Information on
Voluntary Termination
Under section 99 of the Consumer Credit Act, you have the right to end your agreement with us at any time (unless it has already been terminated by us). This is known as “Voluntary Termination”. If you decide to Voluntarily Terminate your agreement, you will need to return the vehicle to us, and there may be further sums to pay.
We have set out information below on:
- The Vehicle Return Process
- Your Liability
- Vehicle Return Standards
- Next Steps
1. The Vehicle Return Process
If you would like to Voluntarily Terminate your agreement with us and return the vehicle, we ask that you complete the Voluntary Termination Form which can be found here and return it to us.
- You have two options to return the vehicle:
a) You can return it to one of our auction house partners – please contact us for details of your nearest drop-off site.
We will not make any charge for this; or
b) We can arrange for the vehicle to be collected from you. The collection costs are set out in the next section.
- On receipt of your completed form, depending on the return option you have chosen, we will either instruct our agents to collect your vehicle at your address, or we will inform our auction house that you will be returning the vehicle directly to them. The auction house will then contact you to book in either collection or delivery. Please note that delivery is by appointment only, and if you attempt to deliver your vehicle without an appointment, you may be turned away.
- An inspection of the vehicle will happen twice if transported by Billing Finance and once if you return the vehicle directly. In the first instance, the vehicle will be inspected in your presence on collection and then again on safe arrival to the auction house. In the second instance, the vehicle will be inspected at the auction house or drop-off centre.
- After we have sold the vehicle at auction, we will inform you if you have any remaining liability under your agreement, which may include any outstanding finance payments, damage, compensation or any additional fees. See Your Liability section for further details.
2. Your Liability
If you would like to Voluntarily Terminate your agreement and return the vehicle to us, there may be further sums to pay. These sums may consist of the following:
Outstanding Finance
If you have already paid at least half of the total amount payable under your agreement and your account is up to date, there will be no further instalments to pay. If your account is in arrears however, you will still need to pay us the arrears.
If you have not already paid half of the total amount payable, you will be liable to pay to us the difference between this figure and what you have paid towards the agreement to date, or the full amount of any arrears, whichever is greater.
Collection Charges
If you would like us to arrange collection of the vehicle from you, the charges are as follows:
- Cars and light commercial vehicles in driveable condition with a valid MOT – £100 plus VAT
- Motorcycles – £150 plus VAT
- Vehicles which are not running or not roadworthy – charges vary depending on the amount charged to us by our collection agents, subject to a maximum charge of £600.
- Leisure vehicles – charges vary depending on the amount charged to us by our collection agents, subject to a maximum charge of £600.
Please Note
You are under no obligation to make use of this collection service. Choosing not to use the service does not affect your right to Voluntarily Terminate your agreement and return the vehicle. You will however need to take the vehicle to one of our drop-off sites – please contact us for details of your nearest site.
Damage Compensation
Your agreement with us requires you to keep the vehicle in good repair/working order and condition (we of course expect reasonable wear and tear). We may charge you if:
- on inspection, the vehicle was found to have damage beyond usual wear and tear (see Vehicle Return Standards section below); and
- that damage has reduced its value.
Prior to selling the vehicle, we will obtain a market valuation for the vehicle based on it being in average condition for its age and mileage. If we achieve 85% of that valuation at auction, no charge will be applied, however if the sale price is less than 85% of market value, this demonstrates that the damage has reduced the vehicle’s value and we will charge you the difference.
Please Note:
- If the vehicle is beyond repair, or non-existent, you may be liable for the replacement value of the vehicle in addition to any outstanding finance charges.
- If you ask us to arrange collection of the vehicle but then decide not to return it, you must let the collection agent know at least 24 hours in advance of the arranged collection time. If you don’t advise the collection agent of the cancellation at least 24 hours before, you may still be liable for the collection. An additional fee may also be payable if you have previously advised us that the vehicle is driveable but on collection, the agent discovers that it is not.
- The vehicle must be returned with the correct registration document (V5), service book, all sets of keys, accessories and/or original items. Failure to provide these may result in you being liable for the total replacement cost(s).
