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Hi all
Generally, I have been paying AP on the day of collection and have used a card (debit and credit in the past) but I was advised today by the dealership that I need to pay via BACS now, but they don’t think the care will be ready for another week or so.
Is that the new norm? Is it reasonable for me to say I will only pay on the day of collection when I inspect the car and am happy it is as I ordered – I am paranoid do due to several errors from the manufacturer/dealership, which has resulted in a year’s wait for the car.
Any opinion is appreciated.
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I would most definitely not pay the AP before you have inspected the car. I can make BACS payments from my phone, but debit card payments will still be immediate, or very quick. Most dealers probably won’t accept credit cards.
It varies. When I collected my last card I had to pay by bank tranfser and the dealer needed to check that the funds were in their bank before I could collect, As it happens there was an issue with the car so I would be very relectant to do that again. I placed an order today and this dealer confirmed that I can pay be debit card or bank transfer.
@EK One reason maybe that card transaction fee’s are taken into consideration? Read more on this here.
On the other hand,BACS payments are usually free, or very low cost.
For payments within the UK, the costs vary depending on the type of payment. BACS payments are usually quite slow, but free or only a few pennies to process.
Joss
Current car: Peugeot 308 GT Premium 1.2 Pure tech Petrol.
Coming soon...BMW X2 sDrive 20i M Sport 5dr Step Auto In November 2025
Perhaps its just your individual dealership that requires a BACS.
When i got my new Kuga less than a month ago the dealership were more than happy to take the AP from my debit card.
I would most definitely not pay the AP before you have inspected the car. I can make BACS payments from my phone, but debit card payments will still be immediate, or very quick. Most dealers probably won’t accept credit cards.
It varies. When I collected my last card I had to pay by bank tranfser and the dealer needed to check that the funds were in their bank before I could collect, As it happens there was an issue with the car so I would be very relectant to do that again. I placed an order today and this dealer confirmed that I can pay be debit card or bank transfer.
@EK One reason maybe that card transaction fee’s are taken into consideration? Read more on this here. On the other hand,BACS payments are usually free, or very low cost. For payments within the UK, the costs vary depending on the type of payment. BACS payments are usually quite slow, but free or only a few pennies to process.
Thaanks all, so I assume it is reasonable for me to say that I will only do BACS once I see the car and am satisfied it is as I ordered it
Of course, the number of cases of cars turning up without that thing you were expecting is reason enough 🙂
"Come on BYD Seal!"I have always paid the AP on the day of collection, any special extras are perhaps a different matter.
Far away is near at hand in visions of elsewhere.
I’m collecting a Qashqui on Monday and have been told that the AP has to be paid in advance. I said I wanted to inspect the car first (have done this on all the Motability cars I’ve had previously) but was told that I would not be able to collect the car if the AP hadn’t been transferred the day before. This is a first!
Had two Audi’s and on both occasions we paid the AP a couple of days before collection, BUT on both occasions they were stock cars and we picked them up one week after ordering. Also we had a journey to both dealerships and wanted to remove the risk of a problem with payment on the day of pick up (I know of someone who drove over 100 miles to collect a car and their bank blocked the card payment and because they kept trying it then blocked their card completely).
We are not dealing with some kind of crooked third party and to have a quick, smooth pick up I would pay in advance every time. However as stated in other posts this is not necessarily a requirement.
I’m collecting a Qashqui on Monday and have been told that the AP has to be paid in advance. I said I wanted to inspect the car first (have done this on all the Motability cars I’ve had previously) but was told that I would not be able to collect the car if the AP hadn’t been transferred the day before. This is a first!
This is nonsense. BACS transfers and credit card payments are virtually immediate. There’s no way I would pay the AP before inspecting the car. Sounds like a few dealers have cash flow issues. If so, that’s their issue, not yours.
Our first (current) motability car we paid the AP when collecting it. We’ve had our new one on order since February and they initially wanted the AP then but I said no. He did say it’ll be due the day before we collect. I’m not happy about it but he’s mentioned it a couple of times now. If we’re not happy with the car I guess we just don’t put the pin in and request a refund.
Our first (current) motability car we paid the AP when collecting it. We’ve had our new one on order since February and they initially wanted the AP then but I said no. He did say it’ll be due the day before we collect. I’m not happy about it but he’s mentioned it a couple of times now. If we’re not happy with the car I guess we just don’t put the pin in and request a refund.
And if you don’t put the pin in does the dealer refund the AP to your account the same day or do they hold the AP until the issue that made you withhold the pin is resolved?
The pre payment of the AP does appear to create a grey area.
Far away is near at hand in visions of elsewhere.
It may be that for you to pay on the day you may need to collect on a week day, as the back room finance people who can access the bank account may not be working weekends. It is not unreasonable for the dealership to be sure funds have been transferred, it is also not unreasonable for you to be absolutely happy with the car before paying any of your money.
There’s mid ground in there somewhere, you may need to chat with the dealership in order to find it.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
My last car lease i paid the AP by debit card. This time it must be bank transfer and it DOES take a couple of days.
Because the garage is a chain, the payment goes to their head office account and their accountants deal with that side of the business.
No point in arguing its instant transfer. It is their account and their rules.
You can go to the garage, check the car over and enter the pin. But you wont leave with the car that day, and have to return when the AP has cleared. My garage only allowed max £500 by debit card or credit card. Anything over that amount is bank transfer and 2 days clearance.
