James Baggott

Should have been crushed...

Hi Mark welcome to the forum. I'm sure our active embers will be able to point you in the right direction. Thanks for joining.

Well opening myself up to ridicule I bought this... https://twitter.com/cardealered/status/492236617609121793 It's a little bit tired but I've got some exciting plans for it. Thankfully Andy I helping me out. And I need all the help I can get...

I saw this on Twitter Jim. A brave move and a respectable one for your staff. But speaking purely as a consumer who is very busy during the week my buying is done at the weekend. Nothing frustrates me more than old school Sunday trading laws. I can't understand why we can't buy our shopping all day on a Sunday. My wife works Saturday so the only day we can go shopping together for clothes for the little one is on a Sunday yet all the shops are only open a few hours. It's frustrating to say the least. In a day and age when we are all so busy during the week relaxing Sunday trading laws would boost the economy massively in my opinion. I can see why you'd want to have Sunday off but wouldn't you be better off closing Mondays instead? I'm speaking purely from a personal opinion of course and think it's commendable to close Sundays for your staff and your well being.

Full interview with DVLA chief exec is in the next issue. We've taken your questions and put them to him. It's a revealing read... We sent the issue to the printers last night. It'll be with you late next week or more likely around 18th. Let us know your thoughts when you read it

Brilliant work Umesh!

I was talking to Tony Whitehorn, president of Hyundai in the UK, at our Power awards this week and we got chatting about how little dealers make (he thinks most franchises will struggle with just over 1 per cent return on sales this year) and other problems dealers are facing. He said he thinks the biggest is the FCA and changes to finance. I'd like Car Dealer to look into this further but before then what do you see are the problems you're facing in the finance world? What changes are going to cause you the most problems?

I'm so pleased that we've filled Bangers4BEN already this year. We haven't sold out 40 places so fast ever before and now even have a lengthy reserve list. I'm really looking forward to it and praying my recent purchase will make it...

What sort of thing are you looking to do?

Great insight guys - thanks for your honesty.

Do these celebrities even write the copy in the first place?

Sorry the event has now passed - keep an eye out in Car Dealer Mag for our next one though!

If it's a furry friend you may want to trim it back...

I'm sure this is fine. But I'm no expert. Car Dealer Club membership with free legal advice would be able to help you here... cardealerclub.com Welcome to the forum too :)

Will any end in sales? Or do they simply want a new kit? If I was in your position I'd be thinking very carefully about the return on investment. It may only be a few hundred quid but without a photo opp at the dealership and a guarantee of local coverage in the paper I wouldn't be doing it. Sounds harsh but this is business after all...

He isn't... Yet!

The interview takes place in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for your comments Chris and welcome to the forum!

We've secured an interview with the DVLA boss for the next issue. What do you want Batch to ask them?

Welcome!

The DVLA are very quiet on this. We've asked a few times for an interview. Nothing forthcoming.

Next one will be around the same time in 2015. Sorry you missed out but glad you're enjoying the forum!

Digital radio is great when it works problem is when it drops out. No crackle like FM and just about audible but silence. Hate that when listening it f1 or football on Five Live

Van sales are supposed to be one of the first things that rebound after a recession. We recently had a chat with an LCV specialist at work and he told us this has been true for some time. As new businesses start up again they invest in products to facilitate their jobs - I think now would be a great time to invest in vans.

Thanks for sharing this Chris! Interesting to see how you tackled it and got it resolved.