Clifford the big red car!

Hi All, 

Leaving the office, the clouds were grey and certainly far from partying in the sky above Bedford this afternoon as I jumped out of a work colleagues new car as she dropped me to the car dealership. I thought about the first time I came here and how I missed my little orange Ford Fiesta, Vivienne. Alas that chapter had ended with the haulage truck turning up last week to take her away, sparing me the anguish of seeing her leave whilst I had gone off to get my hair done! 

As I skipped into the dealership I was excited to see my new arrival outside, glinting in the overcast silver sky. The cute little Fiat 500L in red was to be christened "Clifford". He is big. He is red. He is mine. The 1.3 liter, 5-door multijet needed to be moved closer for me to have a proper look around the car and following a visit to meet him on Wednesday of last week I finally got a chance to have a whizz around town. A full panoramic glass roof, touch screen on board computer system, cruise control and even a trusty CD player I was certainly glad of some of the mod-cons. With just over thirty-thousand miles on his 2013 plate clock, it was certainly a steal at £140 per month on a Hire Purchase finance deal. 


But I know what your thinking. With several grand sat in the bank, would it not have been better and more cost effective to put that money towards my new car, whatever it may be? However whilst I have essentially walked away not only unscathed but very-much essentially up on my investment, the money would be of much more use to me not tied up and with easy access should I need it in the future, that and the wedding would be nicely taken care of. Why didn't I consider a brand spanking new motor? The fact is that it would depreciate by over a third just by driving it off the forecourt which is always a huge factor in why I have chosen and will probably continue to choose to buy second-hand over new. 

That being said, my settlement doesn't make me stupid with money as the dealership found out in more ways that one. Following the visit to meet Clifford on Wednesday and our test drive, I was informed that there had been some minor damages on the vehicle and that they would be fixed before collection in a couple of days time, one being the rear brake light was cracked and the other being the front passenger seat belt casing was missing. Assured that the car would be fully checked and valeted as well before Clifford was ready to come home I was taken into the offices of Evans Halshaw Vauxhall in Bedford, offered a hot chocolate and the paperwork to sign and read through. 

However, reading down the page I could see that there was something blatantly obvious that had not been picked up and was potentially a huge issue. The Interest rate. Now cast your mind back to when I initially bought 
Vivienne I did not necessarily know about the best way to get finance on a car. I assumed, and rightly so I would be charged a slight premium for opting to go through the salesman who puts on their percentage, and then through the dealership who puts on their percentage to go to the finance company who, you guessed it, put on their percentage. But I never knew of the horrendous rate I was on until the accident. Nearly. Twenty. Percent. 

I was shocked, to say the least, and when I discovered what I had been paying for the two and a half years nearly I felt stupid. Normally I am so money conscience and always wanting to know if there is a way I can get it or a similar product cheaper or getting the best deal on something, only to be faced with an extortionate interest rate. Now I know that things were different back then and interest rates were higher, however when reading through the paperwork this time I was certain to make sure that the interest rate was no more than the ten-percent advertised by the saleswomen. But now, as I read through the pages and pages it stared be dead in the face. There it was in black and white. 12.9% APR interest rate. I asked why this was different to a few days ago when I initially enquired about the car and was met with a rude response. 

The rotund, grey-haired gentleman told me that it was what it was and it had always been that rate whether I was to borrow five pound or five thousand pounds. 
"Well it is only a three-percent difference, I can't see what the issue is?" He scoffed as I continued reading through, trying to work out my next move while deciphering the technical language and car jargon. 
"This is not was agreed or explained to me," I said boldly as I pushed the paperwork back across the desk. I stood up and thanked the sales lady for showing me the car and stated I would be in touch as the car was not the issue, the interest rate (and the old farts attitude) was. Spinning on my heels I turned and left, hoping they would call me back and offer a more reasonable rate. 

They did not, however arriving back home I had no sooner sunk into the black couch then I had a phone call. It was the finance manager. 
"I am sorry you have had this experience," he explained "I do hope that you will let me rectify this. You see I could essentially give you the car for 0% APR but that would mean I would be in negative commission and wouldn't make any money from the sale, so I am happy to beat the initial offer and settle at 9.9% if you are happy with this?" He continued. I thought long and hard about what he had to say. Time was running out on the hire car and I needed to make some decisions and fast. On agreeing that I was happy to settle at the now reduced rate (not that 0.01% is hardly a huge discount) I explained that considering I could go to a bank or online and get a loan for less than a third of what I was expected to pay, and I was already sensitive about the interest rate since last time I bought a car I was taken for a ride (I would excuse the pun but I love it too much)!

