'Our wedding present left us gutted': Couple join dozens in car seller dispute

ByLindsey Alder

Reporting fromin Wednesbury

Newlyweds Amber and Nathan Cooper spent all their wedding present money on a £7,000 Citroen C4 to take them on their dream honeymoon.

But as they made their way to Cornwall in August 2025, it lost power and began to roll backwards leaving them stranded on the A30, near the Jamaica Inn in Bodmin Moor, they told the BBC.

When they returned it to Trade Centre UK two weeks later, they discovered it needed a new engine, clutch and gearbox.

But a year on, they are still fighting for an apology and for their money back.

They are among 34 customers who told the BBC that they also bought cars from Trade Centre UK branches in Coventry, Rochdale, Rotherham and Wales but are still locked in a battle for refunds.

Customers say they have been left with loud noises from the engine, suspension and clutch problems. The company insists problems are "rare".

They have said that when they rejected the vehicle under the Consumer Rights Act, the process through Trade Centre UK was complicated, lengthy and their claims were often refused.

Amber said: "It's gutted us mentally, emotionally, physically, financially, I don't know what we can do apart from get this story out and have people learn from our mistake."

Trade Centre UK has said it takes concerns raised "very seriously" and recognises that "problems can sometimes occur".

A statement from the company said: "On these rare occasions, our teams work with customers to investigate the issue and identify an appropriate resolution, which can include repairs, replacement vehicles or, where appropriate, accepting rejection of a vehicle."

Protests were held outside various branches of Trade Centre UK on Saturday, including in Wednesbury, as people told the BBC that they had been sold faulty cars.

Sue Townsend was one of the people protesting, after her son had problems with the car he bought from Trade Centre UK.

Her main concern was the aftersales care provided by the company.

"They break down very quickly and then there's no support whatsoever," she said.

"You can't get through to them, you can't speak to them, they delay, they lie, they do all manner of things.

"They ignore the Consumer Rights Act no matter how often you mention it and it's just very, very difficult.

"They know they're in the wrong but they just make it really hard for the people to get their money back."

She said she had better things to be doing on a Saturday but was there to raise awareness of what was going on to potential customers of the businesses.

"I wouldn't call them customers I'd call them victims, because once you're there they treat you appallingly," she said.

Gavin Oliver, who lives just north of Telford, bought a car from Trade Centre UK last summer and said it had faults from day one.

"It took five months basically for me to get a refund on the car, the car wasn't fit for purpose," he said.

"They dragged their feet, they delayed, they ignored all correspondence. They just obstruct, they delay and it's just a terrible company to have to deal with.

"They cause so much misery to people, so much stress.

"You need a car, you buy a car and a week later it doesn't work and five months later it still doesn't work and you're out of pocket for expenses which they won't reimburse."

The newlywed couple from Wolverhampton said they have been left in debt and emotional turmoil as they spent a year having to hire and borrow cars before taking out a loan to replace what they lost.

Amber added: "People are coming to us and asking 'are you enjoying your wedding present?'

"We have to say, 'No, it's sitting in the Trade Centre's car park'. We're having to apologise to people who turned up to our wedding and kindly gave us money.

"My husband works in Telford, which is a 60-mile round trip every day, and without a car he has had to miss work, which means we've lost even more money.

"We're still in debt, trying to pay off this loan and now can't save for a house, start a family and move on with our lives."

Connor and Danielle Johnson-Bray from Stoke-on-Trent also bought their car from the Wednesbury branch last September.

They say it broke down within two days, so they were offered a different one, which subsequently broke down three times in eight months.

Connor explained: "We spent £2,200 on repairs, courtesy cars, and just the initial getting the car, trying to get it back on the road."

After being refused a refund, they took their case to the small claims court against the finance company they had bought the car through, who agreed to settle.

Danielle added: "We did accept that [settlement], and it meant that we did lose a lot of money as well. We didn't have any more fight left in us.

"It had drained us, we were very stressed, we were tired, I wasn't sleeping."

As part of a BBC Investigation in July, Michelle Chancellor, from Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire, shared that she bought her Vauxhall from the Wednesbury branch of The Trade Centre UK but soon heard loud noises coming from the engine.

After appearing in BBC coverage she was contacted by the used car dealer, who told her that the refund was accepted.

However, it took weeks to be processed.

She said: "It was another two to three weeks until my refund came through and I was able to buy a new car, which meant I was still losing out on income after signing the rejection papers.

"I think that the financial loss will affect me for a while yet, especially as I'm a self-employed mature student that lives alone."

Sandwell Council Trading Standards has confirmed it has launched an investigation into the complaints and has urged anyone with issues to report concerns via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service.

Consumer expert Stuart Masson explained that it is worrying when multiple customers feel they have no option but to pursue disputes because they believe a dealership is failing to cooperate.

"It's enormously frustrating, the Consumer Rights Act has to be fair to both parties when it comes to buying used cars," he said.

"It should be easy, especially within the first month. After six months it becomes more complicated. But it sounds like a lot of these problems are happening within the first few weeks."

Trade Centre UK's statement added: "We are committed to meeting our responsibilities to our customers and continue to invest in our vehicle preparation, aftersales and customer service operations.

"We are proud to have been in operation across the UK for over 20 years and to have served hundreds of thousands of customers during that time."