Miserable 6 months with court action threatened
I bought a car from ASM in October 2024 and noticed Amo was rude on calls, often confrontational and unprofessional, using terms like "pal" and "mate." Over six months, I faced multiple issues that led me to threaten court action. We reached a settlement, which I believe shows he knew he was in the wrong; otherwise, he would have let me proceed and risk losing.
I had to call multiple times about the car. Amo first said it was sold, then available again. When I arrived, the car hadn’t been valeted as promised. He claimed it was in immaculate condition, but it had several scratches and chips. Despite this, I still wanted to buy it, though I didn't appreciate the misleading information.
I test drove the car and was satisfied, agreeing to pay in a few days. Later, I called to confirm, and he promised to valet the car. I asked him to fill the tank since the petrol light was on. I didn't negotiate the price, so I thought this was reasonable. He seemed shocked but agreed. A more professional response would have been appreciated. When I collected the car, it was still dirty despite having given several days’ notice. He offered a £20 discount for me to valet it myself. While I appreciated the gesture, it felt misleading since he repeatedly promised it would be cleaned beforehand.
After using the boot twice, the lock seized shut. Amo suggested some solutions, but it remained stuck. I drove the car back for his mechanic to look at it, leaving it for a few days. The mechanic replaced the lock, but after collecting it, the electronic close feature failed, only partially closing. This marked the beginning of ongoing issues. Amo offered to send a mechanic to fix the boot at my house, but it took weeks to arrange. During this time, the electronic boot was inconvenient to use manually. When the mechanic arrived, he couldn’t fix it and said new struts were needed. Amo struggled to find them, and communication was mostly through texts or voice memos. He often reassured me it was low priority since it didn’t prevent car use. However, after spending £15k, I expected the car to work properly and better aftersales care, not to feel sidelined for other customers.
For months, Amo offered excuses like his mechanic being ill or on holiday. I remained calm, contacting him every 1-2 weeks for updates. His mechanic blamed "lazy struts," but two garages confirmed this wasn't the issue. By February, the boot failed completely during a school run, making the car undrivable. Frustrated, I demanded immediate repairs, but Amo dismissed my concerns, suggesting it was weather-related and even told me to "fix it yourself" before hanging up.
I began legal action and informed Amo I would be taking my car to a local garage for repairs, intending to bill him. Legal advice confirmed he had one chance to fix the issue in a reasonable time, which he failed to do. The garage found the lock Amo fitted was unofficial and broken due to a pulley system issue. Internal components were improperly installed, and wires were left hanging. Additionally, the boot was misaligned, requiring a specialist to fix.
I visited a Mercedes dealership to fix the misaligned boot and received a report of £3k in necessary and advised repairs, including brake discs and suspension issues. Given my minimal car use, this seemed excessive. Mercedes fixed the boot, adding to my expenses. I informed Amo of my intent to take legal action unless he covered the repairs. He became agitated, accusing me of "pure extortion," and claimed his business was going into liquidation, refusing to pay as he was closing down.
I was determined to take legal action against Amo, even with his claim of liquidation, which I doubted. After sending a final letter with a payment deadline, he began negotiating. Amo offered to cover the full cost of the lock and pulley fix from the first garage and a £100 + VAT contribution towards the £300 Mercedes charged for boot realignment. He claimed no decent garage would charge more than £100, but I had quotes proving otherwise, confirming his dishonesty.
Three weeks later, Amo paid me just under £600, ending a six-month ordeal filled with legal calls, letters, expenses, and stress. I strongly advise against doing business with this dishonest dealer. If Amo disputes this, consider why he chose to settle instead of going to court and why it took six months to address the boot issue.
