Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Shady and Uresponsive Dealer

So the buying experience with these people was dreadful. Sales pitch was deliberately misleading; and once they had me by the balls, the tone changed and the games began. My enthusiasm was met with incredibly petty and deceptive sales practices, including elusive pricing/terms and numerous misrepresentations. I have it all in writing.

Finally after nearly seven months of delays, a clearly used “new” car was unceremoniously delivered with inexplicably high delivery mileage and a string of defects. We know not every Morgan is necessarily perfect out of the box, but when things do go wrong you would expect at least some concern and sincerity from the dealer you’ve entrusted with your $60000. But no, nothing. Not even a pro-forma apology, let alone any gesture of goodwill. What I did get was lame excuses and a promise to rectify to my satisfaction at the earliest opportunity, which was good enough for me to accept delivery at the time. In hindsight that was probably a mistake.

Only eight months and 2000 miles later, the car is out of commission. Most recently a bushing came off the rack and ripped the boot in two on the passenger side. It wouldn’t surprise me if it had already dislodged by the time I picked up the car. There had been a sharp pull to the right from day one, and for some reason the problems with the car seem to be focused on that side.

Meanwhile the car is useless as the clock ticks on the weather and the warranty. It’s now been a freaking month since I’ve asked to bring the car in. Three days later came an apology for the delay with a promise they’d reply the next day. But the green light never came.

After waiting patiently another couple weeks, I reached out to them again, this time expressing my hope for a fresh start together, and optimism that all the “niggles” could be managed. I did ask if they were aware of any storage or transport damage/incidents that may account at least in part for some of the more (unusual) problems, particularly on that side. It’s been over a week, still no answer. Before they had my money they would often respond within minutes. Funny how that works.

I have been extremely patient from the start, and did what I could to make it work; not least by looking past the questionable ethics and rectifying some of the (numerous) faults on my end. Perhaps so cordial and patient that the dealer now feels free to abuse my patience like some kind of sucker. In fact it almost seems like they’re trying to run out the clock on the lemon law without realizing that either way I have the wherewithal to sue the f*ck out of them in civil court to relieve my frustration, no matter what it costs. I really hope they don’t give me a reason the next time we talk, because after being ignored for a month as my unreasonably expensive “brand new” tricycle is going to sh*t, I’m on a hair trigger. Everything wrong with the car will be fixed one way or another.

Anyway, do I have any alternatives for warranty work? I mean the damage from their shoddy prep work and inexplicable “test driving” (of my brand new factory-ordered/tested car, supposedly shipped door to door in an individual container) isn’t exactly reassuring. I’ve learned they’ve been sued at least twice before, and reviews suggest they can’t be trusted to honor the warranty. Any help/guidance, or just moral support would be very much appreciated.

Thanks very much

Good luck Luca in sorting this out. I get the impression that the factory does not give huge warranty support to dealers which makes them shy to take on warranty work. For example I had cracked fuel tank mounts that were only diagnosed just after the warranty had expired... on the other hand, the 3rd party fix was likely much better than a Morgan replacement fuel tank! So most owners grit their teeth and pay for the fixes, or are spanner-handy and treat the car as a project ...

Thanks, Paul. I appreciate what you're saying, but I handed over a huge pile of cash for a brand new car with a 30000 mile warranty; not a project with (indefensible) problems on day one, and basic parts going south 2000 miles in. If they're not happy taking on warranty work, they shouldn't be selling the cars at all, let alone knowingly delivering cars with defects.. It's astonishing to me that there are so many people willing to give them a pass at this price point, especially considering you don't really get all that much car for your money, if we're honest. "Fine British craftsmanship" aside, the least you should expect from a 110-year old "institution" is that they'll stand behind their products.

Anyway, I was promised at delivery and soon after in writing that it would all be rectified to my satisfaction. I won't be the one gritting my teeth no matter what. At most I'll allow them to remain evasive about how exactly the car was shipped, why they decided to tamper with the hardware and upholstery, how the ceramic coating was badly scratched, why there was dirt and grease all over the frame and suspension, why the windshield was scratched and pitted, or why they needed to extensively "test drive" a factory ordered car supposedly shipped directly by individual container at exorbitant cost (story for another day). I could go on.

I wouldn't be nearly as annoyed if someone had just apologized and been sincere about making it right. But I get the impression these people have no respect for their customers and can't be bothered. They told me what I wanted to hear to sell the car and blew smoke up my backside at delivery, but now that it's time to make good, they've gone radio silent. There's still hope they will sort it as agreed and spelled out in the warranty (which incidentally is part of the purchase price), but if it ultimately becomes a matter of principle, I can make a lot of noise. At that point I'll spend anything to make it painful and at the end of the day, they'll have to fix the car. That's what they're there for, for God's sake.

Luca, I don't even know where to start with this but, unfortunately, it sounds very familiar....
Here is a thread I posted years ago to a wounded M3W owner reflecting on my experience with Morgan and my new 4/4
I hope it helps
http://www.talkmorgan.com/ubbthread...-hastily-put-together-kit-car#Post130958

Thanks for that, OZ, the entire thread looks valuable. I think your six points of advice are spot on, especially in light of my own situation. I already had in mind to get it professionally inspected to determine if legal expectations were met and what, if anything, they're hiding from me. I don't understand why they would want to push me in that direction when getting it up to par seems pretty routine. Why risk setting someone off when it's obvious they're on the hook for the work and will have to do it one way or another? Doesn't seem to make sense, unless some degree of attrition is built into their business model.

"I suggest Morgan may need to consider that a new client can become their best customer (and advertisement) OR their worst nightmare and it doesn't take much to push it either way."

This is an incredibly important comment and I hope Morgan is listening. I can tell you that in spite of everything, I had my eyes set on Plus Four before whatever little trust remained was finally eroded by the insensitivity to the issues I've had with this product. How hard is it to apologize, take responsibility in an open and honest way, and make it right? I knew these cars could be problematic, but I was assured that this time quality would be "better than ever" (that's a quote) and in line with expectations made clear in advance. Yet six months later it was basically "Oh well, your car seems to have lots of defects and some very nasty rattles we just cant explain, but trust us, most don't. That's just the breaks, kid. But no worries, we've made room for you in the shop and will fix everything on a priority basis. Just don't ask too many questions, thanks."

And now it's just crickets. Never thought I would be waiting around like an imbecile for the Morgan dealer to honor me with its attention. This whole thing is a drag. If the next thing out of their camp isn't a couple lines with an apology for the delay, reassurances they will rectify per factory standards or better, and a date; I will have to get serious No other choice because they're the only game in town. With the monstrous premium on what is ultimately a very primitive apparatus, we should all stop putting up with this sh*t. Isn't the draw supposedly fine craftsmanship, attention to detail, modern performance and reliability, and excellent service and camaraderie as part of "the Morgan experience"? “Isn’t it a beautiful piece of goods?”

Luca, in which Country did you purchase your M3W?

Important question....

Or just name the dealer.......

_1. The more that is known about unreputable dealer the better it is for us all.

Yes, because the Lemon Law may be relevant