3. Vehicle Return Standards
Our vehicle return standards are in line with industry guidelines.Provided your vehicle meets these standards, you will not be charged damage compensation, even if it sells for less than expected at auction.
| No. | Item | Description |
| 1 | Cleanliness | The vehicle must be in a clean condition both inside and out with all personal items removed. |
| 2 | Tyres | Tyre tread must meet legal standard of 3mm. With no sidewall damage including cuts, tears, or bulges. |
| 3 | Wheels | No gouges or damage which exceeds 50mm in total length of the circumference of each wheel. |
| 4 | Bodywork | – No accident damage. – No scratches which penetrate the base coat. – No more than 2 dents per panel (this allowance does not include dents to swage panels or roofs) – No damage which is visible at a 2-metre stand-off around vehicle – No obvious evidence of poor repair such as flaking paint, preparation marks, paint contamination, rippled finish, or poorly matched paint. |
| 5 | Stone Chips | Stone chips which have penetrated the base coat and have caused rusting (however, due to the age and mileage of your vehicle we appreciate some stone chips are inevitable). |
| 6 | Lights | All lights must be in working order with no visible cracks or damage. |
| 7 | Windscreen | – No chips within the driver’s line of view – No cracks or distortion – Applies to all windows, including side and rear. |
| 8 | Interior | – No cuts, tears, or burns – Must be clean and free from any damage – Accessories such as parcel shelves, load covers, satellite navigation discs and all original items must be returned with the vehicle. |
| 9 | Service & Mechanical Condition | – As per your terms and conditions, you are responsible to maintain the vehicle in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines. – The vehicle must be taxed, serviced and hold a valid MOT certificate. |
| 10 | Registration Plate | If you have a private plate and wish to retain it, you must remove it from the vehicle and return the original registration plates, inform the DVLA of the plate change and acquire the previous vehicle registration document. |
In order to assist our customers through the Voluntary Termination process, we have partnered with G3 Remarketing to offer the G3 Appraisal app, which you can download on your smartphone. The app will allow you to take a 360° video of your vehicle, take photos of any specific damage and note other relevant details which may affect its value.
The information is then sent to us, and a member of our team will contact you if they think there are any issues likely to result in further charges, so you are aware of this before the vehicle is returned.
Use of the app is optional and free, but we would recommend you check your data allowance with your network provider before downloading. Please note that this app has been developed and is managed by G3, who are responsible for the security measures around the app, data transmission and storage. To learn more, search for “G3 Vehicle Appraisal” on iTunes or Google Play.
4. Next Steps
If you have read and understood the Vehicle Return Standards, understand Your Liability and have decided to go ahead with the Voluntary Termination, you must notify us in writing 7 working days before your next contractual instalment is due, or that instalment will be payable as usual. Please find a copy of our Voluntary Termination Form here, which you can return to us either by post or by email to [email protected].
If you have any questions about Voluntary Termination, or of you would like to discuss the option further with one of our agents, please feel free to contact us before making a decision.
Upon receipt of the Voluntary Termination Form we will start this process for you. If you have asked us to collect the vehicle, we will instruct a collection agent to contact you to arrange collection. If you have chosen to deliver the vehicle, you will also be contacted to book in a delivery slot, as delivery is by appointment only. You will need to allow up to 10 days for the transport of the vehicle, from the day we receive the completed form. You must ensure that our collection agent has a legal right to enter the collection location. If you do not have the vehicle available prior to the next contractual instalment, you will be required to make this payment.
Once an agreed date for transport is arranged, our representative will go to the arranged address and inspect your vehicle, note any damage which is obvious and confirm if the vehicle is legal and driveable. Please note that they are not trained to fully inspect vehicles to an engineer’s standard as this type of inspection will be done on the vehicle’s arrival to the auction house.
On arrival at the auction house, an inspector will appraise your vehicle for any damage or missing items, in accordance with our Vehicle Return Standards.
After the vehicle has been sold, we will notify you in writing and by telephone of any further amounts payable for any damage (if applicable). See the Your Liability section for further details.
Please Note:
- If after you have terminated your agreement we are unable to recover the vehicle within 10 days, or you fail to deliver the vehicle to the auction house within 10 days, you will not only be liable for any amounts referred to above, but we may also:
- Apply to court for an order compelling you to return the vehicle; or
- Charge you the replacement value of the vehicle (based on its market value in average condition).
- If after returning the Voluntary Termination Form you decide not to hand back the vehicle, you must contact us immediately. We can be contacted by telephone on 01604 402204 or by email at [email protected].