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DRIVEN mad ... Tahir Saeed who was sold a stolen car.
DRIVEN mad ... Tahir Saeed who was sold a stolen car.

Driver's fury after £19,000 dream car turns to nightmare

Michael Byrne
26/ 4/2006

WITH a £19,000 Mercedes parked on his driveway Tahir Saeed thought his dreams had come true.

But the dream turned into a nightmare when West Yorkshire Police knocked on his door and told him that the car he had bought from a reputable Mercedes dealer was, in fact, stolen.

Mr Saeed, of Fieldhouse Road, Fieldhouse, was initially quizzed by police who suspected he was involved in the theft, but cleared of any involvement.

But his dream car has been confiscated and Mr Saeed is embroiled in a legal battle with Mercedes Benz for compensation.

Mr Saeed bought the car in January from the Mercedes Benz dealership on Ashton New Road, Manchester.

The dealership gave Mr Saeed his original deposit back, plus £500 compensation. But he is now taking legal action, claiming that he is owed an extra £300.

Mr Saeed said: "I'm totally heartbroken over what has happened and completely hacked off with the whole situation. I can't believe I was sold a stolen car.

"It's many people's dream to have a Mercedes on the driveway, but I now have no confidence of being able to buy a car anywhere else.

"The police have told me they had been keeping an eye on the house for days, which I was shocked about.

"I only want £300 compensation, which isn't very much. If the company paid then we wouldn't have all this fuss."

Mr Saeed has been helped by Rochdale Council's Trading Standards officer Kerry Robinson.

Debbie Hull, press and public relations manager for Mercedes' parent company Daimler Chrysler, said: "As far as I am aware it was a stolen car but that is all part of the police investigation.

"All the necessary checks were carried out on the car. We have apologised to Mr Saeed for this unfortunate situation and he has received a full refund, together with a goodwill gesture from our retailer.

"The car is now part of a police investigation."

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "We are investigating this vehicle and making ongoing enquiries."


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Most recent 2 of 3 user comments

   JUST A CONTINUATION FROM MR CHRISTOPHER REIDS COMMENTS.MR REID HAD SAID THAT THE DEALER CARRIED OUT THE NECESSARY CHECKS AND ARE THE VICTIMS.MR REID, WHEN YOU DO A HPI CHECK IT STATES THE VIN NUMBERS ETC ON THE REPORT.IT IS QUITE CLEAR THAT THE DEALERSHIP ONLY CHECKED THE REG NO WHICH WAS A CAR BEING DRIVEN AROUND IN LEEDS WHICH DOES NOT SHOW UP AS STOLEN. IF THE DEALER WOULD HAVE MATCHED THE CAR VIN NUMBERS TO THAT PARTICULAR REG NUMBER.THERE IS NO WAY THE CAR WOULD HAVE SLIPPED THROUGH THE NET!! BETTER STILL, IF THE VIN NUMBERS WERE TAMPERED AS WELL.ARE THE DEALERS THAT STUPID NOT TO NOTICE A CAR THAT HAS BEEN TAMPERED WITH? ALSO, IF YOU READ LAST WEEKS OBSERVER (SAT).THE OBSERVER HAS STATED THAT THEY MADE AN ERROR AND THAT THE DEALERSHIP HAD NOT REFUNDED THE FULL DEPOSIT TO THE CUSTOMER.
JASON ROBINSON, ROCHDALE
15/05/2006 at 12:58
   Mr Kelly's comments on the article are ill-founded and naive stating that the dealership should be prosecuted for handling stolen goods. Does he really think they had known the car was stolen? They like him will have bought it in good faith at the market trade value having done the approriate checks (chassis number matching and HPI check). He states that Mr Saeed should have been refunded and given compenation which according to the report he has. He was given 500 pounds compensation but wants a further 300 pounds. Please bear in mind the real victims of this crime are the dealership whom are now 19,500 pounds out of pocket - they won't get anything back!
Christopher Reid, Castleton
14/05/2006 at 08:57
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