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ACCC meets with wholesalers and auction houses at VACC

3 May 2018

A special meeting between ACCC, VACC and auto industry wholesalers and mainstream auction houses was held at VACC House on 3 May to discuss how the Takata airbag recall was affecting those sectors.

Glenn Probyn, Director Takata Taskforce ACCC and John Fogarty, Corrs Westgarth Chambers, were able to hear directly about the financial and logistical challenges facing wholesalers, and new and used car traders, when dealing with vehicles under Active Recall. Attending were representatives from many wholesale businesses, mainstream auctions houses such as Manheim and Pickles and dealers drawn from the VACC membership.

It was unanimously acknowledged by all stakeholders and ACCC that this was not an issue created by franchise dealers, but rather a lack of adequate supply from OEMs.

The industry representatives at the meeting did a great job drawing the picture for ACCC about delays and other challenges as a result of the failure to supply in a reasonable period of time by some OEMs. They were also able to highlight the menacing issue that cars are beginning to stockpile at dealerships, auction houses and wholesalers. ACCC was surprised to hear of waits of up to two-to-four months for some brands to have recall work completed. ACCC was of the view that the recall work was being dealt with reasonably. It was pointed out that this was not the case for all brands. As a result, ACCC is keen to receive evidence of these delays.

How can you provide evidence to ACCC?

You can help alleviate some of the pressure you are under by providing data to the VACC Takata Airbag Assist Portal. The data loaded into this portal tool will be used to inform ACCC of the issues facing the industry. The Takata Airbag Assist Portal has been specifically created to assist industry in reporting instances where manufacturers/suppliers are subjecting retail automotive industry members to lengthy or unreasonable delays in the fitment of replacement Takata airbags. You can take this link to load your data.

It must be mentioned that VACC has been impressed with the ACCC approach and willingness to consult. ACCC is the biggest regulator in the country with an extensive portfolio. It has been transparent in its approach. 

Further issues

Industry participants are encouraged to call Michael McKenna at VACC with any other queries regarding the impact of the Takata airbag recall on your business.

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