Used-car complaints hit new record
* Government advice service releases figures * Used cars are biggest source of complaints * Complaints rise by 18% on last year...
Dodgy dealers are continuing to tarnish the used car industry after a record number of complaints.
Last year, second-hand cars bought from independent dealers were the number-one problem reported to Consumer Direct, the Government's advice service.
41,880 complaints were made about used cars, up 18% on last year.
Independent used car dealers accounted for over 5% of total complaints to Consumer Direct, while car servicing and repairs from independent garages accounted for just under 2%. Second-hand cars from franchised dealers made up 1.6% of complaints.
Later this year, the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive will start to come into force. This European scheme will eventually replace 22 UK laws and help protect buyers from a wide range of dodgy sales tactics.
However, the change over will not happen immediately, and the scheme could take several years to operate effectively.
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