91热爆

In February we reported on complaints about the Swansea-based Prestige Motor Group. Since then more unhappy customers have got in touch with us about the car dealership run by father and son, Ceri and Shaun James. The family and their car businesses have now featured on X-ray four times in the last six years.

听

Dane and Juliet Elliott, who live near Brecon, featured in our report in February. They鈥檇 bought a nine thousand pound Range Rover from Prestige early in December, only to find almost immediately that there were problems with the temperature gauge. The garage agreed to fix the problem, but then returned the car to their home while they were out. They left it parked on a pavement, and the couple say the key was missing. After weeks of excuses and of Dane and Juliet not being able to drive the car, X-Ray managed to speak to Shaun James. He said he didn鈥檛 know where their key was, but promised the Range Rover had been fixed.

听

Since then Dane has bought a new key himself for nearly three hundred pounds. But when he started the car again, he was shocked to find the temperature gauge hadn鈥檛 been fixed, and extra warning lights were showing for the suspension and traction control.

听

Dane said: 鈥淭hey haven鈥檛 actually done any of the work they said they鈥檇 do. A nine thousand pound car and its useless.鈥�

听

Since that report in February, X-ray has spoken to more disgruntled Prestige Motors customers like George and Louise Wiseman from Congresbury near Bristol. They bought a ten thousand pound Volkswagen transporter van last April for Louise鈥檚 business as a personal trainer.

听

George said: 鈥�It looked great. The photographs were fantastic. It was nice and shiny. It was round about the mileage we were looking for. 鈥�

听

The Wisemans were also enticed by the recent MOT which had no advisories. But weeks after driving it off their forecourt Louise noticed problems with the Volkswagen.

听

She said: 鈥淭he steering was slightly off, and I also noticed a bit of black smoke coming out of the back. I took it to the local garage and got them to have a look at it.鈥�

听

The garage found a list of problems including worn brake discs, and bald tyres. Most worryingly, they reported a dangerously-worn track rod end, which connects the wheels to the steering. The garage told the Wisemans they shouldn鈥檛 drive the van again until it had been fixed.

听

Louise said: 鈥淚 dread to think what would have happened, if I鈥檇 lost control of a vehicle of that size.鈥�

听

Her husband George added: 鈥淟ouise had been driving that vehicle for two to three weeks, to and from school with our son. It鈥檚 just gut wrenching.鈥�

听

After Prestige Motor Group refused to collect their faulty Volkswagen to repair it, George and Louise took legal action and were awarded a County Court Judgement against the car dealership. However, the company has yet to pay up.

听

X-Ray contacted Shaun James, of Prestige Motor Group. He said some of the parts on George and Louise鈥檚 Volkswagen may have simply worn out in the few weeks the couple were driving it. He said the van鈥檚 MOT, which he鈥檇 had done at another garage, showed that it was 鈥渞oad legal鈥� when they sold it. However, we鈥檝e discovered the person who carried out that MOT has since been banned by the regulator VOSA for two years after a separate complaint.

听

As for Dane and Juliet, Shaun James blamed them for the missing key, but fortunately their finance company have now offered the couple a full refund.

Headteachers David and Fran Davies booked a short trip to Krakow in Poland for a relaxing half term break in February

听

The couple from Aberdare booked their flights from Birmingham, as it was the nearest airport offering cheap flights. With that done, all they needed to do was find a place to park their car 鈥� a Ford Focus RS.

听

After searching online, David and Fran decided to book a space at one of NCP鈥檚 car parks at the airport.

听

The couple felt confident their vehicle was in safe hands, with a recognised, national company and jetted off for a few days away.

听

But after an enjoyable holiday, they returned to a nasty surprise. When they landed back in Birmingham, they wheeled their suitcases back to where the car was parked. But they couldn鈥檛 find it.

听

David explained: 鈥淲e walked up and down the aisle several times, in the dark, looking for the vehicle. At first I was actually confused whether I was in the correct car park or not.鈥�

听

Beginning to panic, the couple spotted a policeman in the car park and asked him for help. He asked them what car they were driving. David said: 鈥淚 explained that it was a Ford Focus and he said, 鈥極h, that vehicle鈥檚 gone mate.鈥欌��

听

The couple were then told that their car had been stolen two days before their return. After two hours of waiting with the police, an NCP worker finally arrived to speak to them. But they were less than impressed with how he handled the situation.

听

Fran said: 鈥淚t was 11pm at night. They just came and gave us printed out terms and conditions, and basically saying you鈥檝e parked at your own risk, we鈥檙e in no way responsible for you.鈥�

听

Fran and David had no idea how they were going to get home to Aberdare. 鈥淭here were no buses, and no trains 鈥榯il 5am the following morning. We were stranded鈥�.

听

In the end, they managed to hire a car and arrived home in the early hours of the morning. The couple remain unhappy with how NCP handled the situation, and say that they were given three different versions of events when they asked how their car had been taken.

听

But since X-Ray got involved, NCP have been in touch with Fran and David to fill in some of the gaps. The company say the thieves were spotted by police as they were stealing their car. The thieves managed to break out of the car park using their own ticket and a second vehicle to tailgate the stolen Focus through the barriers.听 Officers then pursued them, but were unable to stop them escaping with the car.听

听

Insurance has covered the cost of a new car, but not a like-for-like replacement for the couple鈥檚 treasured Focus.

听

David explained: 鈥淚 was devastated at the news that the car had gone. That car has been my pride and joy. It was and has been irreplaceable.鈥�

听

And the couple have been left disappointed with NCP鈥檚 response since the incident.

Fran said: 鈥淭he care they showed us after the event was shocking. There was no care. There was no responsibility.鈥�

听

NCP told X-Ray they were very sorry about the theft of Fran and David's car, and that they've now apologised to the couple for not giving them clearer information when they flew home. 听

听

They say that because they'd booked their parking via a third party, they couldn't contact them in advance to let them know their car had been stolen. 听

听

The company adds that they take security very seriously, and have been working with the police after a recent spate of thefts of high-performance Ford cars across the Midlands.

听