Client details are kept confidential. Business type and general location are shared with the client's permission.
How it started
An engineering business based near Evanton came to us after a frustrating experience trying to arrange van finance online. The owner, very much a hands-on, tools-in-hand kind of operator, had been doing his research and found himself faced with a confusing range of options, prices that looked almost too good to be true, and the familiar experience of enquiring online only to find the headline rate bore little resemblance to what was actually on offer. In most cases the deals he was being shown would never have resulted in his company owning the vehicle.
Trying to navigate all of that on top of running a busy engineering business was stressful, complicated and eating into time he did not have to spare. He needed a straightforward process and a clear answer.
A conversation on the way home from work
He came into our Inverness office on his way home from a job. Alana Mackenzie sat down with him and did what we always do first, listened. What did he actually want? What had been frustrating him? What mattered most?
The answers were clear. He had found the van he wanted: a new Maxus. He wanted to own it at the end of the agreement, not hand it back. He was not keen to put in a large deposit, the previous van in the business had cost a significant amount in repairs recently, and cash was better kept available. And above all, he wanted none of the complications he had been experiencing trying to sort it himself.
What Alana arranged
With the customer's consent to proceed, Alana got to work across our lending panel. The requirements were specific: hire purchase with the option to own at the end, a VAT-only deposit rather than the 10% that tends to be treated as standard across the industry, and a monthly payment that worked for the business.
Alana secured an approval that matched every one of those requirements. The agreement was set up over 60 months, chosen to align with the Maxus five-year manufacturer's warranty, a straightforward bit of planning that means the finance term and the warranty run together rather than one outlasting the other. Alana also offered the option to defer the VAT element for up to three months, which demonstrates that we can arrange finance with absolutely nothing due upfront where that is what the client needs. On this occasion the customer chose to pay the VAT at the start, but the flexibility was there.
A mention for Peter at Vanbroker UK
The vehicle came through Peter at Vanbroker UK, and he deserves a specific mention here. Getting the dealer paid and the invoice processed was refreshingly straightforward. A smooth dealer relationship matters in these transactions, and Peter made his part of the process easy. We would happily work with him again.
The outcome
A customer who arrived frustrated and uncertain left with exactly what he had asked for, a hire purchase agreement on a new Maxus van, at a monthly payment he was comfortable with, on a deposit structure that suited his business, with no upfront cost to engage with us and no complication in the process.
That is what dealing with Mackenzie Commercial Finance should feel like. We take the time to understand what you need, we go and find it, and we come back with an answer rather than a list of questions.
A note on how we are paid
As always with MCF, our remuneration comes from a commission paid by the lender on successful completion. That commission is fully disclosed to the client before they sign anything. Our customer had no upfront fee to engage with us, and if at any point during the process he had chosen not to proceed, he would not have incurred any cost to his business. That is how it should work.
Find out more about Hire Purchase for business vehicles, or visit our Asset Finance page to explore all the options available.
If you are looking to finance a vehicle or any other business asset and want a straightforward conversation rather than a confusing online process, call us on 01463 652653 or email directors@mackenziecf.co.uk.
Frequently asked questions
These answers are general information only. Any actual finance offer depends on a full proposal and credit underwriting by the lender.
What type of finance was arranged for the Evanton engineering business?
Can a small engineering business get van finance?
Do I need to go through a dealer to get van finance?
How quickly can van finance be arranged?
This article contains the personal opinions and observations of the author, based on experience as a commercial finance broker. It is for general information only and does not constitute financial advice. Individual circumstances vary and any finance decision should be based on your own situation.
