OFT warning may lead to increase in pickup truck leasing
Friday 17 September 2010 | By Evolution InternetBack to Newsroom
More people may be tempted to opt for pickup truck leasing rather than buying a second-hand vehicle following a warning from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).
It has advised those buying used vehicles from a dealer to ensure they know their rights following a rise in complaints to its advice service Consumer Direct.
In the first six months of 2010, it received just over 38,000 complaints about second hand vehicles bought from dealers, an increase of about 18 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Michele Shambrook, operations manager for Consumer Direct, said: "Cars are an expensive purchase, so before parting with any money people need to know exactly what they are getting and what they can do if things go wrong.
"Dealers have a responsibility to sell cars that are of 'satisfactory quality'. This will vary depending on issues including the vehicle's age and mileage."
He added that the vast majority of all second hand car faults come to light in the first three months and so are often the dealer's responsibility to fix.
Around 3.6 million second hand cars are bought each year.
