We asked Dougie a few questions after his big surprise back in March and our Cazookeeper was only too happy to share his thoughts with us.
Customer stories
Customer stories: meet Dougie
Our 1000th customer, zookeeper Dougie from Oxfordshire, was ecstatic when we surprised him by giving him his Cazoo car for free!
Q: How did you feel when you saw the Cazoo car transporter arriving at your home?
A: Excited, very excited! I wasn’t nervous because of all of the great reviews I’d read online.
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Q: And how did you feel when you realised you were our 1000th customer and that you were getting your Cazoo car for free?
A: I couldn’t believe it, I burst into tears. I was in shock. I couldn’t believe it was happening to me. I was very touched.
When the car was brought out and it looked exactly like it did in the pictures, absolutely spotless, I was already so excited and pleased. So when I was told I was being given it for free I was shocked but so happy! Then I burst into tears. I was happy with it paying full price, so getting it for free - how could I not be happy!
Q: Why did you choose a Cazoo car?
A: There were three main reasons why I decided to choose a Cazoo car. The first reason is that the service was rubbish in the dealerships I visited.
The second reason was the 7-Day Money Back Guarantee - I knew if I wasn’t satisfied with the car when it arrived I could have 7 days to send it back for a free collection and full refund.
The third reason is how honest you were about any scratches or damage. When you look at pictures online most people would hide any imperfections, but Cazoo are upfront and point them out. Even if it’s a hairline scratch or a tiny little mark you were very transparent and honest.
Q: What’s important to you when looking for a car?
A: The most important thing for me when buying a car is making sure our dog fits happily in the back. Whenever we go looking for a car we take the dog with us, and if he can get into the boot and there’s enough space for him, then we’ll consider the vehicle.
I test drove about three or four vehicles in other places and the service there was so terrible and the cars had obviously been test driven a lot and hadn’t been cleaned after. I decided to look online and that’s when I found Cazoo.
Q: How did you feel about buying a car online?
A: The references online were very positive and people were saying that they had great experiences with Cazoo. I had also seen lots of advertising which made me feel assured that this was a reliable company and it would be risk-free not only because of the 7-Day Money Back Guarantee but also because the company was financially stable.
Q: Did you feel supported by our Customer Support Team?
A: When I was processing the payment for the vehicle an error message popped up on the screen. I was confused and a little worried about my credit limit. I rang customer service and they told me that it was something to do with my bank because the payment hadn’t gone through. I rang the bank and they thought it had been fraudulent because I hadn’t used my credit card in a while and it’s a large transaction.
However, even after discussing this with the bank the transaction still didn’t go through, so I rang Cazoo again and was told the car would be reserved for me for a few days until the issue had been resolved. The Customer Support member was so helpful and understanding. I finally managed to get the payment through on Monday and I think it was because of that delay that I then became the 1000th customer! I was really pleased with the customer service as he reassured me on a number of different things and he went above and beyond.
Q: What will you be using your car for?
A: Mainly driving to work but also leisure activities like taking my dog for walks - things like that. I was looking for a second car because my wife needed one. I was originally planning to retire so was going to give the other car to her, but we both needed one in the end.
Q: Were you able to treat yourself to anything nice with the money you saved from winning the car?
A: My daughter is getting married so I gave her a chunk of money to spend on her wedding. She was supposed to get married in August 2020 but it was postponed because of the Covid lockdown and all that. She was sad about having to move the wedding so having some more cash to spend on it cheered her up a bit - I hope!
Q: Would you recommend Cazoo to anyone looking to buy a used car?
A: I’d tell them to use Cazoo, not because I got my car for free, but because it’s risk-free, easy and there’s such a big range of cars to choose from. If you can’t find it on the Cazoo website you’re unlikely to find it anywhere else in my opinion! I told everyone I worked with about my experience and they couldn’t believe it!
Q: How would you describe Cazoo in 3 words?
A: Safe, easy and extremely rewarding.
The better way to buy or sell a car
You’ll find lots of great-value used cars to choose from at Cazoo – check out our deals page for big savings on a wide selection of cars. Simply find the one you love then buy or finance it online. You can choose to have it delivered to your door, or you can collect it from your nearest Cazoo Customer Centre.
Cazoo makes selling a car just as easy – we'll give you an instant online valuation that's guaranteed for seven days, which you can also use if you want to part-exchange your current car for your Cazoo car.