My Motability car is totally unsuitable. I don't know what to do. Can anyone help?

ronspur

I got my new mobility car in feb 2022, it wasn't my 1st choice of car but because of the delays due to covid i was advised by dealership that the said car would be fine for me, however it is not, it is way to low for me and i cannot fit my wheelchair in,
The dealership advised me to wait until original car comes in but has stated the car hasn't even been made yet, he also says they knew the car wouldn't be suitable for me but was told by head office to push through the sales of said car.
I have looked at cancelling my agreement for this car but have been informed by Motability that it will cost me money and to go to a different dealership but the increase in up front deposits are beyond my finances,
I really don't know what to do, the car is totally unsuitable and i can't seem to get any help  , any help/advise would be gratefully received.

L_Volunteer

Hello @ronspur

Welcome to Scope's forum. It is great to see you have joined us. How are you today? I hope you are well.

Sorry to hear you did not get your first choice of mobility car. It is really important that you recognise that it is not right for you and your needs.

It sounds really frustrating that you were told it would be fine for you even though it is not. Not least because this was the message given by head office to get the sales of said car. 

Unfortunately, mobility cars are not the area of my expertise. This means I can only hope someone with more knowledge in this area is able to respond to you soon.

In the meantime, I just wanted to respond to greet you and let you know we hear you and are here for you 

poppy123456

Hi,

Did you test drive the car before you made your decision? Motability are correct that they can charge you up to £250 admin charges to cancel your lease. On top of that you could be waiting several months and more for another car.

With advance payments motability do have grants available to help with that cost but it will depend on what car/spec you choose as to whether any grant will be offered.

ronspur

Thank you for your reply, No i didn't test drive the car or even saw the car as dealership didn't have one available, I have been using the same dealership for quite a few years and always dealt with the same person, he knows my disability situation and being that he is the professional I went by his advise, 
more fool me. As for grants I wouldn't know what/how to go about it. 

poppy123456

Not test driving the car before making a decision was in my opinion the wrong thing to do, even for someone that doesn't have a disability.

The mobility grants won't apply to you unless motability agree that you can end your lease. For this you will need to ring them again and speak to them. I've always found them extremely helpful.

However, you will very likely be without a car until the car of your choice becomes available.

Details here regarding grants https://www.motability.org.uk/charitable-grants/

ronspur

Thank you for your help

Siwheels73

@ronspur, the same happened to me with the last car I got from Motability. If the dealer cannot sort out the problem then you can change it in limited circumstances.

Alex_Scope

Hello @ronspur and welcome to the community, I'm glad to see that our members sharing their experiences has been helpful for you. 

Keep us updated with how things go, and let us know if we can help further in the meantime.

Alex_Scope

@lexxus16 we have contacted you by email to action this request, thank you for letting us know.

Lisatho11987777

I changed two of my cars snd they were realy helpful and didn't have to pay anything and my last car I took back after a year with no charge 

hjford

ronspur said:

I got my new mobility car in feb 2022, it wasn't my 1st choice of car but because of the delays due to covid i was advised by dealership that the said car would be fine for me, however it is not, it is way to low for me and i cannot fit my wheelchair in.

hi,
from my own experience phone motobility. My husbands car was unsuitable for the same reasons as you. We phoned motobility who were really helpful and told us we could change the car. We had to pay a £50 admin fee and as soon as that was paid we could go and choose a new more suitable car. Honestly give them a ring, they are very helpful and accommodating especially if the car is unsuitable like you stated. 

Good luck 🤞🏻