Anyone bought an EV off Cinch? They seem to be slightly cheaper but i think i am too old school to take a leap of faith in buying a car on the internet without seeing it. I know they have money backs and warranties if you decide its not the car for you but it makes life very difficult if i have to keep returning for whatever reason.
I bought an MG5 EV off Cinch and I would urge anybody thinking of buying from them, DO NOT DO IT!! This was my experience:
30 minutes prior to delivery I had a call saying they couldn't find the wheel bolt locking key and I could choose to delay delivery until they could obtain one or accept it and wait for the key to arrive. As I had paid for the car and insured it I decided on the latter.
On arrival I found that some plastic caps on the bolts were missing, but none of the wheels had locking bolts and that the car does not come as standard with them.
I was given no opportunity to drive the car on arrival, the delivery driver just wanted me to sign the acceptance form and be on his way. He did not know why there was no documentation with the car not even a handbook or service record.
On first driving the car I found a warning triangle was present on the screen which indicated a TPMS low warning signal. I went into the cars diagnostic system and found that the offside front tyre did not register a pressure but all other tyres were at 2.2. As the actual pressure in the tyre was the same as all others it was clear that the TPMS on that wheel was faulty.
I phoned Cinch which took almost an hour as I was placed on hold for about 15 minutes with a cacophony of noise playing, only to be cut off, and then having to redial, eventually getting through on the third attempt. (I have phoned Cinch at least 10 times since and have undergone the same marathon) I requested that I take the car to my local MG dealer just up the road but they insisted I take it to Quickfit. This I did and Quickfit found that the TPMS sensor was missing having been replaced with a standard valve at some time. They were unable to supply a new sensor or calibrate one if they could, lacking the right equipment. They inspected the tyres and reported the tread depth on the two front tyres was very low and not considered safe, so they took photos of the tyres. They contacted Cinch and got approval to replace them.
On getting home I phoned Cinch (you've guessed it) and requested that I take it to my local MG dealer to have the problem sorted. They said my local main MG dealer was not on their list and I should take it to their approved dealer the other side of Gloucestershire a very long journey. I protested at this as being unreasonable but after 2 days of frustration being swapped from one agent to another, on phone and email, one Agent agreed that I could use my local MG dealer if I obtained a quote, so they could send an order to the garage. This I did but was then told, when nothing happened after a while, that they were waiting to get approval. When I emailed them back to ask how long approval would take I received a reply saying we are temporarily closed and we will contact you on our return. This message was sent to me some 2 weeks ago and I have heard nothing.
This is a company that claims to sell cars with no Faff!! Don't fall for that one like I did.
I have had the TPMS replaced now at my own expense and all seems fine.
You might ask why I did not reject the car and get my money back, which at times I did consider, but their business plan is very crafty as it seems to revolve around once the customer has paid for the car, insured it, maybe taxed it, spent a long time finding the car and realising that returning it will be a faff, and if one reads the return procedure which has clauses in it which might make returning it quite protracted, then they are unlikely to return it. Getting the customer past the 14 day return guarantee would seem to be a beneficial ploy, even though statutorily I have heard you have a month to return it. What even more FAFF.
