Hey all, an update.
Re the model… no real secrecy, I just didn’t think it was that important to begin with (compared to the bhp/wd config) mixed with not wanting to badmouth the manufacturer etc when I didn’t really know the whole story. Maybe it was an honest mistake, and they’d resolve it, etc.
Anyway, it is/was a Peugeot 3008.
In terms of whether my salesperson was being correct about the 4wd being discontinued, I’ve checked and you can’t order them on the Peugeot website now but I spoke to an alternate dealership yesterday while trying to get as much info as possible for my discussions, and they would have been happy to take the order. It was an option on their system in the branch. So it seems it’s at least being slowed down order wise based on the web change but is still do-able.
Meanwhile I was also pushing my salesperson for more info on how this problem occurred. As I mentioned in a previous update I also spoke to Peugeot themselves after this mess started to confirm if they were still making them for existing orders and they say they are. If they accept an order, they build it and they were accepting orders for the 4wd recently, never mind months ago when I ordered. So armed with that info I eventually got my salesperson to admit that the wrong car was ordered by “the dealership”. They haven’t admitted they personally were at fault but are no longer saying Peugeot changed the order due to phasing out.
I don’t yet know how that could possibly happen. I’ve a letter from Motability confirming the right spec and the paperwork from the day I went in and made the order, signed by the salesperson which shows the right spec. When/how it could possibly go wrong from that point I have no idea?! (Which does give some weight to the theory that this is a cancellation that I’m being offered maybe?)
Either way, now that the dealership has accepted the fault was theirs (for now). Most recently I had said to them that I thought 2 things should happen. Firstly that I would be opening an official complaint with them and Peugeot, mentioning Motability requested that was done. Secondly that I felt they should be doing more to honour the existing agreement.
Their response wasn’t particularly useful. They have said they have problem selling the car arriving in the next few days (the lower spec one) and that if I wanted to re-order I would be at the back of the queue (May-ish). This of course is contradictory to them telling me the car was being phased out and couldn’t be bought.
They also said something along the lines of “my manager already knows about this and the complaint would go to them”. I don’t think they get that I’m going to the highest up person in the franchise that I can find, not their immediate manager. I can’t really trust anything that dealership says at the moment.
So, yes… still not really getting anywhere useful. There is a lower spec car waiting for me this week if I want it (haven’t officially turned it down, yet.). They’ve finally accepted fault, without explanation of how it could possibly have occurred, and they are being about as good as useless in finding a constructive, customer focused way forward.
Next step, official complaint as high up as I can find a contact for.