Refund process delayed by poor communication

I am extremely disappointed with the way WeBuyCars has handled our refund.

Before making the deposit, we specifically asked whether the money would be refundable if we decided not to continue with the vehicle purchase. We were clearly told, “Yes, of course it’s refundable.” Payment was made on 19 August, and on 20 August we informed the salesperson that we would not be taking the vehicle and wanted to start the refund process.

It was explained that I would handle the communication, but my husband would make the payment. The vehicle lead was loaded in my name instead of his. I immediately provided everything initially requested for the refund: proof of payment, proof of banking details, my husband’s ID and email address.

On 24 August, I followed up and was told the refund might be paid that week. On 27 August, I was then informed that a letter from me was required to authorise payment into my husband’s account because the lead was in my name. I sent the letter that same day. On 28 August, I confirmed whether they had everything needed and was told yes, with the expectation that we would receive the refund the following week.

On 2 September, I followed up again and was told it was being processed and should hopefully be available by the end of that week. When I asked whether there was someone in Finance we could contact for a proper timeframe, I was told that everything is handled by Head Office and that the branch has no contact details for them.

On 7 September, I contacted Head Office myself, but they would not provide any information and said that the salesperson needed to request updates. When I asked him to follow up, I was suddenly asked for my ID because the delay was apparently caused by missing documents. This was extremely frustrating because I had repeatedly asked whether anything else was required and had previously been told that they had everything.

On 9 September, I was then told the refund had originally been made out to me and had to be changed to my husband. I was again promised that it would be processed that week. On Friday, 11 September, I was told that the change had only been made on Wednesday and that it would take another three to four business days, meaning it might reflect on Monday or Tuesday.

Every time we follow up, we receive a different explanation, another document is requested, or the expected payment date moves to the following week.

We understand that refunds may take a few business days, but the lack of clear communication, repeated assurances that everything was complete, and constantly changing timeframes are unacceptable. We would like WeBuyCars to investigate this matter, confirm exactly where the refund is in the process, and provide us with a definite payment date. Why would a refund take so long to process?