The Curious Clapped Out Car Con!

This week, we finally got the internet installed at the villa; yes, it really has taken this long. To be honest, I am still hot spotting off my phone, because the connection is bloody terrible. I had been warned just how bad NBN broadband is here in Australia, but I didn't actually know that for sure, until we had a live connection (When it works) - it's bad, very bad! It reminds me of the internet in the UK back in the mid-nineties, and it is unlikely to get any better. Australia is a large country, so connecting every corner of this continent is just not going to happen anytime soon. This is one of my pet hates as I settle in to my new life, and it is one of many that continue to niggle me as I get to know this country inside out!

On Wednesday, Darrell finally took possession of his car, after nearly a week of ongoing repairs, from the garage where he purchased it. I hadn't actually seen the vehicle up to this point, and I wasn't sure just how much $5300 would buy you in Western Australia, but I don't mind telling you, I was gobsmacked at the state of it. In Britain, this car would have been scrapped; it really just isn't fit for purpose.

The Honda Accord is about twenty years old; it is covered in dents, dings and scratches and looks extremely worn out. It has over 250,000 kilometres on the clock and the paint is peeling all over the car. This isn't unusual for Australia, since the sun is so intense and obliterates everything in its wake, but it was still a shock, seeing just what you can buy for the money.

Darrell had also asked for different things to be fixed by the car yard who sold him the vehicle, so when he took possession, he expected it to be drivable; nothing could be further from the truth.

The steering was defective, the central locking faulty, and you are unable to see out the front passenger window. As if that wasn't bad enough, the passenger door can not be opened at all, making the car unroadworthy and dangerous. According to Darrell, there are also many other faults; like me, he is as angry as hell that this piece of rubbish was being sold in the first place.

The car market in Australia, like the housing market, is in a mess, and all because of COVID. With fewer cars being imported over the last few years due to the pandemic, people bought second hand cars, pushing prices upwards. This has left a large amount of 'clapped out' vehicles at the bottom of the market available for sale, that would have otherwise been scrapped. Unscrupulous car salesmen are selling them at highly inflated prices to desperate people, who need a car, and just can't get one anywhere else; Darrell just happened to be one of those unsuspecting people, and he was taken for a complete fool.

Luckily he hasn't signed a contract, but we are both unsure of his rights, since there is very little protection in Western Australia for someone who has bought a 'wreck!' Currently, his bank is trying to retrieve the money and if that fails, he will lodge a complaint with the WA Consumer Complaints Department, who will investigate the matter further.

I have my doubts that anything will get done, and worst case scenario we could lose the money and car. There are so many things about this country that makes my blood boil, and the protection of consumer rights is one of them. Both Darrell and I can ill afford to lose that kind of money, especially after everything we have paid for recently, and I have said he will not be buying a second hand car again. If we do recover any of the cash, it will be used as a deposit on a new car. With car values increasing, I feel sure this is the only course of action we can take. Cars at the bottom of the market are just too risky.

This seems to be a common problem across the country at the moment. Complaints have gone up by 730% over five years in WA alone, and it is important, anyone considering buying a vehicle, thinks carefully before parting with their hard-earned money. Knee-jerk reactions from desperate people are likely to end in tears, as we know to our cost

Only time will tell whether we get our money back, and I am still flabbergasted that a so-called first world country treats its citizens this way. There needs to be more protection in place to help people who have lost thousands of pounds to underhand, crooked car salesmen; until then people need to vote with their feet, literally, and walk or get public transport. I don't have a problem with walking, and nor should anyone else.  It will take a long time to break the car culture in Australia, but if anything will, it's the state of the used car market. Mark my words, if we lose a single dollar over this, I will take them to court; I won't stop until we have every cent returned!

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