Second-hand car dealers top list of consumer gripes

Second-hand cars bought from independent dealers have provoked more complaints from consumers than any other goods or services four years in a row, statistics from Consumer Direct reveal.

The consumer advice line managed by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) received 50,790 calls and e-mails complaining about second-hand cars last year, 8 per cent more than 2008’s 47,026 complaints. Complaints mostly related to defective vehicles and services as well as potentially misleading selling.

The continuous high level of complaints about used cars prompted the OFT to launch a study into the second-hand motor market in May last year. The study is considering whether car buyers are being sufficiently and effectively protected from dodgy dealers. Full results are expected to be published in the spring.

After used-cars, problem televisions were the second most popular gripe, with Consumer Direct receiving 22,184 complaints, an increase of 9 per cent on 2008. This was closely followed by complaints about mobile phone service agreements.
Out of the top ten most complained about goods and services, laptops saw the biggest increase on 2008 – of 42 per cent.

In total Consumer Direct recorded 1.5 million calls and e-mails in 2009, the majority of which criticised traders.

David Fisher, director of Consumer Direct,said: “While total complaint levels dropped slightly in 2009, complaints about some goods such as laptops and TVs rose significantly. In some cases this may reflect growing sales for particular products rather than a higher percentage of faulty goods or services.”