Machine unbundling: 90% of car buyers overpay for extra services
It is virtually impossible to buy a new car without additional services, often imposed, Izvestia has learned from talking to buyers, sellers and court lawyers. People are forced to buy mats, install alarm systems, and take out various insurances and guarantees. As a result, the car can be 40-50% more expensive than the original price tag. Additional services are purchased by about 90% of buyers, representatives of car dealerships confirmed to the publication. As a result, many later try to challenge the terms of the deal to buy a car in the courts: about 30% of consumer lawsuits relate to the imposed additional services. How and how much people overpay when buying a car - in the material "Izvestia".
How car dealerships sell additional services
When buying a car in a showroom, overpayment for various additional services can be up to half of the cost of the car, "Izvestia. Experts and car enthusiasts told Izvestia that about 10% of the car price has to be spent on additional equipment and up to 40% on various insurances and guarantees of roadside assistance.
About 90% of buyers buy cars in car dealerships of the network with additional services, such as insurance and others, told "Izvestia" in the showrooms of the company "Rolf". Clients there are offered various insurance programs, extended warranty and "Roadside Assistance" program.
- The greatest demand in our showrooms are products related to car protection, - said Olga Boiko, Director of Financial Services Department of Rolf Company. - Roadside assistance services, tire and disk insurance and extended warranty are also in demand.
In the automobile group "Avilon" told that only last year 89.8% of buyers used KASKO insurance services, credit services - 58.7%, and trade-in - 56.1%.
Managers of car dealerships directly state that they are not interested in selling a car without additional equipment, Dmitry, a car enthusiast from Perm, told Izvestia. He wanted to buy a car in the basic configuration, but faced the imposition of additional equipment at all stages of the purchase.
- I was told that installation of music, alarm system and other things will cost about 100 thousand, such an amount over the cost of the car was unaffordable for me, - complained the man. - I told them that I don't want any stereos, alarm systems, because in their salon it all costs three times as much, and it can be installed cheaper elsewhere. But they started to scare me that in that case I could lose the warranty.
The manager of the car dealership began to complain openly to Dmitry that he would not earn anything on the deal.
- In the end I took the car completely empty, even without mats, without engine crankcase protection (plastic cover. - Ed.). I was told that all this had to be purchased additionally. It turns out that all this is not installed at the factory, although it seems to me that these components should be included in the set, but they are removed somewhere in the service," he added.
The man's fears are not groundless, an employee of one of the car dealerships confirmed to Izvestia. According to him, cars arrive at their showrooms with mats and anti-corrosion treatment of the underbody, but they hide it before the sale.
- The buyer is offered to perform services for underbody treatment and buy mats for the salon, and after agreeing to do so, they roll out the car in the same condition as it arrived at the salon," he explained.
Without additional services salons make a markup on the car about 25%. At the same time it is almost impossible to buy a car without credit, the source noted, the price for cash will be much higher. There are no pleasant emotions from buying a car in the end, assured Dmitry.
- When the salon begins to obsessively offer some additional equipment, they put the buyer in an uncomfortable position if he does not have the necessary amount at once, - emphasized the man. - They push, corner, frighten. They create a conflict situation, so I don't want to go there anymore.
Usually, when buying a new car, customers spend 5-7% of its cost on additional equipment, explained Denis Migal, the founder of FRESH automobile marketplace.
- For many dealers additional equipment is still the only way to increase the margin, - he said.
According to him, car manufacturers have recently started to interfere in this process, believing that dealers earn too much on extra services. They offer their distributors to install additional features, only those agreed upon by the car manufacturer.
- In my opinion, this is a wrong position, because in the end this approach will have a negative impact on the consumer. Firstly, he will not be able to install the features he wants, but to choose from those imposed by the manufacturer. Secondly, additional equipment will make the purchase more expensive for the consumer, - emphasized Denis Migal.
Due to the growth of the utilization fee and the key rate of the Central Bank, cars have already increased in value by about 6%, which affected sales. All this may negatively affect the profitability of dealers and lead to their closure, he predicts.
