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[cruisetopoland]

Got to know quite a bit about these guys and how they work...they had jobs going....

You've seen the ads; go to the website, enter car details, get an offer-usually on the (very) low side and then make an appointment to take it to their office to collect a cheque.

The reality:
Say your offer is £2000, you make an apointment, go to the rented office on a trading estate as per instructions.

The staff member comes out (has 15 minute slots to deal with people) and offers you £1650 after using a paint meter and using every trick to knock the price.  You agree (!) and they charge £28 for a CHAPS payment instead of a cheque.

They then sell the car back to the trade at trade price-not via a car supermarket as I had thought-and make a few hundred quid-just over the amount they have "chipped" you by.

The staff are paid on net profit and trained to reduce the original offer as far as possible to make money.
Basic is £9,000 the rest commission for this "chipping".

As you can see, there will be better ways of getting the right price-their best customers are "desperate" sellers who are emigrating, selling deceased relative's cars and do not care-the guy was very proud he had the record of offering exactly half the online val to someone who let slip they were emigrating the next day.....

If one of you has a totally screwed car ready for scrapping, strip it and drive it there-by law they have to offer £50 for ANY car because of the advertising, so get it there and demand your £50!! 

Hopefully it will self combust after the money clears....

[Ian_D]

Not surprised if im honest.

Thieving Barstools!

[cruisetopoland]

My thoughts entirely 

[tunnie]

scumbags!

[Mr Skrunts]

Sounds like the same out let as mobile money.  (heard of it via a friend that loaned money againt cars.)  Kick in the nuts offers as they knew the typical punter that went to them was desperate and 9/10 they got thier own way.

[Rockhampton]

Sounds like the same out let as mobile money.  (heard of it via a friend that loaned money againt cars.)  Kick in the nuts offers as they knew the typical punter that went to them was desperate and 9/10 they got thier own way.

Yeah, there's a place near here called 'Log Book Loans', where they lend you money against your car, charge you heaps of interest and hang on to your V5 - scumbags

[KillerWatt]

All these insults of scumbags, rip-off, etc.....all crap.

They are in business to make money, and if you need money quick then the old adage of beggars can't be choosers springs to mind.

[Bent valve]

All these insults of scumbags, rip-off, etc.....all crap.

They are in business to make money, and if you need money quick then the old adage of beggars can't be choosers springs to mind.

Agreed. But they are still parasites though, preying on desperate or simple people

[cruisetopoland]

Yeah, ok-but the fact is they never offer what they say they will, which is an awful business practice.

Its not as if they quote and then allow for damage etc to reduce the price; the online val specifies all damage and their whole business model is conning people to come and see them and then reducing the price to an unfairly low level.  The staff are paid on the reduction they get, so the online valuation is a total nonsense-even when people drive for hours to get the payment they have been quoted.

Yes, market factors dictate a price, but this is a scandalous way to do business. 

[Kevin Wood]

Nobody's forcing anyone to accept a low offer for their car. They don't strike me as any different to the timewasters that you'll get in response to any ad in the auto trader who turn up and offer 50% of the asking price, then won't bu66er off.

As said, they only have to get a few desperate people who will take the cash, and it's worth their while.

Yes, they might be devious, but so are the loan companies who advertise on TV, most credit card companies who keep ratcheting your credit limit up and waiting for you to bite, etc. etc.

They are just preying on those who haven't got the discipline, or simply can't be bothered, to stick to their principles.

Kevin

[cruisetopoland]

That's true, but my point is that they should not always offer one price on-line then routinely  withdraw that when someone makes the effort to get to the site.  It is not down to a car being worse than description-it is what their company does as a strategy EVERY  time.

I would have no issue if they stated the final price on-line and you could make an informed decision then.  Market forces dictate that pressure to sell quickly reduces the price-fair's fair.  It is the misleading aspect that irks me-but this is how they hook people in and make the money.
I posted here to warn members this is the way they do things.

As the person I met said-you have to be ready for angry people if you take the job....

Having sold many, many cars (86 to date, due to wanting variety and doing huge mileages), I don't mind the right person genuinely "stealing" a car off me if I like them and they like the car-messers get very short shrift, however-so I would be one of those angry people 

They will only last as a company until their tactic becomes widely known, then people won't bother going