"A Tangled Web: Bidfood's Fleet Management Firm Holds Cars to Ransom"
A string of bizarre incidents has left two motorists in a desperate bid to reclaim their cars, which were taken into custody by the fleet management company VMS on behalf of food wholesaler Bidfood.
In January, driver BN had his car damaged while parked outside his home after a delivery lorry from Bidfood reversed into it. The incident was reported to VMS, and the company arranged for repairs and provided a hire car, but since then, BN has received no meaningful updates. What's more, he's been slapped with five penalty charge notices for unpaid Ulez charges while his car was in storage.
BN's experience is not unique; just months later, driver NC from Hertfordshire had her car damaged by another Bidfood lorry. Similarly, she too has been left in limbo, awaiting news of her car's return after VMS took it into custody for repairs and hire car arrangement.
The problem, however, ran far deeper than initially suspected. The two cars were taken to a repair shop in Kent, Cobra Coachworks, where they remain to this day, held hostage by an unrelated commercial dispute between VMS and the company. This revelation came straight from the horse's mouth – or rather, from both parties' representatives.
According to Cobra's managing director, Greg Ebeling, his company is refusing to release the vehicles until VMS pays £189,000 in arrears that are allegedly owed for unrelated contracts. However, VMS has yet to provide any evidence of these debts.
As the saga unfolded, Bidfood came under fire for its handling of the situation. The company claimed it had no idea about NC's case until August and was unaware of BN's predicament until it was alerted by this publication. It swiftly ended its relationship with VMS, advising customers to report their cars as stolen due to unacceptable delays.
Despite assurances from Bidfood, both drivers remain skeptical that they'll ever get back behind the wheel of their vehicles. NC's car is still waiting, and although she finally received a replacement, it was returned with 46 extra miles on the clock. BN's car was returned nine months after its initial confiscation, albeit with an unexplained mileage discrepancy.
It seems both drivers owe a great debt of gratitude to this publication for shedding light on VMS's alleged misdeeds. Without our intervention, there's little doubt that their cars would still be languishing in storage, and they'd be facing financial ruin as a result.
A string of bizarre incidents has left two motorists in a desperate bid to reclaim their cars, which were taken into custody by the fleet management company VMS on behalf of food wholesaler Bidfood.
In January, driver BN had his car damaged while parked outside his home after a delivery lorry from Bidfood reversed into it. The incident was reported to VMS, and the company arranged for repairs and provided a hire car, but since then, BN has received no meaningful updates. What's more, he's been slapped with five penalty charge notices for unpaid Ulez charges while his car was in storage.
BN's experience is not unique; just months later, driver NC from Hertfordshire had her car damaged by another Bidfood lorry. Similarly, she too has been left in limbo, awaiting news of her car's return after VMS took it into custody for repairs and hire car arrangement.
The problem, however, ran far deeper than initially suspected. The two cars were taken to a repair shop in Kent, Cobra Coachworks, where they remain to this day, held hostage by an unrelated commercial dispute between VMS and the company. This revelation came straight from the horse's mouth – or rather, from both parties' representatives.
According to Cobra's managing director, Greg Ebeling, his company is refusing to release the vehicles until VMS pays £189,000 in arrears that are allegedly owed for unrelated contracts. However, VMS has yet to provide any evidence of these debts.
As the saga unfolded, Bidfood came under fire for its handling of the situation. The company claimed it had no idea about NC's case until August and was unaware of BN's predicament until it was alerted by this publication. It swiftly ended its relationship with VMS, advising customers to report their cars as stolen due to unacceptable delays.
Despite assurances from Bidfood, both drivers remain skeptical that they'll ever get back behind the wheel of their vehicles. NC's car is still waiting, and although she finally received a replacement, it was returned with 46 extra miles on the clock. BN's car was returned nine months after its initial confiscation, albeit with an unexplained mileage discrepancy.
It seems both drivers owe a great debt of gratitude to this publication for shedding light on VMS's alleged misdeeds. Without our intervention, there's little doubt that their cars would still be languishing in storage, and they'd be facing financial ruin as a result.
! They had this incredible Korean BBQ burrito that was TO DIE FOR 
... anyway, speaking of food, have you tried that new plant-based milk alternative? I'm thinking of switching to it for my morning coffee 
️. Oh man, and I just remembered I need to buy some new curtains for my apartment – has anyone else seen those amazing IKEA deals lately? 
I'm literally fuming rn!! 
How can a company just hold your car hostage for repairs? 
. And the fact that Bidfood knew about it but didn't say anything is straight up shady 
. NC and BN deserve so much better than this 
. I'm all about transparency, and VMS's lack of it is disgusting 
. Anyway, gotta give props to this publication for investigating and shedding light on this mess 
. Now let's get those cars back on the road ASAP! 
. And now they're being asked to pay back £189,000? That's just crazy! 
... I mean, how did Bidfood not know about the issues with VMS until now? It's like they were blindfolded 
. But at least they're taking responsibility for their part in all this.
. They should be reimbursed for all the expenses and stress they've had to endure 
. I hope VMS comes clean about what really happened and these cars get released ASAP 
. And what's with Cobra Coachworks just holding onto the vehicles? Don't they have other customers waiting for their repairs? 
. I mean, who expects to have their car damaged while it's parked outside their home? And now they're stuck waiting for VMS to resolve this whole mess, with no end in sight 
.
It's hard not to think that VMS is just trying to shift the blame onto someone else. But at the same time, I can understand why they wouldn't want to release the cars until their debts are settled.
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. Thanks to that publication for exposing the truth - it's a shame it had to take someone digging up the dirt to get Bidfood to act.
. I feel for those drivers, they're getting taken advantage of big time 
. VMS should be shut down ASAP 
️. And Bidfood, what were you thinking? 
. This whole thing needs to be looked into and people need to be held accountable! 
. Until then, I feel sorry for BN and NC who are still waiting to get back behind the wheel of their cars.
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just when you think companies have it all under control 
who needs a rental car deal when u can just hold someone's car for ransom? 
I'm literally shaking my head over this one! Can you believe Bidfood's fleet management firm is playing games with people's lives? Two drivers, BN and NC, were already dealing with the trauma of their cars getting damaged while parked outside their homes, only to have them taken into custody for repairs. And now, it turns out their cars are still being held hostage because of a commercial dispute between VMS and another company! 
? I mean, you take your car to get repaired, but the company takes it hostage instead 
. But seriously, these poor drivers are stuck in a nightmare and need some help getting their cars back ASAP 
).
. Five penalty charge notices is a lot to take on the chin 
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. But maybe we should also be giving them a chance to sort things out before we start throwing stones 
.