Forces Cars Direct Arvostelua 

I paid Forces Cars Direct (also trading as Motor Source Group) over £56,000 for a brand-new Audi Q5 Vorsprung. I chose them because of the discounts they advertise for Blue Light workers and former service personnel like myself, believing they genuinely supported those communities. Unfortunately, my experience has been extremely disappointing.

My main concern is FCD's business model. I paid Forces Cars Direct my deposit, fees and the full purchase price, yet the car was supplied through Audi UK as a business-to-business fleet sale via JCT600 Audi Lincoln. This was never explained before purchase. As a result, Audi UK treated me as a fleet customer rather than a retail customer, refused to deal with me directly and directed everything through JCT600. This significantly affected the support I received and would do for the lifespan of the car. It is also a legal requirement in the UK to conform customers if they are being sold a fleet car. I was not told this and the level of confusion and stress this has added is huge. NB: EMAILS FROM AUDI CONFIRMING THIS.

I paid Forces Cars Direct directly, making them the retailer responsible under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. This has been confirmed by my solicitor, Trading Standards, The Motor Ombudsman and Audi UK. Despite this, FCD repeatedly insisted my contract was with JCT600 and Audi UK and refused to take accountability.

I would advise anyone considering buying through FCD to establish exactly who their contract is with, whether the vehicle is being supplied as a fleet sale and how this may affect manufacturer support and consumer rights. Trust me, you do not want to go through what I have had to.

The vehicle arrived with serious defects. The bumpers, sills and wheel arches were visibly different in colour from the body despite me paying over £1,000 extra for an optional full-body paint finish. It also had a faulty wireless charger, scratched interior trim and the advertised electric steering column was missing.

I refused to take delivery, but after unsuccessful discussions between FCD and JCT600 by phone, the driver was instructed to leave the car at the roadside with the keys on the seat and no formal handover, making it ‘my problem’.

Both my partner and I are registered disabled, something FCD knew because the vehicle was taxed in the disabled class. Despite this, no practical support or empathy was shown.

Over the following 14 weeks I experienced repeated communication delays, poor handling and continual by JCT600, despite having no contract with them, FCD directed me to them as their 'agents'. My requests for a replacement vehicle were ignored. I also had to make six two-hour round trips to my local Audi dealer, incurring fuel costs, lost earnings and significant inconvenience.

FCD's CEO stated in an email he would not intervene and told me to deal directly with Audi through an unexplained "process". FCD have not contacted me since May 29th.

The vehicle has since been repainted and some faults corrected, but it is not in the factory condition I paid for.

To date:
• I have not been refunded for the optional factory paint finish.
• My fuel costs, mileage and lost earnings have not been reimbursed.
• The wireless charger remains faulty.
• Apart from a £500 goodwill payment (I declined) from Audi UK, no meaningful compensation has been offered.
• FCD have made no attempt to discuss a resolution or check whether the issues have been resolved.

They have since challenged a chargeback from my bank, for their service charge (£195), for ordering a vehicle of a certain specification, which they failed to do. A show of disrespect to their customer.

Throughout this process I have remained polite and reasonable, retaining emails, photographs, videos and call recordings documenting every stage. I have given FCD and JCT600 over 14 weeks to resolve matters with clear indicators of what was required before leaving this review. JCT pushed back onto Audi UK, FCD did nothing but were aware of everything.

Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Forces Cars Direct. They have shown little accountability, poor customer care and an unwillingness to accept the legal responsibilities that come with taking payment directly from customers. My experience suggests that if things go wrong, you may be left to resolve them yourself. Other companies who operate similar schemes do things different, the customer pays the dealership that supply the vehicle, establishing a clear sales contract.

I purchased a brand-new Audi Q5 in good faith. Unfortunately, I did not receive one nor have I been compensated for it.

I will update this review as matters progress detailing the final outcome. Today I received an email from the CEO bypassing my concerns and dictating to me without accountability.

I asked my veterans mentor where is the best place for me to buy a car or lease one he said forces car sales .
You were very slow at the begining I rang but I was not quite sure what I wanted . I was told to look at a few cars and then ring back . I did I was told someone would ring waited two weeks and nothing !!! I rang back and from that call it moved fast . I never gave up . And neither did you there and thank you .

Dave supported me from start to finish and thanks to his patience, I purchased my new car via forces direct. Fantastic company and staff.

Extremely helpful and very informative friendly polite and answered all of my questions

Good price, very helpful

We recently ordered another car from Forces Cars Direct, having also used them seven years ago. Once again, we dealt with Lewis, who was just as helpful and professional as we remembered.
There was absolutely no pressure when choosing our new car, and Lewis took the time to answer all our questions and help us find the right option. We also couldn't find a cheaper price anywhere else, which made the decision even easier.
We're very happy with the service we've received once again and are now looking forward to receiving our new car in four months' time. We'd happily recommend Forces Cars Direct to anyone looking for a hassle-free car buying experience.

So far I have only got to the stage of ordering the car but the team at Forces Car Direct have been very clear on the process and encouraged me to be thorough to ensure I have ordered the car I want. Their candidness is probably what encouraged me to go ahead with the purchase

Service was simple, clear and straightforward. Staff were polite and proffessional.

Responsive, easy to work with, discounts can't be matched

This is our second purchase through Forces Cars. Everything is made so easy and straightforward and Julian is so personable. We cannot speak more highly of this company.

The process of speaking to customer service was easy and straight forward and the process of ordering a car was clear and easy. Best of all was the discount given, not matched by any other supplier.

Provided all that I wanted in knowledge, courtesy & friendliness

So far, the order process has been flawless, with excellent communication between myself and Lewis the sales contact.
The order for the vehicle has now been placed and I am told that I will be contacted by Claire and kept up to date by her on the progress of my order up to the point of collection of the vehicle. I look forward to receiving these updates when they occur.

Lewis made the whole process hassle free.

Very responsive to emails would definitely recommend using Forces Cars Direct

Very knowledgeable staff and quick service without being overbearing. Process to order vehicle was simple and advice/options of part exchange was explained.

Professional and efficient. Made it easy.

I approached FCD with some trepidation asI have never, and didn’t envisage ever buying a car online and was pleasantly surprised at how friendly and efficient this whole process was. The sales advisor, Lewis was helpful and professional throughout without being “pushy” so at no point did I feel pressured. We are at a very early stage of the process but what I’ve experienced so far bodes well for what’s to come, i.e. vehicle delivery and collection.

Generally good but won’t honour the delivery to your door. I will have to travel 350 miles to collect my new car.