In my time here at Lawgistics Ltd it has become evident to me that, in the vast majority of cases, consumers expect cars that are many years old, having done many, many thousands of miles and for which they paid very little for, to drive as it was still hot off the manufacturers’ production line. The buyer has a gross over-expectation of their purchase.
However, If I had bought a washing machine for £20 that was 12 years old from a family with 6 children would I expect it to last in the same way as if was £300, new and from a High Street retailer? No.
Would I think that if that £20 washing machine needed a part replaced 5 months later that I had been sold a “dodgy†appliance? No.
As one of our clients stated about consumers, “They expect champagne cars for lemonade moneyâ€.
The CAB state http://goo.gl/VB1zFu that the most complained about consumer issues is around dodgy second-hand cars, with 6000 used car complaints reported a month. Faults are one of the most common problems.
Firstly, I take exception to them stating that their complaints are about "dodgy" cars - how can they say that when, for the most part, they only spend a few minutes speaking to one party and are often not mechanically or legally qualified?
Secondly, how do they know that those cars were defective?
I say the most common problem is “wear and tear†– something that buyers seem to conveniently forget the moment they’ve used the mileage and previous use to negotiate a hefty discount.