AutoTrader "Deal Builder"

[mik]

Saw this today - interesting.

[Jobbo]

If I were a dealer, I think I'd stop advertising on Auto Trader. They pay enough to AT; there is no point pandering to this.

However, if there were a dealer who I didn't like, it could be amusing to prevent them selling their stock for 3 weeks. Would only cost £1100 - I'm not interested in reserving a Civic I assume the reservation fee is refundable.

[Rich B]

If I were a dealer, I think I'd stop advertising on Auto Trader. They pay enough to AT; there is no point pandering to this.

However, if there were a dealer who I didn't like, it could be amusing to prevent them selling their stock for 3 weeks. Would only cost £1100 - I'm not interested in reserving a Civic I assume the reservation fee is refundable.

Yep, if you were selling a rare car with only a few for sale, you could quite easily pay a few hundred quid and take the others off the market for 3 weeks.

It does seem crazy to allow the reserve to take effect without qualification or consent from the seller.

[scotta]

If I were a dealer, I think I'd stop advertising on Auto Trader. They pay enough to AT; there is no point pandering to this.

However, if there were a dealer who I didn't like, it could be amusing to prevent them selling their stock for 3 weeks. Would only cost £1100 - I'm not interested in reserving a Civic I assume the reservation fee is refundable.

This was my exact first thoughts. Couple of fake accounts setup and a few quid on a returnable deposit.

[IanF]

Yeah, does seem unfair to dealers, but equally I dislike his suggestion that whilst you’re sorting out finance/part-ex on the car you believe you’ve reserved, the dealer can sell it to someone that pays cash for example.. especially as I imagine if I’d reserved a car, I’d probably have stopped looking at alternatives and maybe agreed the sale of my old car to a third party.

Like he says, autotrader is a voluntary service that dealers use, so you either comply with their terms or use a.n.other.. (was it Bryn that set up Motorway?)

[Rich B]

Doing the reserving via a (basically free) click with no actual discussion/qualification does seem to be a massive over reach - especially if the full control of this is in the consumers court.

Would people be as keen if the £99 went to the dealer and wasn’t refundable?

[240PP]

Daft idea in the extreme. And..

1: it’s mandatory
2: they’re charging for it.

Have AT forgotten who their customers are?