// find the existing customer or create a new one
    Customer.findOrCreate({email: customer.email}, customer).exec(function (err, customerFound) {

      if (err) {
        sails.log(vehicle.vrm + ': error finding or creating customer');
        sails.log(err);
        return res.serverError(500);
      }
      else {

        sails.log(vehicle.vrm + ": customer ID " + customerFound.id);

        // overwrite the customer object with the data in the database
        customer = customerFound; // TODO should only do this if customer is found in db?

        var contactDetailsArgs = {
          id: valuation.partner_id,
          vrm: vehicle.vrm,
          name: customer.name,
          email: customer.email,
          phone: customer.phone,
          postcode: customer.postcode
        };

        soap.createClient(sails.config.motorway.tcbgApiUrl, function(err, client) {

          if (err) {
            sails.log(vehicle.vrm + ': error initialising soap client');
            sails.log(err);
            return res.serverError(500);
          }

          client.login({
            username: sails.config.motorway.tcbgApiUser,
            password: sails.config.motorway.tcbgApiPassword
          }, function(err, result) {

            if (err) {
              sails.log(vehicle.vrm + ': error logging into to tcbg api');
              sails.log(err);
              return res.serverError(500);
            }

            client.setSecurity(new cookie(client.lastResponseHeaders));

            client.contactDetails(contactDetailsArgs, function(err, result, raw) {

              sails.log(vehicle.vrm + ': contactDetails: ' + client.lastRequest);
              sails.log(vehicle.vrm + ': contactDetails: ' + raw);

              if (err) {
                sails.log(vehicle.vrm + ': error sending customer details');
                sails.log(err);
                return res.serverError(500);
              }
              else {
                if (!result) {
                  sails.log(vehicle.vrm + ': customer already exists with tcbg');
                }
                return res.send(customer);
              }

            });

          });

        });

      }

    });