Not upheld: Service failures generally complaint against Volvo Car UK Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr P complained that Volvo Car UK Limited (VCUK) should not have agreed to collect his car when they ought to have known that private plates could not be transferred before collection. When Mr P called VCUK on 5 August 2025 to arrange collection and ask about plate removal, the agent explained plates would need to be removed but said he didn't know the transfer process and arranged for the relevant team to contact him. VCUK provided detailed information via email on 7 August 2025 explaining the process could take up to six weeks. The ombudsman found VCUK had not done anything wrong, as they provided accurate information within a reasonable timeframe and Mr P should have delayed booking collection until receiving this information or checking with the DVLA himself.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that VCUK's agent was not unreasonable in not knowing the plate transfer process and appropriately arranged for specialist information to be provided. The email with accurate information was provided within a reasonable timeframe (two days). Mr P should have reasonably delayed booking collection until receiving the email or checking with the DVLA himself, given that he knew the DVLA was involved when the plates were first allocated.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website