In the middle of July this year I went to Silvers Cars in Pontefract West Yorkshire with 1 month left on my MOT, I wanted a 5 door Fiesta small engine low tax and insurance my budget was £3500 - they said no problem. I told them all my requirements and circumstances and they knew I have to have a car to get to work as I work shifts and public transport is not an option. They kept saying that they couldn’t find me a Fiesta but not to worry as they would - I trusted them and believed in them. On the very last day of my MOT and with no Fiesta and the promise of a loan car from them so I could get to work, I panic bought a different car off their forecourt.

I'd made a mistake and thought it would be ok as they'd known what I’d wanted and I could use the 14 day change of mind policy - I still wanted a Fiesta. However - what Silvers don’t tell you is that you can't reject the purchase of the car - meaning, that as soon as the finance company release the money - the day after in my case - Silvers won’t give the money back and unless you pay the finance yourself you're trapped in the deal and with a car you didn’t really want. I admit I panic bought, but they knew I needed a car for work and I feel it was predatory of them and grossly unfair. At no time ever did Silvers tell me you can’t get out of the sale/purchase - they keep that piece of vital information to themselves. I was naive to this as I've never bought a car on finance before but they knew that - they were predatory and I was on the ropes - it was the LAST day of my MOT. It was also £4195, nearly £700 over my budget. I told them I’d changed my mind and asked them to refund the money and find me a Fiesta - their answer was a clear cut NO. Silvers duped me and I was naive. Another car dealer said this was 'OLD SCHOOL BULLY BOY TACTICS THAT YOU CANT USE THESE DAYS’ well they did - to me.

I was naive to believe they would find me a Fiesta as in their 24 hour promise as stated on their website and I believed in them - I feel so stupid and they really don’t care. My experience with Silvers was dreadful but find that this practice is not illegal, I want to campaign to make sure every car dealer, every sales person, lets the potential buyer know this vital piece of information. You can change your mind on the finance and pay all the money back within 14 days but you can’t change your mind on the purchase of the vehicle. I would never have signed the finance document had I known this. Silvers never at any time gave me any paperwork with this information on and I feel they should be made to. I had not taken the car from Silvers it was still on their forecourt. I feel that this is grossly unfair trading and there’s nothing I can do about it, and unless I can pay back the money myself I’m stuck in the finance deal. I told Silvers that I wouldn't drive the car off their forecourt and they promptly delivered it to me and collected the loan car. I feel that Silvers exploited me as they know all my financial details and knew that I wouldn’t have needed finance in the first place if id had the cash to spend. Plus, the car they loaned me was a Ford, then my neighbour noticed the tax disc in it was for a Renault disabled car... why would a car dealer be using a disabled tax disc for a courtesy car...?

I have until 1st September to pay back the finance company and Silvers couldn't care less. Please warn others of this potential pitfall.

UPDATE 31/08/2011

I spoke to Trading Standards yesterday and they asked me if i'd been given any pre-contract documents, I said that no, I had never been given any documents by Silvers at all, which is true, I was completely mislead. Trading Standards say that I should have been given pre-contract document detailing the financial and the purchase obligations. They then rang Silvers and guess what? They say that they did give me pre-contract documents - THEY ABSOLUTELY DID NOT! As I said before, that information would potentially be the 'deal breaker' and I feel that this is the precise reason they withold it. Silvers say they will email Trading Standards the pre-contract information they gave me... I cant wait to see this because it was non-existent.