Car satnav won’t work unless I pay a monthly fee – but I wasn’t told when I bought it: DEAN DUNHAM replies

When I bought a car a year ago, the dealership showed me all the features, including a built-in satellite navigation system. 

The satnav recently stopped working and the screen says I need to pay a monthly subscription to use it.

This seems unfair, but the dealership says some brands charge a subscription for satnavs on their vehicles and there’s nothing they can do. 

Is it a breach of the terms under which I bought the car?

R.S., West Sussex.

Dean Dunham replies: Let me reassure you that ‘there’s nothing we can do’ is not the end of this story. What you were told at the point of sale genuinely matters in law.

The key principle here is that when a salesperson demonstrates and describes a car’s features to persuade you to buy, those features form part of the deal. 

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods must match any description given, and must be as described by the trader.

If the dealership showed you a built-in satnav as a working feature of the car, with no mention that it would soon require a paid subscription, there’s a strong argument the car has not matched what you were sold.

There’s a second string, too. Under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading rules, a trader must not give misleading information or omit important information that influences your decision to buy.

If the subscription requirement existed, or was planned and wasn’t disclosed, that silence could amount to a misleading omission. 

The dealership’s defence – that the manufacturer has since changed its policy – is precisely the point of weakness. 

Your contract is with the dealer, not the manufacturer. They cannot simply shrug off what was represented to you at the time of sale because the brand has altered its terms afterwards. 

If the feature was sold as included, retrospectively putting it behind a paywall isn’t your problem to absorb.

Write to the dealership citing the Consumer Rights Act 2015. 

State that the satnav was demonstrated as an included feature, that it now demands payment, and that you require this honouring, or appropriate compensation. 

If they refuse, this is a straightforward small claims matter. Keep any brochure or paperwork listing the satnav.

Neighbour’s jukebox is keeping me up at night  

My neighbour has a jukebox that she plays really loudly two or three times a week, sometimes until 11pm. 

All houses in the surrounding area can hear it. She lives in a rental property, so should I contact her landlord or the council?

Name supplied, Dorset

Dean Dunham replies: First, I’d speak with your neighbour. It’s always easier to resolve these issues amicably if you can. 

The neighbour may not realise she’s causing an inconvenience. After that, contacting the council is your next step, but I would also speak to the landlord. 

You can pursue both routes at the same time. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, loud music can amount to a statutory nuisance if it unreasonably and substantially interferes with the use or enjoyment of neighbouring homes, or is harmful to health.

The fact that the jukebox is played two or three times a week, sometimes until 11pm and can be heard across the surrounding area, strengthens your case.

Contact your council’s environmental health team and say how often the music is played, how loud it is and how it affects you. 

A common myth is that loud music is acceptable until 11pm, but that is not the case. Noise can amount to a statutory nuisance during the day or evening as well as at night.

If the council is satisfied that a statutory nuisance exists, it can serve an abatement notice. 

Failing to comply without a reasonable excuse can lead to prosecution. The council also has powers to seize and remove the equipment used to create the noise in certain circumstances.

I would also write to the landlord. Many tenancy agreements prohibit tenants from causing a nuisance and the landlord may be able to intervene. 

Keep a diary recording the dates, times and duration of the music, and how it affects you. Recordings and accounts from other neighbours may also help support your complaint.

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