Thank you to our existing personal leasing customer, from Knutsford (Cheshire), for allowing us to photograph their brand-new car – the amazing Mercedes E Class Coupe.
We are sorry to say that this transaction was not without its trials and tribulations, none of which was the fault of the customer. Having previously ran a C-Class saloon diesel (Premium Plus), the customer has changed their annual commute from circa 20,000 miles per annum to a more nominal 8,000. As such, after a lifetime of diesel cars for the working/commuting requirements, the customer wanted a small change with the petrol car.
Having discussed a number of possibilities – the C43 coupe, the BMW 340i saloon and 430i Gran Coupe, the customer decided to go for a stock-based deal which was launched by one of our select funders – Hitachi Capital.
Having ordered the car below, the customer was a tad shocked when their existing vehicle was taken away by the BCA collection agent and their new vehicle arrived in diesel format (albeit the right specification/colour/styling). While this is not a common occurrence, issues do happen during the course of a lease car delivery and the customer often asks what are my rights? When you arrange your car lease, the finance company or broker you operate with will ask you to complete an order form. This will set out the vehicle (often by its CAP code description), the colour (internal and external) and any additional or key features of the vehicle. For example, we always state in brackets if a car is (manual) or (petrol) so that these are clear to both the customer and the supplying dealer.
In this transaction, the customer signed an order with us for a petrol Mercedes and we placed an order for that very same vehicle…
On the day of delivery the customer spoke with our account manager/administration team to discuss the issue. Quite simply, as the vehicle which arrived did not meet the criteria of the car ordered the customer was able to reject the delivery of the new vehicle. The customer is never under an obligation to accept the delivery of the vehicle if the car is incorrect or if the car does not arrive in a satisfactory condition. The decision in this transaction was quite straightforward, in that the car was completely incorrect and the goods were rejected. However, this is only part of the issue – if you reject the delivery of the lease vehicle, what happens next? The answer is that it simply depends on each transaction and there is no hard and fast rule which dictates what should be done to remediate these situations.
For the customer here, our team worked quickly with the supplier to ascertain the cause of the issue and then to offer a basic resolution.
In this instance the customer was offered a) a hire car until the new vehicle arrived; and b) the car they originally ordered (with a full tank or fuel and £100 compensation).
Showing faith and confidence in our team here, the customer accepted the conditions above. By way of personal apology, the car was delivered to the CarLease UK team and then delivered early morning to the customer’s home address to coincide with their working schedule. Not every transaction will go perfectly and some organisations do not always publicise the difficult ones. However, issues can arise with a contract hire agreement and not everything can sorted immediately and easily. Like any commercial transaction, the focus is on treating a customer fairly and doing everything that is possible to reach a fair and equitable outcome.
In terms of the car shown here, the Mercedes-Benz E Class Coupe E300 AMG Line Premium 2Dr 9G-Tronic (Petrol), this is based on the following configuration:
· Obsidian black Metallic Paint
· Artico/Microfibre Dinamica leather – Black
· 19″ AMG 5 twin spoke alloy wheels in titanium grey with high sheen finish
· Open pore black ash wood trim
As standard the luxury car shown here offers steering wheel mounted controls, DAB radio, 3spoke flat bottomed AMG steering wheel, 40/20/40 split folding seats, ambient lighting, AMG floormats, climate control, heated front seats, air conditioning glovebox, partial electric front sets, sports pedals, active brake assist, adaptive brake system, crash sensor, hill hold function, run flat tyres, active park assist, attention assist, collision prevention assist plus, connect me, AMG bodystyling, automatic rain sensing wipers body coloured externals, electric adjustable heated door mirrors, LED headlights, LED daytime running lights, interior lighting pack, keyless go comfort pack, memory pack, mirror pack, alarm system (with immobiliser), cruise control, SD card navigation, reversing camera, artcio/dinamica upholstery, 19” alloy wheels and a panoramic sunroof. In terms of additional extras, consider adding the surround camera system, COMAND online navigation and 20” alloy wheels. Alternatively, upgrade your e-class to the “premium plus”.
On the technical-side, company car and business users can note the P11d at £44,785.00 and C02 at 181g/km for a standard vehicle. The 1991CC petrol turbo engine delivers 328ps, 35.8 combined MPG and 0-60 times of 5.1seconds.
So would you select the E-Class Coupe as your next leasing option? Centrally, there are some great alternatives with the BMW 4 Series Coupe, the Audi A5 Coupe and the Porsche Boxster and Lexus LC coupe to consider too, so good luck with that decision!
Check out the webs best selection of Mercedes E-Class Coupe lease deals right here on CarLease UK – or be sure to check out these petrol vehicles we recently reviewed and these coupe vehicles too…
