UK refunds following cancellation

[Kingslim]

Good luck getting your deposit back. It seems likely that a group of us will need to appoint lawyers after New Year, I'm getting knowhere with CC. I'm hoping direct contact with Matt Windle will help.

 

[SuperBusa]

Good luck getting your deposit back. It seems likely that a group of us will need to appoint lawyers after New Year, I'm getting knowhere with CC. I'm hoping direct contact with Matt Windle will help.

Thanks for posting this, if it's getting that much of a problem then getting a group together sounds a great idea. I have had my own problems with Lotus, now resolved. I'll post the story at some point soon, but it makes shocking reading.

 

[Boombang]

I'm waiting, albeit only 8 days in. Lotus have been less than helpful dealing with it though and I cannot get a formal response or timescale for refund.

 

[digilotus]

I'm waiting, albeit only 8 days in. Lotus have been less than helpful dealing with it though and I cannot get a formal response or timescale for refund.

Maybe they’re hoping to defer refunds to the new calendar year to make their internal 2022 stats look better?

 

[Tonyshepp]

If any of you used a credit card for the deposit and aren't making traction with Lotus raise a section 75 case with the credit card provider, you'll need to provide details on how you have made efforts to make Lotus provide the money back. Section 75, even with a £100 deposit, ensures that the credit card company is jointly liable with the provider of the goods up to £30k. Or if you paid a debit card deposit a small claims court case will bring some leverage for them to quickly refund the money. I'd leave it 15-20 working days and then chase if no refund recieved.

 

[Kingslim]

If any of you used a credit card for the deposit and aren't making traction with Lotus raise a section 75 case with the credit card provider, you'll need to provide details on how you have made efforts to make Lotus provide the money back. Section 75, even with a £100 deposit, ensures that the credit card company is jointly liable with the provider of the goods up to £30k. Or if you paid a debit card deposit a small claims court case will bring some leverage for them to quickly refund the money. I'd leave it 15-20 working days and then chase if no refund recieved.

There's a bunch of us that have a specific issue that the cards/accounts we used to pay the deposit no longer exist - in my case because the card issuer ended their arrangement with the card service company. Lotus could simply refund to a different account following whatever ID/compliance checks they need but that so far seems to be beyond them. Its not like it's an unforeseable eventuality when you are holding refundable deposits for this length of time.

 

[TomE]

My discussion with Lotus last week suggested they had a one week backlog on refunds, so paying out within 21 days rather than the usual 14. I know they have customer care staff working all this week and between Christmas and New Year.

 

[Kentviking]

If any of you used a credit card for the deposit and aren't making traction with Lotus raise a section 75 case with the credit card provider, you'll need to provide details on how you have made efforts to make Lotus provide the money back. Section 75, even with a £100 deposit, ensures that the credit card company is jointly liable with the provider of the goods up to £30k. Or if you paid a debit card deposit a small claims court case will bring some leverage for them to quickly refund the money. I'd leave it 15-20 working days and then chase if no refund recieved.

I don't know if there are any lawyers on here...or if English law has changed from c10 years ago...but I had an issue with a several grand deposit on a summer house on my credit card. I even got parent company guarantee on the design/build company in case of any issues. But both summer house provider and its parent went bust in the 2008 crisis, and I was rejected my credit card reclaim as it was a "deposit" on a total purchase item of greater than £30k value...not a seperatable bill for materials / design etc...buyer beware etc.

 

[Leonard]

Just received my deposit back. Well within the 14 days (thank you Lotus)
Just in case anyone was still worrying

 

[GJH]

If you continue to have difficulty getting your reservation fees returned then a cheap and quick way to apply leverage is to send Lotus a statutory demand for the £4k.

You can draft one yourself (just Google it) and it is not a court process so you are not at the mercy of our appalling civil service.

The reason they often work is that if the money is not paid within 21 days it is prima facie evidence that the company is bust, which means you can apply to wind it up (which would mean using the courts but is quick and cheap). No serious company can risk that as just a winding up petition being filed is very likely to be a default under its debt, which is potentially a disaster.

Mind you, as Lotus just sent out a brand new car where BOTH of its seatbelts failed, I am not sure Lotus is a serious company.

