Firstly, let me apologise for the terminology we used in our initial statement. We said that the deferment would be subject to a £50 admin fee, and that was a misjudgement, I would like to take this opportunity to explain what I was trying to achieve. In this worrying time, we are all facing financial hardship, and we have really tried to find a solution which benefits all parties.
I know a lot of companies are completely deferring payments, there are mortgage holidays, and payment holidays being offered by a number of large finance providers. That payment holiday means that the money you don’t pay, over the coming months, will be added up, and split across the remaining term of your contract when normality resumes. Most of our contracts are over terms of 2 or 3 years, so this would lead to substantially higher payments for you when all of this is over, and we didn’t think that was fair. What we have tried to achieve, is to find a solution where you keep the car, and then when all of this is over, you continue with your contract as planned. If you have 6 months left at £400 a month now, then, when normality resumes, you will still have 6 months left, at £400 a month. In effect, we are pausing your contract. However, that incurs costs to us. The interest we pay on our loan for your car will go up (Much more than £50 a month), and depreciation means that, when we get those cars back, 3 months older, then we will receive less for them when we sell them on. The £50 a month covers a fraction of that cost and allows us to help you to keep your contract as it is now. This also means that, as you have your car for longer (whilst doing a very limited mileage), you will avoid the expense of starting a new, probably more expensive lease, when you are trying to get back on your feet. This deal costs us money and at the moment, the help we are receiving is minimal, but we were genuinely trying to find the right deal for you.
Now, it has come to my attention that people may not want to extend their contracts, and may struggle to meet the £50 a month through this difficult time, so, if you prefer, we are happy to offer a full deferment throughout this pandemic. So, you would pay nothing each month, and your term would stay the same, but at the end of this, the payments you have missed will be split over the rest of your term, so, if you have 10 months left, at £400 per month, you could take a 3 month payment holiday and at the end of this, still only have 7 months left on your contract, but the £1200 missed would be split over the remaining 7 months of your contract. This would mean that your remaining 7 payments would be payable at £400 + £171.43 = £571.43 per month. We genuinely believe our first solution is better for YOU, but if you would prefer to do it this way, then please don’t hesitate to call us, and we will always put your wishes first.
I am distraught about the way our initial statement was received, but I can understand where the confusion arose. We believe our customer service is amongst the best in the industry, and we generally receive really positive feedback. We would never try to profiteer from a situation like this, and we can assure you that we are just as worried about the future of our business as you are. We are all in this together, and I promise you we are as concerned about our customers, as much as we are for ourselves. We are really trying to help you through this, and we are hopeful that you can see what we were trying to achieve. We genuinely are trying to find the best solution for you, and would like to reiterate that our phone lines are still operational, and we are all here, working hard, to answer your concerns and help you through this stressful and worrying time.
Kind regards,
Karen Laundon
Managing Director
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