Out of 2,200 establishments visited, two-thirds of them presented “anomalies” ranging from deception to failure to display and including the forced sale of services. Artinun / stock.adobe.com
The DGCCRF has uncovered unfair practices in two thirds of targeted dealerships, garages and online sales sites for new and used cars and motorcycles.
At the end of a year and a half of investigation among dealers, agents, branches, garages and online sales platforms, the DGCCRF draws up a worrying observation of commercial practices in the distribution of new vehicles or used, cars and motorcycles.
Out of 2,200 establishments visited by mystery shoppers and departmental agents until March 2022, two-thirds of them presented “abnormalities” ranging from deception to failure to display and the forced sale of services. “Such a proportion is explained by the fact that the checks followed a targeting carried out after reports or complaints from consumers and thanks to the identification carried out by our agents”explains a spokesperson for the DGCCRF.
A total of 320 criminal reports and 170 reports of administrative fines were drawn up. ” Offenses relate, for example, to the misleading origin of a second-hand vehicle, the mention of which must obligatorily appear. This can come from a rental company or a driving school. It may also have been heavily damaged and repaired. But the mention of a past accident is not really a selling point, some professionals prefer to modify the origin or omit it to set a higher price. More banal, a demonstration vehicle can be presented as new. Mileage can also be underestimated. During the investigation, a lowering of 121,000 km was thus noted.
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“Preparation costs”
Other frequent infractions: the normally optional charges that are mandatorily charged in a package or pack. ” Some distributors add registration procedures or insurance to the sale price, or impose the engraving of the serial number without specifying that it is not compulsory. These additional services can increase the price of a new or used vehicle by 200 to 1200 euros », Specifies the spokesperson for the DGCCRF. The “preparation costs” of new vehicles are normally included in the price but some add additional products (a full tank of fuel, floor mats, spare bulbs, etc.) to increase the bill a little.
Another observation of the investigators, the rules governing the financing of the purchase of vehicles are not always respected. Thus the customer may be led to take out consumer credit from the professional in exchange for an additional commercial guarantee, assistance, car insurance, etc. But at rates much higher than those of conventional banks for the same type of credit.
The DGCCRF evokes many cases of negligence and is preparing to transmit its assessment to the professional federations. But obviously, partial or erroneous information aims to take advantage of the vagueness in which the customer will carry out the transaction. Potential buyers should take their time. For the purchase of used vehicles, they can consult HistoVec, the site of the Ministry of the Interior which lists the history of vehicles.
This is not the first time that the competition and consumer affairs department has targeted car and motorcycle distributors. A used sales survey was conducted in 2019 and in 2011 on new vehicle sales. The catches during this dragnet should lead mystery shoppers to continue their investigations in the coming years.
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