Woman furious after buying car so 'filled with damp and mould' that it triggered her asthma

May 16, 2023

She purchased the car from Trade Centre UK on Silverstone Drive in Longford

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A woman was left furious after being sold a car filled with 'damp and mould' from a dealership in Coventry. The woman, who asked not to be named, visited Trade Centre UK, on Silverstone Drive, to part exchange her old vehicle for a brand-new car on Saturday, February 18.

The 27-year-old decided to swap her car for a newer vehicle because she believed it would not pass its upcoming MOT. Her previous car was purchased from Trade Centre UK in Wednesbury in 2021.

As she already had a financial agreement with the company, she felt the best option was to return to Trade Centre UK.

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She told CoventryLive: “I had no option but to go back to the Trade Centre for a new car despite the fact the one I had from them last time was falling apart within weeks of driving it home. I reluctantly went back and part exchanged my old Citroen C1 for £800 towards another car.”

She decided to go for a Fiat 500 and handed over a deposit of £600. Hours later, she was told that the car had an electrical fault and decided to choose an alternative model.

She then chose a Fiat 500 Lounge instead, but had to pay an extra £500. She said: “At this point, my partner and I had been at the Trade Centre all day. We were hungry, tired, frustrated and overwhelmed.

“I felt so pressured to hand over even more money so ended up paying another £500. I handed over £2,000 to the Trade Centre before I had even got the car keys.”

The customer said was left horrified after taking a first look at her brand-new car from the dealership based in Longford. She said: “When I saw the car there was awful mould, the whole thing smelt like damp and the seats were wet. I complained again and they said it was just wet from the clean it had just had and it would be fine.”

A day later, she went out to her newly-purchased car and claims she was hit by the stench of 'damp and mould.' She said: “When opened the door, the stench of mould and damp hit me so hard it triggered my asthma and I was coughing so hard I almost ended up having an asthma attack. I noticed the inside of the car was wet too,” she said.

The customer claimed she tried to call the branch, but no one answered. She said: “I had no option but to stop everything I was doing for the day and drive to the Trade Centre myself to resolve the issue.

“As I tried to reverse off my drive it quickly became apparent that the car gearbox was faulty and it would not go into reverse so I had to push the car off the drive myself to get to the Trade Centre. I then had to drive in the cold weather with all the windows down as the smell of mould was just so bad.”

Speaking about how the situation has affected her, she said: “It has had a major impact on my mental and physical health and the damp and mould in the car has made my asthma really bad. What was supposed to be a happy occasion has turned into a nightmare.”

She said she feels 'scammed' by the actions of Trade Centre UK. She said: “Trade Centre UK claims to have done a 99-point check and inspection of the car which is a total lie because had they done so they would have noticed the gearbox not working and the mould and damp in the car. Trade Centre UK is scamming people and selling cars in terrible condition.”

CoventryLive approached Trade Centre UK for comment but they declined.