| 19 January |
Trade Body Warns Costumers Of Sham Websites |
Consumers should be extra vigilance when confronted with cheap vehicle deals on the internet or in the press warn the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), the trade body for the UK vehicle rental industry.
The police and Trading standards are investigating a number of cases of companies who lured customers with low prices and offers to deliver the vehicles to their door. Many customers have been conned out of hundreds of pounds when their vehicle fails to arrive and the company does not really exist.
BVRLA Chief Executive John Lewis has advised customers to be extremely vigilant when looking for leasing a van on the internet, where it is easier for fraudsters to pass themselves off as a legitimate business.
He said: “Usually, if a deal looks too good to be true more often than not it probably is. These sham operators are damaging the reputation of car rental and many other industries. We are working with the authorities to help stamp them out.”
While fiat van leasing and Vauxhall van leasing had positive returns in 2010, internet rental and leasing deals may suffer due to the risk of fraud. In the mean time, the BVRLA is offering five simple tips for customers looking for safe and hassle-free car or van rental.
- Never hand over cash. Most vehicle rentals only accept payment by card.
- Only use a BVRLA member. An indication that a website is legitimate is that it possesses the BVRLA logo. The BVRLA have a conciliation service in the case of a dispute.
- Make sure the company actually has the cars that it’s offering. BVRLA members operate their own rental fleet.
- If the offer seems too good to be true then it probably is.
- Make sure the company is operating from genuine commercial premises, not a PO Box or virtual office, even if the location sounds prestigious.