Would you ask for a partial refund?

[savageswimmer]

I purchased a 6k car in cash from a small garage a few days ago and it had a boot tray to reveal more space underneath that I didn't realise lifted up until today. Anyway I have lifted it up and i have found rubbish underneath such as tobacco packets and rizzla paper, personal documentation such as bank statements belonging to the previous owner and dirty needles and a used needle disposal box🤢 I honestly feel sick that I have had my small child in this car and I just immediately shut the boot and haven't touched it since, i am going to talk to the garage owner tomorrow but what would be reasonable to request? A professional clean? A partial refund? Tbh I feel like just telling him to take the car back altogether.

OP, just thought I’d mention a couple of things you might find useful for future reference:

1. There is no such thing as an “HIV carrier”. Someone is either HIV positive or HIV negative.

1. There has never been a documented case of HIV being contracted from a discarded needle.

I would imagine that with there being a disposal box there meant the previous owner was diabetic. Regardless of that, there was no HIV risk.

Other than it being unpleasant to find this, you are over reacting. Accept the fiver!

You put your child in the boot?

Seriously have a Google for your local matrix place and ask them where you can dispose of the needle box. Take the fiver and get it cleaned out. Although it probably won't take you long to do it from the sounds of it.

A professional clean and perhaps they may give you a service in a year or something like that as goodwill

Next time you buy a used car do make sure you get a sworn testimony as to the virtue and clean living of all previous owners.

You could always return it and get refund if within 30 days of purchase.

But the amount of time it takes to find another decent secondhand care, I would just put it down to experience and get rid of the stuff myself.

How does OP not know there aren't other needles stashed around somewhere her child could touch them.

I wouldn't want to go searching under mats and seats and risk getting pricked.

People who generally use a needle box usually have a medical issue like diabetes so probably don't sling them everywhere.

You can complain to the garage where you got it from; but think that every garage gets their vehicles professionally valeted before resale. Ask what their complaints procedure is and speak to the manager. I should think before buying a car though, you'd inspect it thoroughly; and this compartment that you didn't find till 'now' would check with garage if they knew about it and check your handbook!? Maybe is something that has been overlooked. Be calm in your tone when discussing it. As things do and can get rapidly heated when you are upset about a situation. With due respect reputation is built upon trust etc; the more amicable you are the more likely you are to progress with the situation.

@savageswimmer my DH said they should of paid to have it cleaned and deserve all the bad reviews they get...

It isn't what you have found but what you haven't. The garage owner should take the car back, this type of thing could easily damage their reputation, they need to sort it out to your satisfaction, and if that means replacing the car with another or a refund, so be it.

I wouldn't want to go searching under mats and seats and risk getting pricked

Well, no one wants to feel like a little prick. Arf arf!

It's probably just me, but it really feels like MN has had a humour by-pass today. Either that or it's open day for the Professionally Offended.

my DH said they should of paid to have it cleaned and deserve all the bad reviews they get

Stop everybody. Man has spoken. No further opinions will be accepted as obvs the Man must be right.

Oh FFS Yabbers, this isn’t one of the feminism boards!

I’m with Mitzi...prefer to feel a big prick myself though 😀😀😀

Oh FFS Yabbers, this isn’t one of the feminism boards!

Didn’t realise we had to contain our feminism to particular areas. Doesn’t that rather defeat the object?

Everything in life is not all about men vs women. Who cares that someone asked their DH what he thought and the fact it was a man’s POV. There is no relevance to this topic

@HIVpos It isn't a mans POV Its a car dealers, some people are just pathetic and have nothing better to do than give their shitty opinion behind a screen on MN 😁

@HWT yeah, go figure 🙄. It was good of your “car dealer acquaintance” to give their opinion 😀

@HIVpos I asked my DH who sells car and vans what he would do if someone brought it back to him and he said a professional clean of the boot would cost £20 so get it cleaned.

What is wrong with people these days.

@HWJT

Then we must definitely all stop with our opinions. 🙄

@Yabbers did I say anyone had to stop giving their opinion? How old are you 15!?

I have to give myself regular injections and I’m issued with a sharps box which locks when it’s full and is collected from me by a health care company for disposal. I’m given strict instructions to dispose of the needles only within the sharps box. The person who’s left needles everywhere in your car isn’t exactly Mr or Mrs Conscientious.
I don’t know what the solution is, a professional car cleaning firm won’t be used to searching for needles will they? I can see a firm refusing to do that tbh.
It’s too risky to start cleaning it yourself I would go back in and say how would you know if there’s needles embedded within seats etc? I’d be requesting a refund / new car and mention going to the local paper with a sad face picture if they won’t do this. It would serve them right with trying to fob you off with an insult of a fiver.

You could always return it and get refund if within 30 days of purchase.

Assuming the sale was not done at a distance, there's no right to a refund.

OP whoever cleaned it didn't spot the area the needle(s) were in. Sounds like an easy mistake to make as you didn't know it was there either. Unfortunate but, unless there are any other hidden areas, no harm done.

how would you know if there’s needles embedded within seats etc?

You could argue that of any used car. It's too far fetched to be a valid reason to reject the car.