Another customer has come forward claiming a Winnipeg car dealership owes her money following a CBC News story about a Brandon couple who claim to be owed more than $28,000.
Warren and Mary Houle told CBC News their story about a trade-in deal with SRT Auto earlier this month.
They were quoted a trade-in value of $28,157 for their 2013 van, which they understood would be applied to the outstanding loan for that vehicle.
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George Iny, director of the Automobile Protection Association — which lobbies for auto safety standards and promotes consumer information — said some dealers use over-valuing trades as a sales tactic.
“What you do is inflate the trade-in value, then you pack two loans on to the price of the next vehicle,” Iny said in a phone interview from Montreal.
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Iny reviewed two bills of sale provided by CBC News. Both the Houles’ and Richard’s bills of sale show the value of their trade-in listed as equal to the lien payable on their initial loans.
He said in both cases, the purchase prices appear to be inflated.
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More oversight needed
Iny said the best course of action in this situation is to contact Manitoba’s Consumer Protection Office. Cases like this, he said, are signs that current rules and regulations need to be better enforced.
“I think the root of the issue is the level of oversight. Regulators just don’t get out there. They don’t put themselves in the shoes of one of the customers they regulate,” Iny said.