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PostPosted: Fri Mar 25, 2005 2:11 pm 
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Location: Plymouth, i think, i'll just check the A to Z!
dunno if anyone on here is desperate enough to use Yes car credit, but they were on the BBC's whistleblower programe last week, i missed it, but theres a feature on the BBC website:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?H26824FBA

An investigation by the BBC into Britain's leading car finance company, Yes Car Credit, has uncovered an operation where customers are lied to, inspections on cars are not properly carried out, and some potentially dangerous cars are sold with serious faults.

The programme meets a Yes Car customer who has been in a serious accident due to a fault with his car.

Yes Car Credit is the biggest individual seller of used cars in the UK, and has branches across the UK.

Whistleblower, which will be broadcast on BBC ONE at 9.00pm on Wednesday 16 March - the day that Provident Financial, which owns Yes Car Credit, announces their annual results - shows:

A Yes Car Credit Chief Technician admitting that he leaves: "Professionalism at the door", knowing that he does not have the authorisation, money or tools to thoroughly carry out the 125 point inspection on the second hand cars. While another mechanic who refers to 125 checklist, saying: "Yeah I just tick anything mate, f*** it, I don't care."

A Yes Car Credit Whistleblower tells the programme: "What we do is wrong. We had a car recently where the steering column became detached from the car."

He adds: "... the column became detached from the steering rack. It's not right. If somebody doesn't stop them doing [this] at some point they're going to send out a car that's so dangerous that a family or somebody in a vehicle is going to get hurt."

Salespeople at Yes Car Credit openly condemn the company's cars.

Undercover reporter Richard Newman asks a salesperson: "Why did he try to write the car off?" The salesperson replies: "Because he realised the car was [edited by admin]!"

While another salesperson tells the undercover reporter: "We wouldn't advise you to get a Yes Car credit car..."

A Yes Car Credit manager telling his staff not to offer a seven day exchange offer to customers or they will be sacked. The manager says - if any of the sales staff mentioned the advertised offer, "I will terminate you."

Yes Car Credit sales advisors lying to customers in the sales process with undercover reporter Richard Newman being trained with other Yes Car Credit sales advisors to pretend to consult underwriters in phone conversations with potential customers. He is told: "That's where your acting abilities come out Richard."

The programme also meets a Yes Car customer Chris Morley who has been in a serious accident due to a faulty exhaust. A broken exhaust pipe which catapulted the car nearly cost the 22-year-old his life.

He explains how he was only just able to control his car and "... get it away from two oncoming cars." The car careered down a bank and into trees.

But Morley's earlier concerns about the car were not dealt with by Yes Car Credit.

Morley said: "I called them a few days before the accident itself. And said, look there are gases escaping from the exhaust and it is starting to go. Is there any chance that we can get this repaired?"

According to Morley Yes Car told him: "Yeah, keep driving the car, keep driving it, right up till the exhaust finally goes."

Yes Car Credit sells almost 38,000 second hand cars a year and the company is now worth £140m, a figure achieved in just five years.

Whistleblower talks to several customers whose experience with different Yes Car Credit branches across the country has left them dissatisfied.

The BBC received more than 1,000 complaints from customers.

Provident Financial owns both Yes Car Credit and Provident Personal Credit.

The programme looks closely at Provident Personal Credit, raising concerns about rollover loans – and the pressure some customers face to refinance their loan and take out additional loans.

Provident Personal Credit said that their agents should never place pressure on a customer to refinance a loan or take out another loan.

And added that they will investigate thoroughly any evidence of this practice, and take any action as appropriate.

Provident Financial (which owns both Provident Personal Credit and Yes Car Credit) responded to the allegations in programme.

In a written statement it expressed concern that Yes Car employees were trained to deceive customers over credit checks and promised a full enquiry into how this practice was incorporated into their sales process.

The statement also said that encouraging staff to meet targets is normal in a sales environment but pressurising customers is unacceptable.

The company was committed to providing quality cars and any evidence of poor workmanship would be fully investigated.

They apologised for any failures in customer service but said significant changes had been introduced including the re-training of almost all sales staff.

They also said that it provides home credit of enormous social benefit to those on modest incomes with few credit choices.

It reported widespread customer satisfaction.

The company added that agents should never pressurise customers to refinance a loan and promised to thoroughly investigate any evidence of this and take appropriate action.

The company also added that they served thousands of satisfied customers every year.

Whistleblower also investigates the huge APRs (annual percentage rate) - which range from 177% to 497% - charged by Provident Personal Credit to customers on their loans.

The documentary provides a timely reminder of why Britons have found themselves in debt to the tune of £1 trillion.

