How to complain about automotive companies the RIGHT way?

Perhaps second only to buying a house, buying a car is one of the most important financial decisions you can make. Whichever type of vehicle you are looking for; you need to have trust when buying a car from your chosen dealership. Yet, in many instances there are issues with car dealerships relating to deposits, underhand sales tactics, and cars being sold that aren’t even roadworthy in the first place.

So if you’ve found yourself on the wrong end of a bad experience with a car dealership, what are the next steps? How do you file a complaint?

How to Write an Automotive Complaint?

1. First and foremost, make your issues known to the customer service department. It may be the case that your problems can be easily resolved by their in-house team.
2. If they refuse or cannot help you, it’s time to write a official complaint. Start by making a note of every detail of the incident(s) so that you don’t forget to include important details when writing your complaint later on.
3. When it comes to actually writing your complaint, remain professional and courteous. Do not use insulting or offensive language and clearly state your case for complaint.
4. Remember to include all available documentation, such as warranties, contracts and invoices to support your case.
5. Always conclude your letter of complaint with your contact details so that the company in question can easily get hold of you to try and resolve your situation.

Finally, submit your complaint on our website in order to get the attention your complaint deserves.

When Complain About an Automotive Company?

All companies should want to resolve complaints properly. However, there are many instances where for example a car dealership may deny your experience took place. e.g. pressure-selling or underhand sales tactics such as “bait and switch” are harder to prove, and therefore the dealership may initially deny all accountability.

Here’s some examples of instances where you’ve likely got grounds to complain:

• The car you’ve purchased is not in same condition as described/sold
• The car has been manipulated to hide its age or past (e.g. write offs/milometer adjustments)
• You were forced into buying a different car because you were told the one you wanted was unavailable (when it wasn’t)
• The car you’ve bought is not in a roadworthy or road-legal condition
• You’ve been mis-sold a finance agreement
• You’ve been lied to about the availability of financing and/or ownership options

Why Should You File An Automotive Complaint?

Whilst filing a complaint may not be the most enjoyable of processes, sometimes it’s necessary in order to reach an acceptable resolution to your situation. If you’re complaint centers around the conduct of the staff members of a particular dealership location, then launching a complaint to head office may be the only way they will become aware of the behavioral issues in question.

In cases whereby you’ve been the recipient of a car that is dangerous or isn’t even road-legal, it might be that an official complaint is the best way to proceed before potentially starting legal proceedings against the company in question. In either scenario, launching a complaint is perhaps the only way to achieve a satisfactory conclusion to your grievance.

Results of Submitting a Complaint?

Since the possible complaints made against a car dealership can vary quite dramatically, it’s hard to give specific outcomes. However, if the issue is relating to staff conduct then it may be case that the company implements company-wide re-training or fires a member of staff that committed gross misconduct within their role.

If you have suffered monetary losses as a result of damage or age concealment, then the company may offer you a compensatory settlement along with an apology in the effort to avoid a court case.

Where to Complain About an Automotive Company?

If an automotive company, car dealership or network of dealerships is failing to address your concerns adequately then you need to take action to amplify the reach of your complaint. Don’t forget to research your problem first. This allows you to better defend yourself. For example, you can post your case / problems on a (electric) car forum before you make your complaint.

We can help you reach our database of thousands of users, as well as ensuring that your complaint appears prominently in search results and on social media. Better still, we’ll reach out to the company in question via either email or social media to make sure that the matter is taken more seriously.

So if you’ve had an issue with an automotive company that’s worthy of complaint, start the process by filing it on our website using the button below.