BY MICHAEL DEVLIN

m.devlin@ulsterherald.com

A Limerick man claims he was left starnaded 100 miles from home with his two children when a Tyrone dealership backed out without warning of his deal to buy a car from them.

Patrick Clarke (44), a computer consultant, says the abrupt decision of Mid Ulster Cars in Cookstown meant he and his two young children (aged nine and ten) were left to fend for themselves in Longford town.

Mr Clarke alleges that the incident occurred after Mid Ulster Cars reneged on an arrangement to meet him halfway (Longford) with a new Landcruiser which had agreed to would purchase in an order that required an eight-week wait for the vehicle. Not only did the delivery driver with the Landcruiser not turn up, but he wasn't informed the deal was off until he had already been in Lonford for several hours. He claims he was later told that Mid Ulster Cars did not trust a banker's draft from south of the border.

"To be honest, I still don't know exactly why it happened," Mr Clarke told the UlsterHerald this week. "Whether it was prejudice or money, I'm not sure."

The story began back in February when Mr Clarke decided to purchase his vehicle in the North.

"The deal was done with Mid Ulster Cars in Cookstown with a friendly salesman called Stephen. I was told it would be an eight-week wait and we agreed that we would meet halfway in Longford town to take delivery of the car and that I should pay by bank draft.

"On Thursday, March 22, the day before delivery, I spoke to Stephen to confirm the pickup arrangements. The children were excited about picking up the new car and so was I. We set off by bus at 8am on Friday morning and arrived in Longford Town about mid-day, 100 miles or so."

By 2pm , there was still no sign of the delivery driver so Mr Clarke called Mid Ulster Cars. When he finally tracked down the salesman Stephen he was told that his boss had ordered that the car was not to move from the Toyota dealership "because he did not trust bank drafts from the South".

Mr Clarke says he made repeated attempts to clarify the matter that afternoon, but was unable to get anybody in authority to explain the situation.

"At 5pm, it was too late to organise a bus home for the three of us. We stayed over in Longford and arranged to take the bus back home the next day."

Mr Clarke says he finally made contact with Mid Ulster Cars the next day, and he admits he was a "little aggrieved".

When contacted about the matter, a spokesman for Mid Ulster Cars in Cookstown did not deny the series of events took place but he suggested that the deal was cancelled by Mr Clarke.

Mr Clarke agrees that he did indeed tell Nigel that he would "take his business elsewhere."

"But this was only after we were stood up and I was told that my money was no good."

Since March, the Limerick man has contacted the Toyota company in an attempt to purchase the Landcruiser he wants without another two-month waiting period and also gain some recompense for his troubles.

"Toyota Customer Services have indicated numerous times that my problem was with Mid Ulster cars, not Toyota and that Mid Ulster Cars is in fact an independent dealer and Toyota had no jurisdiction over it. The fact that Mid Ulster Cars is a Toyota dealership, flies a Toyota flag and sells Toyota cars on behalf of Toyota seems to have escaped its attention."

Mr Clarke has since agreed a deal with another Toyota dealership in the North for a similar vehicle; one which accepts Irish bank drafts and one, Mr Clarke hopes, will actually turn up this time in Longford.

At the time of going to press, Toyota had declined the opportunity to comment on the matter. However, the spokesman for Mid Ulster Cars said that he had been talking to Mr Clarke and the two parties have come to an "animcable agreement' on the matter.