Drivers have been left out of pocket after a car dealership went out of business.
Customers have told of their frustration – and hundreds of pounds in debts – after the collapse of S W Valley Motor Company in Hirwaun, Aberdare, in South Wales.
The complaints come as Citroen and parent company Stellantis face mounting pressure and criticism from a consumer group for failing owners of cars embroiled in a nationwide ‘stop-drive’ safety recall.
Some 96,000 UK owners of Citroen C3 and DS3 models produced between 2009 and 2019 were informed at the end of June that their vehicles are unsafe due to faulty airbags that recently caused the death of a driver in France.
On June 20, Stellantis UK issued an urgent stop-drive order for these models, telling owners to park them up until the lethal parts could be replaced – and to seek alternative transport in the meantime.
Among those who have been affected is Trisha Walker, who received a letter from Citroen telling her to no longer drive her car because of the new safety fears.
Rather than be left with no mode of transport, she took out a loan to buy a replacement vehicle online – and opted for an offer by SW Valley Motor Company.
But despite handing over a deposit of £750 for the car valued at £1,495, she has told of being left without despite promises from a representative of the firm a month ago.
Concerns about the closure of SW Motor Company in south Wales follow a recall of Citroen cars following safety fears (stock image of a Citroen C3)
Stop drive: Since June 20, 96,000 UK motorists have been ordered to park up their cars indefinitely until the faulty airbag devices (similar to the one pictured) can be replaced
Ms Walker told ITV News Wales: ‘The following day came and what happened? No car. He said something had come up and he’d delivered it further into the day.
‘I haven’t slept. I’ve gone 26 hours without sleeping because I’m worried about how I’m going to pay the one back. I feel stupid – stupid for trusting people.
‘I’m in debt – one, because of Citroen because we were left stranded as a lot of other people have been left stranded, but also this man has left me further in debt as well.’
Another SW Valley Motor Company client raising concerns after the business’s apparent collapse is Holly Evans, who says she and her partner handed over £2,700 for a car after giving it a test drive.
She told how the vehicle began making a ‘strange noise’ several days later and the garage owner Matthew Peachey agreed to repair it.
Ms Evans said: ‘He took the car and then we never got the car back.
We got the car on June 9, he came and picked it up on the June 16, I think, eventually and we’ve never seen it again.’
She said Mr Peachey had made ‘excuse after excuse’ for why the car had not been returned.
Among those who have been affected is Trisha Walker, who received a letter from Citroen telling her to no longer drive her car because of the new safety fears
Despite handing over a deposit of £750 for the car valued at £1,495, Trisha Walker has told of being left without despite promises from a representative of the firm a month ago
Holly Evans says she and her partner handed over £2,700 for a car from SW Motor Company in Wales after giving it a test drive but have yet to got it back after it needed repairs
The Daily Mail has attempted to contact SW Valley Motor Company for comment. The firm’s listed phone number is currently not in service.
ITV Wales said Mr Peachey had not responded directly to their questions but had told them of having ‘lost his business despite trying every which way to save it’, with ‘spiralling costs’ making it ‘impossible to keep the business going’.
He is also said to have told of having cars being repossessed and he never ‘set out to cause anybody any upset’, the programme reported.
Lisa Webb, consumer law group for advice group Which?, said: ‘There are some limits to what you can actually do in these cases.
‘But if you do end up handing over your money, the best way to pay in these sorts of circumstances is by credit card.
‘If it’s £100 or more that you’re spending, use a credit card because you do have slightly better protections at getting your money back.’
Amid the recent Citroen problem, its parent firm Stellantis last month told affected drivers to immediately stop driving their cars due to the risk of airbags rupturing in a collision.
The manufacturer highlighted potential dangers of metal shards and shrapnel being fired into the bodies of drivers and passengers.
Concerns have been raised by customers using SW Motor Company in Hirwaun, south Wales
The dealership’s registered office is on an industrial estate in Hirwaun, Aberdare, south Wales
Owners were urged to…
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