Council says sorry for motor trade slur

Wednesday 5th August 2009, 2:56PM BST.

Senator Alan Breckon

THE Consumer Council has had to publish a front-page correction after erroneously claiming that Islanders were being ripped off by local car dealers.

The ‘unreserved apology’ is printed in the August edition of its magazine Jersey Consumer News.

An article in the April edition of the publication had claimed that Islanders were paying over the odds for cars compared with prices in the UK and on the internet.

‘Unfortunately, we were using some flawed data in our price collection, it was not like-for-like and the accusations of ‘ripping off’ made against local motor traders are unfounded,’ the front page apology said. ‘

Senator Alan Breckon, who spearheads the Consumer Council, said: ‘We are happy to correct this situation in the current edition and I have written to the Jersey Motor Trades Federation with an unreserved apology for the headline.’

• See Wednesday’s JEP for full story.

Read the full story in the Jersey Evening Post. Click here for subscription details. Individual editions are also available online.

1
Paul

August 5, 2009 at 3:31 pm

And I wish more people in positions of power just put their hand up and said sorry when they are wrong.

I can but dream!!!!!

Well done Alan.

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2
JERSEYBEAN

August 5, 2009 at 3:42 pm

I can still buy cheaper in europe,and if i buy a new say, bmw,i can still have it repaired under the franchise warranty in jersey.i have infact done so,in the past.so why buy a new car in jersey.when its to buy in europe.

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3
Mogit

August 5, 2009 at 4:55 pm

As far as I am concerned the comments are fully justified, all cars in this Island went up with the introduction of VRD, have they come down since it was replaced with GST – NO!!!
The motortrade treats everyone here the same way as the supermarkets, that’s the price take it or go elsewhere – oops sorry you can’t can you, well yes I can and will continue to shop off island for all my needs, i’m just wondering when Tez and his sidekicks will close that loophole!!!

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4
Warren J

August 5, 2009 at 5:27 pm

I was bemused by the comments put forward by both the DVLS and JMTA, it implying that the majority of personally imported cars were Non Type Approved / American ets, requiring significant modifications to make them road legal on the island.

While I accept that it is possible to buy a new car (EU Spec) new, off island and register it here, I would question why someone would buy a mainstreem used car in the UK, which has done a higher number of miles, unknown history, and which will understandably attract a searching eye from the DVLS. It’s not as if you can reclaim any of the VAT that was originally paid when the car was registered in the UK.

There are good, low mileage cars for sale on this island, and yes, they may be more expensive, but you can at least check them out and establish its true history. You also dont have the hassle of registering it through teh DVLS.

The car I bought last year from a local trader had covered only 34,000 miles. Anything similar in the UK would have covered over 100,000 in the same time.

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5
Spring Heeled Jack

August 6, 2009 at 9:15 am

Complete and utter cobblers and a perfect example of why we, the consumer, pay such large retail prices in comparison with the United Kingdom when we have a consumer council with as much balls as a neutered cat.
Cars are cheaper in the UK – that fact is without doubt. Go to any UK dealer website and compare prices. The only difference is the mileage. You may well have a three year old UK car with 30,000 miles on the clock, but for most cars that is healthier than a car never taken out of third gear, kept near the sea and with 10,000 miles showing. Our dealers have a “take it or leave it” attitude towards their customers with appalling, blasé after sales service.
It’s really not that difficult to get a car registered in Jersey that has been purchased from the UK.
Unfortunately the consumer council beats it’s chest with pride after leaning on smaller businesses but fails abysmally and cowers in fear at the large companies which control electricity, gas, food prices and in this case vehicles.

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6
Spring Heeled Jack

August 6, 2009 at 9:22 am

Oh, and as a side note, you can have the full history of a UK car checked out. Its costs about a fiver and companies such as the AA do a full check on outstanding finance, whether written off, stolen etc.
Also, on the subject of a vehicles history, a large number of ex hire Jersey “H” plate cars end up being sold by dealers as “one previous owner” cars. This may be true, as they have indeed had only one owner, but with probably 50 different drivers, all ragging the pants out of the engine.

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7
now much wiser.

August 6, 2009 at 11:42 am

Rip off, There is a rip-off mentality in Jersey.

While on Holiday in Jersey I had a defect on my Mercedes, boot lock locking…

Jersey estimate at main dealer cost me 96 pounds to have a look at lock (not opining the boot) and a whooping estimate of 400 pounds plus, and a two or three week wait for parts…

Went home to Germany here are the costs.

Estimate …..FREE.
Cost of repair 145 pounds.
Time it took. I HAD THE CAR RETURNED TO ME IN SIX HOURS, WASHED, AND VALITED.

YES YOU RE BEING RIPPED OFF IN JERSEY.

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