Yes Car Credit has branches in: Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Chelmsford, Coventry, Dundee, Edinburgh, Gateshead, Glasgow, Horsham (Head office), Leeds, Liverpool, London North Enfield, London North West Alperton, London South Croydon, London South East Eltham, London South West Chertsey, Luton, Manchester, Newport, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Preston, Sheffield, Stoke, Willenhall (near Wolverhampton).

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PostPosted: Fri Mar 25, 2005 4:46 pm 
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steveo wrote:
dunno if anyone on here is desperate enough to use Yes car credit, but they were on the BBC's whistleblower programe last week, i missed it, but theres a feature on the BBC website:

I would guess this service is used by more drivers than we would think.

And the fact that they treat them like s*** is an utter disgrace. :sad:

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2005 9:47 am 
Sussex wrote:
steveo wrote:
dunno if anyone on here is desperate enough to use Yes car credit, but they were on the BBC's whistleblower programe last week, i missed it, but theres a feature on the BBC website:

I would guess this service is used by more drivers than we would think.

And the fact that they treat them like s*** is an utter disgrace. :sad:



Also avoid Carcraft, you've seen the adverts on TV avoid them like the plauge.


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 Post subject: Car credit
PostPosted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 5:04 pm 
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Location: Scotland cover whole of the UK
I have read your comments and note the reference to yes car credit. I am a Business Finance consultant and have recently completed an application for car credit for a private hire driver. He was self employed with no accounts and had to self certify his income. He found his own vehicle and I found the funding. I have a simple one page application form which is available to anyone who wants one. Email me on tomybfc@aol.com


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 3:39 pm 
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Location: Plymouth, i think, i'll just check the A to Z!
more news....

http://www.saynotoyescarcredit.moonfruit.com/


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 4:38 pm 
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steveo wrote:

It's very sad when you have a service that could get drivers their first cars, and they treat those drivers like s***. :sad:

We have enough people fleecing us already, without that shower joining the crush. [-X

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 11, 2005 7:32 pm 
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Location: Plymouth, i think, i'll just check the A to Z!
oh dear it looks like the poor luvs are in a spot of bother:

http://finance.pipex.com/Pipex/News/Story_Page/0,13319,5288_568364,00.html

Yes Car Credit 'could lose £20m'
Doorstep lender Provident Financial warned on Tuesday that its Yes Car Credit business could lose as much as £20 million this year.

The group, based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, said sales volumes in the first five months of 2005 were down 26 percent at Yes Car Credit, which was the subject of an investigation by BBC reporters earlier this year.

The group said depressed market conditions were to blame for the fall rather than negative publicity from the Whistleblower programme, which claimed that Yes customers were lied to and potentially dangerous cars were sold on to them.

Problems identified by the report were isolated at its Croydon branch and Provident said it has taken action, including retraining all its staff.

Chief executive Robin Ashton said the programme had "very limited" impact on the performance of Yes, pointing out that the decline in sales volumes was similar in the months before and after it was shown on TV.

Instead, Mr Ashton said its trading troubles "reflected consumer confidence and we believe our close competitors are seeing a similar sort of performance".

Yes Car Credit made a pre-tax loss of £4.6 million in the five months to May 31 as margins came under pressure from greater investment in improving the preparation and quality of vehicles put up for sale, he said.

At the same time, Provident has struggled to increase sales of optional products such as payment protection insurance at Yes and was unable to collect as many bad debts as last year.

Provident said: "The performance of the group at this half-year is likely to be below market expectations, but only as a result of the poor performance at Yes Car Credit."

Shares fell 6 percent even though Provident said it was implementing a "comprehensive improvement plan" to restore profitability.

This included a string of management changes. The initial target was to move the business back to break-even in 2006, the company said.

But it was not enough to prevent investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein from cutting its forecasts for Yes Car Credit from losses of £2.7 million to a deficit of £18 million.

Bill Barnard, an analyst at Dresdner, said Provident appeared to have taken very firm action over what it can control at Yes and the remainder of its operations remained "progressive as the balance between strong international growth and UK consolidation is played out".

He added: "We still feel Provident is playing a difficult deck well."

The core business of Provident is loans to low-income families. The group said its UK home credit business continued to produce a solid performance against a backdrop of competitive market conditions.

Although customer numbers at the end of May were 4 percent lower than a year earlier, credit issued in 2005 so far was up 5 percent after the company selectively increased loans to lower-risk, established customers.


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 11, 2005 7:38 pm 
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steveo wrote:
Doorstep lender Provident Financial warned on Tuesday that its Yes Car Credit business could lose as much as £20 million this year.

Oh how my heart bleeds for them. :-({|=

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PostPosted: Wed Dec 14, 2005 5:02 pm 
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It's all ended in tears:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4528162.stm

Good riddance, I suspect :?

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PostPosted: Sun Dec 18, 2005 8:34 pm 
lets hope so.
they are the bottom of a very dodgy barrel.
and need to be gone. :sad:


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