Virgin Cars, part of the Motor Solutions retail operation run by Derek Cook, was put on the defensive by BBC1’s Watchdog consumer programme last night, following around 80 complaints concerning cars bought from the company.

In one instance, a customer had bought a vehicle only to discover when Virgin later arranged an independent inspection that it had been involved in a crash and subsequently repaired. Other complaints concerned late delivery of ordered vehicles.

During the programme, AM industry editor Tony Willard told viewers: "When Virgin Cars started, it was an internet operation running on little or no stock. The really surprising thing about recent developments is that with the tie-up with Derek Cook's bigger business, which buys cars from all over the place, they're still having trouble fulfilling the wishes of customers when they place their order, and not delivering on time."

Virgin Cars was not represented on the programme, but Derek Cook told AM that Motor Solutions and Virgin Cars sell around 2,000 cars a month, with one in three delivered within 10 days.

"If watchdog say they have had 80 complaints this year, which we question, it equates to 0.4% of customers. From our industry knowledge and experience we know that this is far less than traditional car dealers experience."