Having looked for a number of weeks for the right car, I decided to go for a 2011 plate Audi A5 cabriolet that was on sale at North West Autos. Having paid the £200 deposit, I arranged to travel 180 miles up to Blackburn on Saturday 27th September 2025 to inspect and purchase the vehicle. All was good when I got there, the car met expectations and the test drive was fine, so I decided to pay the balance and to drive the car away.However, when it came to the paperwork, the advertised full service history, which was fully displayed in a number of photos an the AutoTrader listing, was not with the car's documentation. When I asked about this, I was told by the salesman (Will) that the service history and owners manual was in the safe, which could not be unlocked until the following Monday. He assured me that it would be posted to me first thing on the Monday, and I took him at his word. In retrospect, I should have got this assurance in writing, but his manner inspired confidence, so I took him at his word.Over the course of the following week, the paperwork did not arrive, so I called to find out what had happened. I spoke to one of the sales people (I don't remember his name), and he insisted that the paperwork woudl have been in the car (it wasn't). I told him as much, and he said that the dealership would search for it, even chasing others who had bought cars on that same day and could have been given the wrong documents for their car. This exchange went on for a number of weeks, until it became clear that the paperwork was not to be found.I had paid the full price for the car, but I now had a car that was worth a lot less, so I said as much to Paige, in After Sales, copying and pasting an article on the internet that suggested at least a 20% impact on the resale value of the car.I requested that this 20% be repaid to me, as this was entirely the fault of North West Autos, but I was told that, because I did not have the assurance in writing that the documentation would be forthcoming, no refund of any kind would be offered. The communication of this decision, athough made by Cameron (Director?) was delegated to Paige, and I was not permitted to speak to Cameron at any stage. I was invited, however, to bring the car back up to Blackburn for part exchange on another vehicle, less mileage at 75p per mile and any other deductions for damages or wear. This, on top of a 360-mile round trip and the time this would take, has rendered such a venture so cost-ineffective as to be ridiculous.In summary, what really irritates me, apart from having paid over the odds for my car, is the refusal on the part of North West Autos to take any responsibility for their not being able to supply the advertised service history, and the cowardly and unprofessional refusal of their director to speak to me directly to justify such a one-sided solution to a problem that was not of my making.
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North West Autos Blackburn is an AA Endorsed used car dealer in Blackburn stocking a wide range of second hand cars at great prices with AA Warranty. Visit us today for affordable used cars in Lancashire. We have full car finance facilities.