Happy I went along my merry way and was excited to pick up my car in a few days time once the work had been completed on the rear brake light and the front passenger seat belt casing. Although less than twenty-four hours after the APR debacle I had another phone call from the dealership. 
"So the front passenger seat belt casing will not be replaced due to the age of the car (its a 2013 plate car - less than six years old) but also because the part is a couple of hundred quid as the part comes only as a set and goes right the way under the seat." The sales lady explained. Fuming I ended the phone call and wondered what to do next. I had even less time now until my hire car went back and needed something soon. 

After getting some advice from work colleagues who knew the car industry well, I called the general manager of the dealership and asked why this could not be fixed as part and parcel of the works, considering all the issues I have had, and with special thought to the fact that whilst I am buying a used car, this was now a broken car with an issue that was not detailed on the pictures, nor on the information held on the website. Going off to investigate I was prepared to ask for something cheekily to be thrown in if they could not fix it free of charge, however I needn't have put on my boxing gloves, for when the manager called back moments later I was told that this would be done as soon as the part was in and without any cost to myself. 

With no noticeable damage or scratches to the paintwork and after being shown around and how to use him, I bid farewell to the sale lady (although I am certain she was more pleased to see me go) and with that, Clifford's almighty diesel engine steered me homeward bound. I am certainly looking forward to more adventures together, and hopefully even sharing it as Mr Warehouse and I expand our family in the future. Road trips, holidays and sneaky trips to the shops, I will be sure that Clifford and I will be riding high!

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx 

Spending Time and Saving Money!

Good Evening, 

What. A. Week! With several colleagues off on annual leave for their holibobs, and virtually skeleton-management in the office for the majority of the week it was certainly one for the books, not to mention a couple of engineers taking leave and a handful of sick-days. Yes, my week as the service desk manager (sort of, not really) was eventful to say the least. I shall not go into the in's-and-out's of what the week entailed fully and what customer issues I dealt with (fairly well all things considered) but I will certainly hand out credit where credit is due and my engineers were amazing and so helpful and understanding. I couldn't ask for a more helpful and lovely bunch of guys! I think I handles things well, although I am slightly less reluctant to share now that my work friends have come back from their travels. 

One thing I certainly don't have to hand over to anyone is the household chores. Oh and sometimes I wish I did. Now Mr. Warehouse is great at getting the housework done and in all fairness there is very little I have to do at home apart from the things I enjoy such as baking, cooking dinner for us both, Tidying up, Taking out the rubbish, feeding the dog and taking her for walks (most of the time anyway) and making packed lunches. However these limited amount of tasks I take on through the general household running is added onto my long list of things to keep in check, such as meter readings every few weeks, checking and comparing the prices of our monthly outgoings including TV, Broadband, Gas, Electricity and Water. It is my job to make sure that we are paying the right amount as well as any debts that are accrued over a period of time and make sure that they are settled in good time. I am also the one to negotiate the bills when they become slightly too high. 

Now this is something that some people, especially in Britain, may think of as quite controversial even in many circumstances be considered as rude. That's right, we are talking about the good old fashioned art of haggling. Now I fully understand that we are not standing in the middle of a market in Marrakech, arguing the toss over whether that handbag costs two goats or four. Nevertheless I feel that those that do not have off with any company that provides them a service deserves to be punished by paying so much for something I can get for so little. In Britain it feels like we are ingrained to believe that the price on the sticker is the price that you should pay, and whilst in many circumstances especially with retail and on High Street it is not common practise it is not to say that I have not tried my dab-hand at asking for a discount in stores. 

