New Motor Trade Association: 84 Year-Old's Saviour

MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
February 24, 2003

New Motor Trade Association: 84 Year-Old's Saviour

The newly-formed Registered Motor Vehicle Traders Association has come to the rescue of an 84 year-old, disabled Greytown man who was sold a car even though he was unable to drive.

Saba Motorcourt of Masterton refused to acknowledge any wrong doing when it sold the 1995 Ford Mondeo to Bill Englert in October last year. Mr Englert is partly paralysed, has cataracts on his eyes and has not had a driver’s licence for two years.

The Registered Motor Vehicle Traders Association (RMVTA) today purchased the vehicle off Mr Englert at the full price he paid - $11,995.00.

Chief executive of the RMVTA, Mike Nelson says Saba Motorcourt did not do anything legally wrong, however, morally and ethically this is unacceptable practice by a member of the motor vehicle trade industry.

“So we have bought the car as a gesture of good faith,” says Mike.

Mr Englert’s son-in-law Graham Rose approached Saba Motorcourt to take the car back but was refused.

Mr Rose says the family is thrilled and very grateful to Mike and the RMVTA for purchasing the vehicle from his father-in-law.

“It would have been obvious to Saba Motorcourt that Bill was incapable of driving, due to his physical disabilities, but they drove him to the bank to arrange a bank cheque anyway,” says Mr Rose.

“Bill has no recollection of even driving the car home,” he says.

A significant portion of Bill’s retirement savings went on this car, which also turned out to have mechanical faults.

The RMVTA has been recently formed to represent Motor Vehicle Traders and aims to encourage high service standards for consumers from its members of motor vehicle traders/dealerships.

The launch of the RMVTA coincides with the pending changes to the motor vehicle trade industry legislation, which will allow competition between trade groups, such as the RMVTA and the existing Motor Vehicle Dealers Institute (MVDI), in the car sales sector.

“Ultimately, the RMVTA will demand a higher level of integrity within the motor vehicle trade industry,” says Mike.

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