Unbinding App from previous owner - Painful MG customer service but happy ending

PeteJ said:

I am unable to pair MGismart with my MG ZS EV trophy which was pre registered by the dealer but is only a few months old. I purchased it from a dealer who is 100 miles from me. Their service dept says that I must contact MG but I am unable to discover how to do so. the problem with pairing is that I am being asked to scan a CR code, but non appears. my phone is paired to the car. Can any body advise me how I can progress.
Thanks

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R9MEY said:

Just an update
Sucess

I contacted miles but he is no longer able to get the cars unbound

However he gave me the MG contact info

here is a copy of the emails






From: me ***
Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2024 2:24 PM
To: Customer Service <[email protected]>
Subject: MG4 iSmart reset


Hi

I have just purchased an MG4 secondhand

The car is still 'bound to the previous owner
Could you do an 'iSmart reset '
I have attached copy of my V5c and a copy of my driving license as I.D.

Car Details,

Car Reg :- **********
Vin Number **************

My Details

****************
****************
*******************
*************
****************
Many Thanks
********************



Good afternoon *****



Thank you for your patience.



That is clear for you now.



Kind regards



_______________________________________________________________________________

Gary Smart Customer Service Coordinator Aftersales
UK Mobile: Switchboard: E-mail: [email protected]
MG Motor UK Limited Headquarters, Main Gate Lowhill Lane, Birmingham, West Midlands B31 2BQ United Kingdom www.mg.co.uk
Become an MG fan: facebook.com/mgmotor Follow MG: twitter.com/mgmotor

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chrisp said:

Hi folks,

Just wanted to relay my experience in getting my ZS EV Trophy Long Range (late 2021) unbound from a previous owner's iSmart App. I know there are several posts about this but my experience, and the responses from MG, seemed slightly different to what I've read so hopefully this is useful.

In summary - it is possible for MG to remotely unbind the previous owner but they will repeatedly tell you it's not.

Longer version:

Was pleased to see a Facelift Long Range ZS Trophy with low milage pop up on Cazoo and jumped on it rather than wait months for new.

Cazoo service was good and very pleased with the car when it arrived a couple of days later.

Noticed the car was bound to a previous user. Called Cazoo who suggested calling the local MG dealer (Budgens Shrewsbury). Dealership weren't aware this was a potential problem and promised a callback. Callback never happened but a couple of days later, Cazoo told me they had arranged an appointment with the same garage on my behalf. The appointment was a few weeks away and Cazoo were happy to extend their 7 day no questions return period and drive-away insurance.

Eventually took the car to the garage, they had it all day but could not do anything. Apparently being bound to the previous owner meant they couldn't reset it or even do a software update. They said they'd spoken to MG Head Office who advised them I should get in touch and they would be able to remotely remove the previous owner. The number they gave me is 01217 564 864.

Called MG, slightly annoyed the garage couldn't have told me this weeks ago. MG said it's a known problem and it happens all the time. They'll have the old owner removed within in 24 to 48 hours.

The next day I got an email from some-one called Gary at MG saying 'I apologise if you have been misled previously, however MG Motor UK Ltd. are unable to unbind a previous owner from the car.' They cited issues with potentially exposing the previous owner's data.

Called the 01217 number again and spoke to a third rep. She said they were aware of several customers with a similar problem but had only just found out that there was nothing MG could do.

I replied to Gary's email saying this was ridiculous and not only did I not have the full functionality of the car but some random out there could track the car and even get in it and drive off (I think).

Gary's reply the following day was really annoying and left me feeling fobbed off. He maintained there was nothing that could be done and it was Cazoo's fault for not ensuring it was unbound when they bought it. He said being able to unbind the car would leave it open to abuse

I asked Cazoo if they could contact the previous owner and they said not, due to data protection. That sounded like nonsense to me but I couldn't get past them, and to be honest I don't hold them, or even the previous owner, responsible for MG not having a means to reset their vehicles. Also - if MG were telling me this wasn't a known problem until yesterday, how were Cazoo to know?

So back to Gary at MG on email (he refused to speak on the phone) to more forcefully make my case that none of this rang true and refute his nonsense. I also pointed out Tesla have perfectly secure ways to transfer cars between user accounts.

Gary replied the next day, forwarding an email from an un-named superior that said I should send copies of the V5 and my Driving License to prove ownership and identity. I did so and half an hour later the car was unbound!

This all took nearly a month and MG's lack of knowledge at the garage and dismissiveness from Customer Services has made me think hard about returning the car (Cazoo have still kept the return window open). However - we really do like the size, range and features on the car and it's so hard to actually find a reasonably priced EV at the moment - so we've decided to keep it.

I don't understand why the car can't be unbound by the user as long as a physical key is present - be interested to anyone's thoughts on that.

Thanks for reading this rather long account - hope it's helpful if others find themselves in the same situation.

Best,

Chris

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