least. Thirdly take the vehicle away from there as u will find more competitive elsewhere u will need to low load it most likely. U still can pursue Algys as u are not legally obliged to keep the vehicle at Hallens . I can privately recommend two places one in Devon and one in Berkshire who will help u and are 100 % trustworthy. If you want to discuss on the phone then PM me your number.

Note to Mods - all of the above are proven facts . Please treat as such as they are not opinions. You will be aware that I have evidence to back up all of the above and this particular set of issues cannot be allowed to continue.

Liz

[flossie]

Also have u been to see vehicle if not get down there asap preferably with acmechanically knowledgeable person.

[mikeonb4c]

Note to Mods - all of the above are proven facts . Please treat as such as they are not opinions. You will be aware that I have evidence to back up all of the above and this particular set of issues cannot be allowed to continue.
Liz

I'd like to support flossie. This thread is not about criticising Algys per se but about apparent ignorance by those opting for an import scheme, in that it appears all risk on fitness for purpose of goods rests with them. This seems somehow wrong, since the unique selling point of professional importers ought to be that their auction scouts are able to spot, with a reasonably degree of success, whether there is a problem with a vehicle at auction. Something as obvious as an oil light that keeps coming on should surely have been spotted prior to bidding. Under the circumstances, I would expect the import management company to take some responsibility for the failure. Something like this must (should) be quite rare if their auction scouts are any good at their job. It will do their reputation no good if they do not handle (rare) incidents like this with sensitivity and good customer support.

[ramusfamily]

Thanks for all your responses. We really appreciate the comments. We have raised the issue with Consumer Direct. In response to the previous post - we too are just really disappointed with Algys Autos' reponse. When we put the issues to them in an email, they became unpleasant and defensive. Presumably they rely on word of mouth and good feedback on websites like this and, if they had shown any degree of good customer relations, we would have been delighted to leave a review along the lines of 'we had problems but Algys were great at dealing with them etc'. We think they are really short-sighted to be so complacent about the potential impact of negative feedback.

[flossie]

Thanks for all your responses. We really appreciate the comments. We have raised the issue with Consumer Direct. In response to the previous post - we too are just really disappointed with Algys Autos' reponse. When we put the issues to them in an email, they became unpleasant and defensive. Presumably they rely on word of mouth and good feedback on websites like this and, if they had shown any degree of good customer relations, we would have been delighted to leave a review along the lines of 'we had problems but Algys were great at dealing with them etc'. We think they are really short-sighted to be so complacent about the potential impact of negative feedback.

Again, my thoughts entirely ! Praise where praise is due. Unfortunately I spend my time alerting discreetly potential purchasers to my experience. One day perhaps someone will make Algys s aware of this so they can rethink their attitude. On the plus side I finally have a cracking vehicle !!

[dunslair]

I agree with the view that it's short sighted not to do all that they can to salvage this situation. If the tone of your e mail to them was even half as level headed and non confrontational as your posts above, it certainly did not warrant an agressive response given the circumstance. At very least the importer should be entirely transparent with all of the purchase / auction fees and import / registration costs which he has incurred, and demonstrate that he (and his chosen garage) are not profiting in any way from your misfortune. If they do this then they may just be able to salvage their reputation!!

[bimbobongo]

would it be unfair to ask if you got the vehicle ,at a lower than market price ,if so then work to be carried out is unfortunate ,but i kind of feel the nothing for nothing quote is fair ,if you pay a low price you can pretty much expect a load of crap ,sounds a bit mean but ive been in this situation so many times myself ,quote' look at the bargain i got ,oh bugger its broken !' the import scheme is at best risky ,even buying a bongo from a reputable dealer is a real leap of faith ,sites like this, i know from ,the censorship thread running at the moment do protect some of the less than perfect dealers ,from less than perfect praise ,this in itself is unfortunate ,as i see no point in a forum like this ,if you cant have access to all important info ,be it good or bad ,i would like to be able to hit that search button and be able to see all the comments on any subject ,be it bongo dealers or insurance or spares ,or anything bongo related ,maybe this is a clear case for more info to be available here ,my heart goes out to you ,because as i say i have been caught so many times myself (think i have sucker tatooed on my forehead sometimes) hope the power of this forum can be a force of good in your case ,and encourage ALGYS AUTOS to be a bit more responsive to your needs as customers ,unfortunately i think customer care is a dyeing thing nowadays , i have had no problems with the supplier of my bongo ,and no problems with the bongo ,and have been asked by pm if i would recommend the dealer and ive always said i would ,with the caveat that everyone expects different things ,hope you get a good resolution in your case , i really do ,not a great start to bongoing ,and shame on the supplier! ,poor show indeed !! if the need is felt to censor this i would be very disappointed indeed

