Not upheld: unfair cancellation charges complaint against Bowater Price Ltd trading as vehicleflex

Decision detail

Summary

Mr D complained about a £750 cancellation charge imposed by vehicleflex when he cancelled a car order shortly before the confirmed delivery date in December 2025. Vehicleflex justified the charge as covering work undertaken including sourcing, quotations, finance processing, administration, and delivery arrangements, plus third-party costs. Mr D argued the charge was excessive and not fully evidenced. The ombudsman found the charge was contractually permitted, commercially plausible, and proportionate to work undertaken, and therefore did not uphold the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that the agreement provided a clear contractual basis for applying cancellation costs. While not every element was supported by detailed invoices, the ombudsman considered it unreasonable to expect minute-by-minute accounts of administrative work over several months. Given the stage the order had reached when cancelled (very close to confirmed delivery date), the ombudsman found the £750 charge commercially plausible and proportionate to actual work undertaken and third-party costs incurred. The previous delivery delay did not entitle Mr D to avoid cancellation costs as he had not complained about it before continuing with the order.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website