From OMVICís 2018 Take a Picture consumer awareness campaign (CNW Group/Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council (OMVIC))
It’s old news that consumers want more transparency from car dealers when purchasing a vehicle — automotive retailers know this. But some dealers are still grappling with this notion, which in turn leads to a negative car buying experience from the consumer.
In Ontario, where car buyers have the right to all-in price advertising through a law that has been in place since 2010, the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council (OMVIC) says some consumers are still being overcharged.
“Less than half of Ontario car-buyers know they have a right to all-in price advertising,” said John Carmichael, OMVIC CEO and interim Registrar. “And this is problematic because OMVIC still finds unacceptable levels of non-compliance with the all-in pricing regulations by some dealers.”
Of the 50 GTA new car dealers the OMVIC visited as mystery shoppers, 29 of them tried to add surprise fees to their advertised prices. The OMVIC has since launched an awareness campaign that uses TV, radio, online and social media advertising across the province stretches, and targets Ontario car shoppers in many languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese, French, Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, Portuguese, and Russian.
The campaign includes TV spots, which you can watch by clicking here and radio spots which you can listen to here:
Although the lines may at times seemed blurred on which types of advertisements must include all fees and charges, car dealers must be careful to include the necessary information on the following mediums:
- In print (newspapers, magazines, etc.)
- On the Internet (dealer site, online marketplace, etc.)
- On social media
- On radio or TV
- On signs (including those in or on a vehicle)
Consumers continue to demand more transparency from retailers. Dealers are already providing additional information about vehicles and pricing online, but they must also be attentive to the pricing they display on other forms of advertisement.
