Stranded as car dealership struggles

A MOORSIDE mother-of-two claims her car has been left in pieces at Lythgoe Motors in Oldham for three weeks after the dealership went into administration.

Sharon Street (36) was advised to take her second-hand Citroen C4, which is not under warranty, to a dealer after it broke down.

Staff at the Middleton Road site carried out a diagnostics test on November 20, priced at £294, and said the car would need a new fuse box costing £636.

However, Mrs Street said her car has been left untouched after mechanics told her on November 26 they would not be able to order parts as all their accounts had been stopped.

She has been told she can pay to have the car towed to another Citroen dealership in Hyde, which will cost more than £100, but she will then have to pay for a new diagnostics test as well as any repairs.

The NVQ manager at Oldham College said: “I’ve been left stranded and have been forced to get lifts to work.

“I’ve been chasing the company myself to get answers as they have not contacted me once or offered a courtesy car. It is not good customer service.”

The Greater Manchester car dealership traded from sites in Oldham, Rochdale and two in Bolton, with an after-sales base for parts and servicing in Salford.

However, the Salford site has closed with the loss of 31 jobs, and one of the Bolton sites was sold before the administrators were appointed.

A remaining 160 jobs hang in the balance but administrators Zolfo Cooper said it was confident of lining up a sale by the end of today.

Mrs Street said: “I completely understand that people could potentially lose their jobs, but there are lots of customers affected by the problems as well.

“It’s three weeks down the line with no car, I’m stuck in the middle.

“I’m not prepared to pay for the £294 diagnostic test until the situation gets resolved. Why should I have to pay twice?”

A Zolfo Cooper spokesperson said: “All of the 22 Lythgoe staff at the Oldham franchise are still employed and the franchise is continuing to trade.

The joint administrators are at an advanced stage in negotiations with interested parties, and are hopeful of realising a sale of the business this week, which would see all employees transferring across to the new business.

“Customers with existing orders should contact their dealership directly with any questions or concerns in the first instance.”