I am more likely than not to ask for a discount over the phone as I did this week with my car insurance provider. Keeping the conversation short and light I was able to get a discount of around £300.00 of my car insurance premium for this year which has certainly made me better off this year round, even with my no claims discount not fully intact. I started the conversation with the gentleman I spoke to asking him how his day was and politely explaining to him that I have received my renewal quote and after talking with some other insurance providers that they were able to match the same policy I was one and was coming in substantially cheaper than my current insurer. I followed up by asked him if there is anything he could do in terms of a discount as I did not want the hassle of moving provider. After checking through my details and making sure that nothing has drastically changed since last year, he was able to provide me the same level of service with ten-months cover including vehicle legal cover for myself and all passengers in my car as well as the courtesy car, should anything go wrong. After all discounts and reductions put onto my account I was still left paying less than I did last year and that was even with the crash I had in January and claim on my insurance. 

I was thrilled and after a phone call that lasting less than twenty-minutes I was able to save myself nearly enough for a small holiday. But alas this is not the first time as I am forever calling up and checking with insurance providers, or utility companies that I am on their cheapest tariff and paying as little as possible. My top tips for haggling is don't be afraid. What is the worst they could say - No?!

Male or female, flirting doesn't hurt or simply being friendly. Despite what you think they are a human being at the other end of the phone so have fun with it and ask them how their day is or what they were up to at the weekend. These are all ice-breakers and help the call-handler to see you as a nice person who just wants to cut back a bit. Lets be honest everyone is trying to cut back most of the time and explaining that you are saving for a holiday of a lifetime or a big old family Christmas are always plausible excuses for why you need to cut down on your outgoings and will again help in building the rapport with the call handler. Being rude will get you no-where and more likely than not will make the person on the other end of the phone want to cut off your service, not decrease its value. 

Explain that you have done your research and looked into other providers that are able to give you the same service or better. In most circumstances the call operator will ask you what prices you have been quoted from competitors. Be honest and explain to them that you have seen quotes online and through other providers for between 10% and 25% less than your current provider. Do not bite off more than you can chew and lie about the extreme values that you will be able to save by shopping elsewhere as the call handler may well ask you to suck it!

Stress the importance to you that you do not want to leave and that you have been a customer with the company for some time, assuming you have for example. Everyone can relate to how stressful it is trying to move providers even if it is something as simple as car insurance. By explaining that you are willing to take your custom elsewhere the company will be more likely to at least match the "offers" you have seen elsewhere and may even better it. All in all, hopefully the call operator will see that your loyalty to the company and lack of funds will encourage them to help a brother out! 

Don't worry because if you are not able to get a discount or what you want financially in terms of a reduction, get them to throw something in for no extra cost such as upgrade on TV package, phone extras such as more minutes or data or maybe even free breakdown cover! Again stay polite. It is not in my remit to give you a reduction or discount on your bill just because you have asked for one. A corporation or company is out to make money from their customers and you asking for discount means there is less after profit margin that the shareholders can use to go on holiday to Marbella next year! Don't get upset or angry if they refuse you want your asking them for - Remember you are essentially asking the company for favour and to reward your loyalty. 

Lastly, there are two ways that the conversation with the Company could end. Lets start with the happy ending that you wanted - You got it cheaper! Well done. Hard work is essentially over and you can look forward to the many months of savings that you may incur as a result of what could have been quite a quick phone call or Internet chat. But don't enjoy it too much just make sure to remind yourself when the deal or offer runs out so you can call the company back and ask for further discounts for reductions to keep your bill low. 

The other side of the coin is the Not-So glamorous ending of "nope". If the call operator utters those fateful words "If you can get it that cheaper elsewhere then should you like me to put you through to disconnections / the cancellation team?" Don't Panic! Usually this part of the play means that you will be put through to what is internally known as customer retention's. Basically put, these are the people that have real bargaining tools in order to keep you as a customer. And if all else fails and they still can't help you with what you are looking for in terms of a discount, reduced bill or freebie then a simple one-liner is all you need. Explaining to the customer retention's call operator that you just need to check with your husband, wife or partner that it is OK to cancel the services. Again finish politely and thank them for their help. 

Now please don't expect this to work miracles as it is only used as a mechanism in order to afford some of life's smaller luxuries. Instead of paying through the nose for life's necessities ask for something back in return. How many of you are sat at home with the same old providers of bank accounts, home insurance, TV and other products that you have never thought of calling and haggling down the price for. Go on, I encourage you to go fourth and save pennies ... 

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx