A self-employed driving instructor in Eastbourne says Nissan’s delay in repairing his leased dual-control car left his livelihood hanging in the balance. The vehicle had been off the road for three months while the company waited for a spare part, and he was told the part would take at least another month to arrive.
To keep teaching, he had already spent more than £2,500 on a hired dual-control replacement, while continuing to pay about £1,500 a month in PCP finance for the Nissan he could not drive. He also borrowed more than £1,000 from relatives to extend the hire, but said he would soon run out of funds and be forced to stop working if the repair was delayed any further.
According to the report, the customer first raised the issue in mid-March after the estimated repair date was pushed back for a third time. He said Nissan had given him little clarity on timing or reimbursement, and the company had to be chased repeatedly for updates. The article says a reimbursement agreement was eventually reached for hire-car costs up to the repair date, but payment did not arrive quickly enough to solve the immediate cash-flow problem.
Two weeks after the intervention, Nissan said the part had been sourced and the repair would take place on 15 April, the day the hire contract ended. The company later said reimbursement should be paid within 10 days, and when it became clear that more hire time might be needed, it said it would cover additional rental directly, though it would not put that promise in writing. The car was repaired just in time, but a dispute over compensation followed. Nissan first offered two years of free servicing, then later apologised for the way the case had been handled and agreed to pay compensation, with the amount undisclosed. The company said the experience fell below the standards it aims to deliver with its dealer partners.
Source: theguardian.com