Rospotrebnadzor in the last five-six years receives mass complaints from consumers that car dealerships cancel the discount received when buying a car, if the buyer refuses the imposed services, said the chairman of the State Duma Committee on Industry and Trade, Vladimir Gutenev. Additional goods and services, according to him, are imposed for an amount of at least Br100-500 thousand. At the same time, hull insurance for the same car in the office of the dealer can cost twice as much as outside it, and life and health insurance - 10 times more.
At the end of January, the State Duma passed in the first reading a bill to protect citizens from the imposition of additional paid goods and services. According to the bill, it will be possible to offer customers additional services only after the main contract is concluded
Overpayments when buying on credit
When buying a car on credit, Russians face the imposition of a large number of unnecessary guarantees and insurances, which can increase the cost of the car by 40%, added court lawyer Lyubava Trofimova.
- My client came to a car dealership and wanted to buy a car on credit. As a result, along with the loan, he was imposed insurance against job loss, life insurance, legal advice on how to resolve disputes over road accidents, as well as a five-year guarantee of roadside assistance, - she explained.
When the man realized that he was cheated, the car dealership refused to voluntarily terminate the contract and return the money, the buyer had to go to court.
Artur, a Moscow resident, found himself in a similar situation. When buying a domestic car with state support on credit to get a discount from the salon of 50 thousand rubles, he was imposed additional guarantees and insurance for more than 200 thousand rubles.
- As a result, on leaving the salon was not happy about buying a car, he felt cheated. It took me another week to study all these papers and realize that I had been sold, in fact, air," the man said.
However, he could not refuse from additional insurance services: the company refused to cancel the contract and return the money. The man went to court.
"According to the plaintiff, he was imposed a set of services not directly related to the contract of sale of the car. The plaintiff sent a claim to the defendants with a notice of rejection of the contract and the policy-offer. In doing so, the plaintiff did not utilize the services of the LLC. The refund was refused", - says the court decision (Izvestia has it).
As a result, the Zyuzinsky District Court decided to recover the money paid under the contract, interest for the use of alienated funds, a fine for failure to satisfy consumer demands, as well as compensation for moral damage from the company that sold the independent warranty services. Representatives of the car dealership responded by filing a counterclaim: in it they stated that the buyer, by terminating the contract through the court, violated the terms of the contract, according to which the discount is provided only in case of purchase of additional services.
- Moreover, they sued me in the region where I am registered. By pure coincidence, I was there during that period, I came to the court hearing and the court again took my side," Arthur explained.
However, the man also encountered the company's trickery when returning the money. It turned out that the cost of the service itself was only 6% of the total amount under the contract, and the rest was the agent's remuneration.
How to avoid overpayments
In the courts about 30% of disputes of consumer topics relate to imposed additional services, explained Lyubava Trofimova. The number of such cases in the practice of lawyers is growing every year, added the lawyer of the Moscow Bar Association Maryana Khadzhieva.
- Often the question of the possibility of purchasing the main product or service is directly dependent on the purchase of an additional service. This happens despite a direct prohibition of the law," she noted.
According to the law "On Protection of Consumer Rights", conditions when the purchase of some goods or services is impossible without the purchase of others are recognized as inadmissible. In such a case, the seller may be held administratively liable.
- In addition, it should not be forgotten that the current legislation provides for the right of the consumer to withdraw from the concluded service contract and refund the money paid. According to the law, you can do this within 14 days from the date of purchase, - she emphasized.
Despite the fact that courts quite often decide such disputes in favor of consumers, not everyone goes to court, stressed Lubava Trofimova.
- Most people are resigned to the fact that they overpaid for such services, especially if the amount is small - a few thousand rubles. But the seller may have hundreds of such clients. Naturally, this is a huge profit," she assured.
It is desirable, according to her, to come to the conclusion of the deal in the salon together with a lawyer.
- I advise you to buy a car only with a lawyer, because it is not bread in the store. This is a large purchase, the loan for which you will have to pay several years. A long time, the overpayment can be huge. When managers see a lawyer who looks at the documents, they behave more correctly, they realize that you can't cheat, - she is sure.
In addition, according to the lawyer, it is important for the buyer to read all the documents he will sign in the showroom, including the fine print.
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