[mikeonb4c]

would it be unfair to ask if you got the vehicle ,at a lower than market price ,if so then work to be carried out is unfortunate ,but i kind of feel the nothing for nothing quote is fair ,if you pay a low price you can pretty much expect a load of crap ,sounds a bit mean but ive been in this situation so many times myself ,quote' look at the bargain i got ,oh bugger its broken !' the import scheme is at best risky ,even buying a bongo from a reputable dealer is a real leap of faith ,sites like this, i know from ,the censorship thread running at the moment do protect some of the less than perfect dealers ,from less than perfect praise ,this in itself is unfortunate ,as i see no point in a forum like this ,if you cant have access to all important info ,be it good or bad ,i would like to be able to hit that search button and be able to see all the comments on any subject ,be it bongo dealers or insurance or spares ,or anything bongo related ,maybe this is a clear case for more info to be available here ,my heart goes out to you ,because as i say i have been caught so many times myself (think i have sucker tatooed on my forehead sometimes) hope the power of this forum can be a force of good in your case ,and encourage ALGYS AUTOS to be a bit more responsive to your needs as customers ,unfortunately i think customer care is a dyeing thing nowadays , i have had no problems with the supplier of my bongo ,and no problems with the bongo ,and have been asked by pm if i would recommend the dealer and ive always said i would ,with the caveat that everyone expects different things ,hope you get a good resolution in your case , i really do ,not a great start to bongoing ,and shame on the supplier! ,poor show indeed !! if the need is felt to censor this i would be very disappointed indeed

Fair point. One thing that did strike me was that £5195 for a late model Bongo with only 27 miles on the clock, doesn't sound like a lot of money for A1 goods. Is there something we should know, but don't?

[ramusfamily]

Engine is petrol 2000CC. It is an '02 model, only 27 000 miles (sorry!!) on the clock and apparently the low mileage has resulted in the oil becoming gunky and clogging various parts of the engine and resulting in abrasions in various other parts. We need to have the alternator, power steering pump, transmission, AC unit, timing belt assembly, big end shells, crankshaft and main bearing shells oil pump removed (and presumably replaced or cleaned). My mechanical knowledge is pretty minimal, I'm afraid, but these are the main items listed on the estimate of works.

[mikeonb4c]

Engine is petrol 2000CC. It is an '02 model, only 27 000 miles on the clock and apparently the low mileage has resulted in the oil becoming gunky and clogging various parts of the engine and resulting in abrasions in various other parts. We need to have the alternator, power steering pump, transmission, AC unit, timing belt assembly, big end shells, crankshaft and main bearing shells oil pump removed (and presumably replaced or cleaned). My mechanical knowledge is pretty minimal, I'm afraid, but these are the main items listed on the estimate of works.

Ah, that makes more sense! But its still a late model low mileage example that I would have expected to have cost more by the time it was bought, shipped and handed over. Was £5195 the vehicle price before all other costs were added in?

One other thought. Thre must be the occasional 2.0l petrol write off out there that the engine could be taken out of (and most of these, being late models, should be lowish mileage good condition engines). Putting one of those in should cost no more, and probably rather less than repairing the existing one, and there would be no more uncertainty over what might and what might not have been damaged by the poor oil circulation. Provided your Bongo is in otherwise A1 condition, this is a route I would consider myself. Out of interest, how is the autobox doing, considering everything seems gunked up from lack of use?