 

[Wake]

That seems like quite an extreme approach though. Most people seem to be getting their refunds back unless there is a complication with different bank accounts etc.

Don’t really agree with the jibe at the civil service either. Yes they can be frustrating but we have a pretty effective civil service it’s just hamstrung by external factors and used as a scapegoat for things going wrong.

 

[GJH]

That seems like quite an extreme approach though. Most people seem to be getting their refunds back unless there is a complication with different bank accounts etc.

Don’t really agree with the jibe at the civil service either. Yes they can be frustrating but we have a pretty effective civil service it’s just hamstrung by external factors and used as a scapegoat for things going wrong.

Well, the poster asked for a solution and stat demands are an effective one. Asking for your money back does not seem in the slightest extreme to me.

And my comment on the civil service is from direct experience of it (as a lawyer). You may have a different experience.

 

[Boombang]

Today I received another email from Lotus Customer Care, once again confirming my cancellation - Called them up to be told it was sent in error and (after checking the refund spreadsheet!) they confirmed the below:

• I cancelled 12th December
• Lotus confirmed the cancellation back to me on 21st
• 23rd Customer Care passed to Finance
• I should expect my refund up to 14 business days from 23rd December, taking me right up to 16th Jan.

All this is up against my original £2k deposit being fully refundable within 14 days of asking. If they hadn't cocked this all up so much I'd probably still be sitting here waiting, the email today especially irritating me.

Lotus Cars Limited are FCA regulated so the FCA complaints process and Financial Ombudsman Service applies - although the timescales to sort this out should mean FOS isn't required.
I've gone down the formal complaint route to get this started and have set my expectations to Lotus CC that they refund me immediately.

 

[Tonyshepp]

I think the majority of lotus are off till the 3rd Jan. that’s what I was told when I rang up today to get validation on my build, I,E what it is I’m buying as the build spreads is correct but the confirmation link is wrong. Was told they are all vack on 3rd.

 

[Kingslim]

Today I received another email from Lotus Customer Care, once again confirming my cancellation - Called them up to be told it was sent in error and (after checking the refund spreadsheet!) they confirmed the below:

• I cancelled 12th December
• Lotus confirmed the cancellation back to me on 21st
• 23rd Customer Care passed to Finance
• I should expect my refund up to 14 business days from 23rd December, taking me right up to 16th Jan.

All this is up against my original £2k deposit being fully refundable within 14 days of asking. If they hadn't cocked this all up so much I'd probably still be sitting here waiting, the email today especially irritating me.

Lotus Cars Limited are FCA regulated so the FCA complaints process and Financial Ombudsman Service applies - although the timescales to sort this out should mean FOS isn't required.
I've gone down the formal complaint route to get this started and have set my expectations to Lotus CC that they refund me immediately.

I e-mailed a very polite complaint to Matt Windle direct and got a call from Fraser Gillespie shortly afterwards, deposit money in my bank account that pm.

 

[Boombang]

Deposit has been returned. Don't feel good at all but relived to have sorted it and now need to try to get it back from the card company.

 

[implus]

How soon did Lotus CC acknowledge your cancellation email guys?

 

[Madog30]

I am one of those that has decided to go down another route for my mid-engined, 6 cylinder, manual transmission fix but just wanted to give my experience of the Lotus refund service.

Within two weeks of sending my email I have had the full £5K returned, a different experience to others.

For those on the Emira journey I hope that you have a blast! Maybe I'll set an Autotrader/Pistonheads alert in 12 months' time............

 

[Tonyshepp]

I am one of those that has decided to go down another route for my mid-engined, 6 cylinder, manual transmission fix but just wanted to give my experience of the Lotus refund service.

Within two weeks of sending my email I have had the full £5K returned, a different experience to others.

For those on the Emira journey I hope that you have a blast! Maybe I'll set an Autotrader/Pistonheads alert in 12 months' time............

Did you get an acknowledgment email from Lotus that you had cancelled?

 

[695 to Emira]

Another with a prompt deposit return here. Replied to one of the generic update emails in the Christmas holiday to cancel , rang in the new year to make sure they had got it and it was credited to my account in 14 days without chasing. And that was with a bit of a backlog. So at least that part was good.