The rise of stealth charges and how to avoid them

Most of us will be familiar with the term ‘stealth taxes’, and have probably felt the impact of them in our pockets over the past few years.

Danny Hartshorne

The term has perhaps not traditionally been associated with the car-buying market,   yet today increasing numbers of retailers are noting the unwelcome introduction of stealth charges being levied by some of the auction houses and other re-marketing companies alike.
“The market has changed and many sellers are looking to recoup revenue being lost in other areas by imposing additional fees on buyers – and that’s unwelcome in today’s challenging times,’” says Danny Hartshorne, Sales Director at grs.
Danny draws a parallel with the budget airlines which have gained an unwanted reputation for making numerous additional charges, making the final amount paid much higher than the price of the original ticket. “Buying a vehicle is no longer always as straightforward as it should be, as retailers find that on top of the vehicle price, they are being charged additionally for having documents or spare keys sent out to them, while fees are being levied based on the vehicle’s price or even its engine size.”
Not so at grs, which has a very clear policy – absolutely no additional fees or charges whatsoever. “The price of the vehicle is the price that retailers pay – it’s as simple as that,” says Danny.
He continued: “We pride ourselves on working in partnership with retailers, as we want to help them build their businesses and maximise every opportunity for profit. After all, if they’re successful then so are we, and if retailers are happy with our service, they’ll come back to us to buy more vehicles, and everyone benefits”.
In addition to its promise of no fees, grs offers retailers a range of added value services to make their lives easier, including consultancy from expert account managers and online access to the entire grs stock, which they can make their own once a customer is in the showroom – at absolutely no risk to themselves.
“We offer a tailored buying service for retailers. If they only want red Clios, that’s what we will source for them, though we will also advise them as to whether red Clios are selling strongly at the moment and will recommend something different if appropriate. We don’t charge additionally for that consultancy – it’s just part of our partnership approach.”
So what’s the secret of success for grs? “There really is no secret at all,” laughs Danny. “In fact, it’s about deliberately not having any secrets, especially when comes to additional charges!
“We have 15 years’ experience in the market, employ the best people in the business and have invested heavily in our Cold Meece logistics centre, which is the operational heart of our business. That all adds up to a service that retailers can trust and rely on to deliver, every time. It’s as simple as that”.