So, almost a year after Boris sent us into lockdown 1, we finally see some light regarding opening forecourts and showrooms for business!
It’s been a tough year, but so many dealers have adapted, survived and in many cases, thrived.
The date, when car dealers in England and Scotland can throw open their doors, looks to be 12 April 2021 (with Wales possibly earlier). This date is a “no earlier than” date and so it could be pushed back, but current signs are that we will fully get going again as an industry within seven weeks.
For now, we need to continue to keep premises closed and keep doing business in response to remote orders only, whether that be online or by phone. You can of course, as we have advised all along, section off a bit of the showroom to allow customers in to sign documents and complete any remote sales – the law has always allowed this.
For those of you who have embraced distance selling, we expect this will continue alongside more traditional sales but do remember that you will still need to provide the customer with all the distance sales terms to protect yourself from customers abusing both vehicles and your good nature. Give your customers a copy of our free Distance Sale template at the time of order and you will have complied with your legal obligations under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. You cannot take away the consumer’s statutory right to the 14 days return period but you can ensure the sales are done on your terms.
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