Which? says dealers breaking consumer rules

Franchised dealers have been accused of giving poor, misleading and unclear advice in an undercover report by Which?

The consumer watchdog claimed 12 of the 26 sites investigated in a mystery shopping exercise made “dubious or vague claims”, and four of these could have broken consumer protection regulations, introduced last May, designed to stamp out misleading sales tactics such as making false claims, or omitting vital information the consumer needs to make a purchasing decision.

Which? conceded that some bad advice could have been given due to a lack of training with dealers ill-informed about manufacturers’ offers.

But the watchdog said it suspected some dealers of using “bait and switch” tactics; advertising a car, despite knowing there’s no stock with the aim of selling an alternative.

It also alleged “pressure selling” was still ripe in the industry with sales staff implying a false deadline for a discount offer or claiming stocks are low.

“The ghost of Arthur Daley is alive and kicking, unfortunately. Dealers have had ample time to get used to the new rules, but too many still let car buyers down,” claimed Richard Headland, editor of Which? Car.

“Our investigation was just a snapshot, but we still found several examples of dubious sales advice. If dealers want to win the confidence of consumers, especially in these tough times, they need to play by the rules.”