Bosses at a used car dealership in Greater Manchester say the business is not closing despite its doors being closed as stock is cleared.

Customers were left in limbo last Tuesday (November 5) when The Car Group abruptly closed stores without warning, but executives said the measure was only temporary.

It comes amid a growing number of complaints from customers, some of whom owe thousands of pounds to the business.

Oldham Times a customer, Sarah Sykes and her husband, from Halifax, partially replaced their car with The Car Group about a month ago and still owe more than £4,000.

He said: ‘Everything is a mess. It was said that the vehicle was maintained, but it was not. ‘There were problems with a faulty light, air filters, oil and coolant, a leaking radiator and all the tires needed to be replaced.’

‘When I complained they fixed it but we are still having problems with the vehicle so they rebooked for tomorrow (November 8) but canceled the appointment.

‘We were told it would take five to 10 business days for the money to be deposited in the bank, but we still haven’t received it. I kept calling and couldn’t reach him.

‘Finally I was told that the accounting officer was ill. Getting in touch was a nightmare.

‘We have been transferred from one pillar to another and are being deceived.

‘I called again on Monday and was told it was temporarily closed. They said they would pay us but they don’t know when.

‘I have reported this to Trading Standards but the lack of communication is worrying.’

The newspaper also spoke to the disgruntled punter: Daughter-in-law Paul Levin bought a car from the dealership in March and was left with an £18,000 repair bill.

Levin explaining the situation He said: ‘Paid around £29,000 for a Land Rover with 33,000 miles on the clock.

‘I was driving it to Nottingham, where I live, and smoke started falling. A police officer saw this and told me to look immediately.

‘I took it to a nearby specialist who said it needed a new engine, among other things.

‘I spoke to Car Group and they said they could find me a cheaper engine and that’s when the alarm bells started ringing for me.’

He added: ‘After three months, seven hours of searching and three visits, I managed to terminate the finance agreement and get my bride’s deposit back.

‘Everything felt strange from beginning to end. ‘I feel sorry for people who have the wool pulled over their eyes.’

Car Group, of Derby Way, Bury, is still listed as an active company. Companies House and is an appointed representative of Ingeni Services Group.

The company describes itself as having ‘It’s the UK’s largest indoor heated showroom’ and director Raza Habib says the company is working hard to reopen to customers soon.

Even though he gave There is no reason for the current closure, he said, and the cleaning of vehicles is based on a customary stocktake.

He said: ‘We will not go bankrupt, I want to state this very clearly. We did not go into liquidation. We’re working hard to get things up and running again shortly.’

In a separate statement, Burial Times, He said the recent communication issues were due to IT issues and these have now been fixed.

He said: ‘We make it our priority to reach customers who have cars and do things right.

‘We have taken care of this (IT) and have a dedicated email address for customers who are having trouble communicating.’

Despite the problems, some customers took to social media to defend the company following its sudden closure.

One buyer wrote: ‘After spending a lot of time searching for my new vehicle I contacted Hamidreza from The Car Group.

‘From the moment we spoke I knew I had found the right car. Very professional gentleman and atmosphere from start to finish.’

The story of Jack Williams and Cameron Richards