When you buy a new car, you can rest assured knowing that you are the first owner, and therefore its history starts with you. For those who buy used cars, unfortunately the same cannot be said. We put our faith in the previous owner and trust that all past information is passed on to us in order to know exactly what we are buying. Yet recent investigations revealed that car dealers aren’t being all that truthful when it comes to selling on used cars…
Hidden Histories
Current legislation states that any car that has previously been used as a rental vehicle should NOT be sold on to another buyer. However, Auto Express carried out an investigation which brought to light that the majority of car manufacturers actually insist that if a car is ex-rental, then this information is not passed on to potential buyers, despite knowing they are breaking the law. Even more shockingly, Britain’s largest dealer has revealed they would provide the information, but only if they were asked!
Consumer Protection
According to the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (CPUTR) 2008, withholding any information from the customer, that could in fact affect their decision about whether to continue with the purchase or not, is illegal. Therefore, falsely advertising a car as only having had one previous owner, but not revealing that the previous owner was a rental company, is a typical example of breeching this law.
If found guilty of this misconduct, dealerships could find themselves in court, subject to some considerably large fines or even (worst case scenario) in jail!
Manufacturer’s Response
However, when questioned about their practices and policies by Auto Express, 83% of all major car manufacturers said they did not insist their dealers mention if the vehicle was ex-rental to any onlooking customers. This is evident in dealer group, Pendragon, whereby its spokeswoman disclosed; “Revealing that a car is ex-rental or fleet could be misleading and might put people off.”
The Impact
In regards to this unprofessionalism and rule-breaking, 75% of calls received by Citizens Advice each year are complaints from buyers about the unlawful practices of car dealerships. Yet, despite there being an awareness of these illegitimate advertisements, Gerry Taylor, motor trade expert of Trading Standards admitted that due to the harsh cutbacks, there simply isn’t enough manpower to be able to enforce these regulations and keep a lid of the amount of wrongful, false advertising and selling that potential buyers are unfortunately experiencing.
Caversham Vehicle Hire
If you are in search of a well-established and trustworthy vehicle rental company throughout Reading and Newbury, then the friendly team at Caversham are the people to call. We can offer advice about finding the right vehicle to suit your requirements and, with a wide range available from cars to vans and minibuses, we make sure to cater for all our customers’ needs. Simply get in touch with us today.
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