Motability lease termination and replacement question

ryan1mcq
ryan1mcq Community Member Posts: 6 Connected

Good morning guys i hope you are all well. Im Ryan, im more a reader than a poster but im after some advice to see if i've done the right thing here, i feel i have but you know.I have now crossed the breaking point threshold of my patience with this particular scooter unit and triggered a termination yesterday with Motability and im waiting to hear from their 'specialist cancellation team'.

A bit of background context, since i got this new lease in September 2024 i have had 10 faults/issues in just the first half of the lease life (which is already ridiculous and unacceptable) and its now up to 12 as of yesterday. Some of these faults are recurring multiple times as they have not been repaired correctly and only get temporary fixes even though i have suggested more permanent solution more than once.

Faults/issues i've had include:

2 battery issues where i had to use the motability app twice to be rescued.

A trip switch fault which kept randommly cutting the scooter out, even crossing roads.

3 seperate issues with the seat coming loose from the swivel lock, major fall risk.

4 issues with the Forward/reverse selector switch, critical safety risk.

Speedo display showing incorrect speeds of up to 35MPH and clock constantly wrong

3 punctures in 1 month, front left x1 and front right x1

Even if we exclude the puncture as they can happen regardless, thats still a ridiculous amount of faults to be having on the, as the dealer says, the Rolls Royce of scooters.

The main issue now is im getting an ERR07 code on the screen when i stop the scooter and i have to turn the ignition off and on again to reset it but worse than that is the forward/reverse selector switch is often failing to engage the correct direction and thats a major safety risk especially when trying to position to cross roads and so on, this is now the 4th time ive reported this safety issue with the selector switch.

I opened a complaint with motability foundation a few weeks ago and was given a case number and a woman from the Motability offices, Aimee Buchanan, was assigned as my case worker. Ultimately i was awarded 2 months payments back as a redress payment, keep that in mind. Yesterday i contacted Motability again to complain and trigger the cancellation, they called the dealer while i was on live chat to check some stuff and we proceeded.

A little later the dealer called me and was claiming they had no record of the faulty direction selector switch and tried to insinuate i merely mentioned it in passing to the engineers who were out to fix other issues, well i was fuming and nearly lost my rag but i kept my cool, ended the call and got immediately back on to live chat with Motability and i explained what just happened and they have put a note of dissatisfaction with the dealer on my files now.

If they dont have a record of an issue ive reported 4 times after both their engineers cleaned the switch twice thats their problem as the enginneers have obviously not treated that with the importance it deserved. I was so angry when the dealer said that to me yesterday it was the straw that broke the camels back. I've been more than patient with this 'built on a Friday afternoon' unit.

Im hoping anyone can shed some light for me on what happens next, all i know is their specialist team will contact me within 3 working days. I've read they operate a £250 early termination fee but hopefully common sense will prevail and that will be waived.

Thanks for your time guys

Comments

  • Rosie_Scope
    Rosie_Scope Posts: 8,404 Online Community Team

    No wonder you've hit a breaking point, that seems so frustrating @ryan1mcq! I'm afraid I don't have too much experience of this myself, but I hope some of our members might have some advice and experiences to share soon.

    Have you raised a complaint or are you just hoping to see the end of it all now?

    Fingers crossed that early termination fee gets waived, it seems the least they could do after what you've faced.

  • ColonelBlink
    ColonelBlink Community Member Posts: 655 Pioneering

    I handed back early, every Motability car i ever leased (4), and was never required to pay the £250. After the 4th time, they did say I would have to pay it next time if I ask again.

    I now have a Motability powerchair, and was told that the scooter/powerchair branch of Motability, it is now separate from the cars, so maybe they are stricter with early termination?

    With regards to powerchairs, I was told I can ask for a different chair, if my needs change, no need to terminate the current lease.