Its their rules.
It may be that for you to pay on the day you may need to collect on a week day, as the back room finance people who can access the bank account may not be working weekends. It is not unreasonable for the dealership to be sure funds have been transferred, it is also not unreasonable for you to be absolutely happy with the car before paying any of your money. There’s mid ground in there somewhere, you may need to chat with the dealership in order to find it.
Sensible reply. No need to make a drama out of something which really is quite straightforward.
Extras aside, surely the AP goes to Motability, not the dealer, the dealer only gets his commission, so what does Motability say about the method of payment. I certainly wouldn’t want to be paying anything and so far I never have, before I inspected the car and put the pin in. To add someone to my Bacs payment I need to register them and have a two hour cooling off period before I can pay them, so would need to sort that out beforehand.
It may be that for you to pay on the day you may need to collect on a week day, as the back room finance people who can access the bank account may not be working weekends. It is not unreasonable for the dealership to be sure funds have been transferred, it is also not unreasonable for you to be absolutely happy with the car before paying any of your money. There’s mid ground in there somewhere, you may need to chat with the dealership in order to find it.
Thanks – I am open to a middle ground but the funny thing is that they wanted me to pay on Monday but are still unsure when I would collect the car. Additionally, there has been some discrepancy on what has been provided on the invoice vs what was advertised on their website – I would like that resolved before paying. However, advice given to me was to pay and then the difference would be refunded.
It may be that for you to pay on the day you may need to collect on a week day, as the back room finance people who can access the bank account may not be working weekends. It is not unreasonable for the dealership to be sure funds have been transferred, it is also not unreasonable for you to be absolutely happy with the car before paying any of your money. There’s mid ground in there somewhere, you may need to chat with the dealership in order to find it.
Thanks – I am open to a middle ground but the funny thing is that they wanted me to pay on Monday but are still unsure when I would collect the car. Additionally, there has been some discrepancy on what has been provided on the invoice vs what was advertised on their website – I would like that resolved before paying. However, advice given to me was to pay and then the difference would be refunded.
If it were anything other than a scheme car, would you hand over money then sort problems out?
As much as we would like to be able to fully trust the Motability representatives at the dealerships they are, first and foremost, salespeople and their primary goal is to sell cars and get the money in as soon as possible. If getting paid for a car in November means they get commission, that’ll be their target. Once they have the money, what guarantees are there that you’ll have exactly the car you want in the condition you would reasonably expect it to come in? If anything, the discrepancies would convince me further to not pay a penny until you’re 100% happy. If they lean on you too heavily, let Motability know what’s going on and get their advice.
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
So there are two different situations here. If being asked to make the AP a long time ahead and even before a collection date has been indicated, I absolutely would not agree to do so. However if just a day or two before collection (especially if collecting over the weekend) I have no problem in making the payment upfront, although there to be fair, on both occasions I have done this I have been collecting a stock car so have already seen it and know what I am collecting.
Well, I suppose it is called Advance Payment for a reason, but seriously its shocking how much the prices have increased. I was able to afford my first mobility car with a part exchange on my old car. My present car is a VW Sharan which I got from stock with a big dealer discount and I still have it on a 2 year extension. Surely though, the onus should be on the salesman at the initial sale to point out what the dealers policy is for paying any outstanding AP. Also, I think you can pay the AP in installments as long as you pay the full amount before or on the day of collection.
Hi
Arrived at the dealership 2 days before handover. Spent around 2 hours checking everything, expressly trip and options fitted. Spent time setting up the car.
Then on the day, just a quick check, our old car 3 minute check by dealer and good condition bonus was on its way, entered pin and all done within 20 minutes.
On order ID.3 Max Pro Performance September 2021
Glacier White Metallic Flat black
Latest Delivery Date From Dealer, April 2023Odds are low on this happening but not zero. Imagine you pay the AP upfront and have to wait 6 months in the meantime the dealer goes bust.
If you paid by credit card you have section 75 but debit cards and Bacs has zero protection especially after 30 days in the case of debit cards.
I wonder if the garage is trying to dodge giving you section 75 protection by refusing credit cards.
As has been said most BACS happen instantly these days so that’s no excuse. If a dealer pulls that on me I’ll go order elsewhere instead.
Imagine you reject the car on delivery day now you get the hassle of trying to get a refund…
I would imagine that the dealer would not accept a credit card due to the credit card providers card charges.
i have real issue with paying AP a couple of days before pick up however, normally pick the car up during the week and pay by debt card and I don’t see any real issues with this as the dealership can check the money is in their account.
Paying the AP upfront on a 5 month delivery schedule does not make sense
Far away is near at hand in visions of elsewhere.
We’ve been and ordered our new car today from Bristol Street Motors. I did ask about the AP payment early in the conversation and it was confirmed that this is their AP process.
When the car is at the dealers they call you and let you know, BSM then send you a WAYS form, I think that’s what it’s called, you do a Bank Transfer to them for the AP and any other extras fuel, mats etc. once that’s done, they arrange a collection date.
As I posted perviously, it does leave this grey area of you cannot accept the car because of an issue with damage or the wrong spec, what happens to the AP you have already paid.
If the car is the wrong spec and has to be re-ordered then I would expect the AP to refunded.
Far away is near at hand in visions of elsewhere.
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