Customers 'lose thousands' in Derby car dealership flood

A woman has said she believes she will be £25,000 to £30,000 out of pocket after her car was written off in flooding while it was being repaired at a Derby car dealership.

Inchcape's Jaguar Land Rover garage in Chequers Road flooded during Storm Babet in October.

Car owners were told to claim on their own insurance for damage to vehicles.

Inchcape said it was "sorry for the disruption and inconvenience caused by the flooding".

Jaguar Land Rover said it was doing "everything we can to support" its clients "during this difficult time".

The dealership on Derby's old cattle market remains closed and Jaguar Land Rover said it was working to return the showroom and service centre to normal.

Karen Chambers, Kevin Caley, and Bob Sturzaker were all told their cars were written off by Inchcape after the flooding.

Mrs Chambers, of Bestwood, in Nottinghamshire, bought her 2015 Range Rover Autobiography in 2017 as a vehicle to take her and her husband into retirement.

She said she found out about the flooding at the dealership on 21 October when her friend posted about it on Facebook the next day.

"I nearly had a heart attack," she said.

Mrs Chambers said she "cannot be without a car" otherwise her disabled husband would be housebound.

She also has to drive to work as she does antisocial shifts and said she spent £600 on hire cars before Inchcape provided a courtesy car three weeks later.

Mrs Chambers added she has not had "a huge pay out from the insurance company" due to her car's age and high mileage.

She said: "I think they have been very fair, but it won't cover buying another decent car that is going to take me through retirement.

"I think including the insurance hikes, cost of hire cars, by the time everything is done, including having to buy another car, I'm going to be in the region of £25,000 to £30,000 out of pocket.

"Now I am back into paying off loan repayments. I retire in six years. I will be working full-time until I am 67 now - I have no choice."

She said the only responses she had from Inchcape and Jaguar Land Rover were telling her to contact her own insurer, to tell them her car had been involved in an incident.

"It has been unbelievably disappointing," said Mrs Chambers.

Kevin Caley's five-year-old Jaguar I-PACE electric car was in for a battery replacement under warranty.

He said he was told by Inchcape his car was up a ramp, clear of the water, but the battery was on the floor when it flooded.

"They said the battery was under water and therefore it wasn't worth repairing the car," he said.

"But from my point of view, the battery was either my old one, which was scrapped, or a new one, which they hadn't fitted, so still part of their stock."

He said he had bought another car and was waiting to hear from his insurance how much he would get for his I-PACE.

Mr Caley, of Ashby de la Zouch in Leicestershire, said: "It is not our fault. It's so frustrating.

"I feel very let down. They should have looked after us and told us 'it's going to take a few months, but we will sort it out, we will look after you', but they've done nothing."

Mr Sturzaker, from Belper in Derbyshire, said he dropped his car off for repair just over one week before the flood, and was not offered a courtesy car after the flooding.

He said his offer from his insurance company was considerably less than he deemed his car was worth.

He added: "I am probably £4,000 to £5,000 out of pocket, and the inconvenience.

"It will affect my insurance premium as well. I think the most disappointing thing is Inchcape don't seem to care.

"I have given it to them to fix, and while it was in their care it was written off. They just don't think it is their fault."

He added he intended to write to Inchcape to try to get some compensation.

An Inchcape UK spokesperson said: "We are making every effort to help our affected customers to get back on the road as quickly as possible, and due to the complexity of each individual situation, we are supporting all of them on a one-to-one basis.

"A number of supportive actions have been taken to help our customers, including: providing replacement or temporary courtesy cars to help keep customers mobile, setting up a dedicated helpline to support with insurance claims and customer queries, and sourcing new and used replacement cars as quickly as we can at a reduced price.

"93% of affected customers have accepted this support and we are liaising with the remaining customers to find a solution to get them back on the road."

Patrick McGillycuddy, managing director of Jaguar Land Rover UK, said: "Our partner, Inchcape, has appointed a specialist team and we urge clients affected by this disruption to contact Sedgwick International UK who will progress their individual case as quickly as possible.

"I would like to thank our clients for their patience whilst we and our partner, Inchcape, work to resolve this situation and return the showroom and service centre in Derby to normal service as quickly as possible."

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