10:48 am, June 26, 2024
A luxury car salesman has issued a defiant response after his unfair dismissal claim against Sytner was thrown out by a judge.
Car Dealer reported earlier this week that Kenneth Purdon had lost an employment tribunal in relation to his departure from Bentley Edinburgh in 2022.
A judge ruled that Sytner had acted within its rights and dismissed Purdon’s claims that he had been ‘performance-managed’ out of his role as sales manager.
The story was picked up by multiple national news outlets and Purdon has now responded publicly to the ruling for the first time.
In a lengthy LinkedIn post, he said that he accepted the tribunal’s decision and was not planning to ‘move forward’.
‘I wish to address the recent Employment Tribunal case in which I brought against the Sytner Group,’ he wrote.
‘The proceedings took place in Glasgow over the dates of February 19th, 20th, and 21st, 2024. The tribunal’s decision was not in my favour.
‘I have been transparent about the occurrence and outcome of this case from the beginning. While I respectfully disagree with the tribunal’s decision, I have chosen to accept the verdict and move forward.’
During the hearing, judge Robert King was told that Purdon had made ‘bad buying decisions’ in his role as sales manager.
These included buying an ‘inappropriate’ orange Benteyga, which took six months to shift, before being sold at a £13,500 loss, as well as another vehicle with a garish bright yellow body.
He was also accused of advertising cars which were dirty or poorly displayed and trying to sell a vehicle with a ‘visible stone chip’ in the paintwork.
In response to the claims, Purdon said: ‘It is important to note that Sytner does indeed have a dedicated buying department.
‘This department includes group buyers who are specifically employed to acquire cars for stock. This fact stands regardless of differing opinions on the matter.’
Purdon resigned from his position following a string of disagreements with bosses, related to question marks over his performance.
The judge heard that when the sales manager was told that his performance was not up to scratch, the claimant merely ‘smirked’, leading to the meeting getting ‘heated’.
A general sales manager – Andy Canning – was later appointed by Sytner to act as a ‘second pair of eyes’ on transactions.
Purdon resigned a short time later before bringing the claim of unfair constructive dismissal against Sytner.
Reflecting on the case, the claimant added: ‘I have had no issue with the Bentley brand, as in my personal view, it is an exceptional brand; the product is unmatched, and the people directly employed with the brand are individuals with integrity.
‘I want to publicly thank the support I have had from my wife, family, and friends, as well as the new clients that have utilised and joined my business since its concept, but also a special thank you to those that have joined and renewed since this story broke.’
The full ruling can be found here.
