Volvo XC60 lease car: transmission issue

[Omer Abbasi]

Hello

I have an ongoing issue with Mill Garages North East Limited who are a franchise dealership for Volvo. I ordered an XC60 online by requesting a quotation for an automatic petrol. Once I received this I then requested a comparison quote (clearly stating in my email same specs etc. just a diesel) and was provided with documentation for the automatic car. As the different was less than 10 pounds I decided to order the diesel version and was told it would be approximately 2 months wait.
2 months later: The car was delivered last Thursday and I noticed it was a manual. I did not sign for the delivery as this was not the car I wanted. the dealership got in touch and state it was miscommunication on their party although the documents they sent were for a manual which i had signed and returned. I asked if the documents stated it was a manual (in which case i would have spotted it) and they have confirmed they would only confirm if transmission was auto and there no specific entry for a manual car.
I now have two options (according to dealer):
1. keep car
2. order new car with new prices
where do i legally stand with this? i still want the car but do not want to pay the extortionate prices. the dealer has found me another car around same amount which is petrol but i would have to wait till June for delivery. i am thinking of borrowing my father in laws spare car (embarrassing) but surely the cost of insurance should be on the dealer as this is consequential loss of their action? (insurance would only be around £200 or so.
any advice is appreciated.

[Stuart Masson]

Hi Omer. It’s a difficult one. On one hand, you signed an order form without questioning the transmission, so you have an element of responsibility.

However, if you have a paper trail leading up to the order which clearly shows that you were looking for a car with automatic transmission, you may have a case to put to the dealer and to Volvo UK that they should honour the quotation.

I would have thought that your chances of forcing the dealer to supply an automatic car at the manual price are slim. Certainly, you should be able to lean on them to provide some form of compensation for your inconvenience, but that’s a goodwill gesture rather than an obligation.

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