{"id":6279,"date":"2022-10-24T11:35:07","date_gmt":"2022-10-24T10:35:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scrapcarnetwork.org\/news\/?p=6279"},"modified":"2025-02-27T00:49:47","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T00:49:47","slug":"watch-out-for-unfair-charges-with-online-valuations-of-your-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scrapcarnetwork.org\/news\/watch-out-for-unfair-charges-with-online-valuations-of-your-car\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch out for unfair charges with online valuations of your car"},"content":{"rendered":"

Getting an online valuation for your car is very easy. In fact, it\u2019s something that that we\u2019ve worked very hard to make easy here at Scrap Car Network, when you\u2019re going to scrap your car<\/a><\/strong>. But car valuations aren\u2019t just done at the end of a vehicle\u2019s life \u2013 you may start looking for one when you\u2019re about to sell your car too. And if you\u2019re doing that, it always pays to read the terms and conditions. It\u2019s dull, but it might stop you from getting charged \u00a370 for an online valuation, which is what\u2019s happened to several people recently. Here\u2019s what\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n

Should I pay \u00a370 for an online valuation of my car?<\/h2>\n

If you haven\u2019t yet received a charge like this and you\u2019re asking whether it\u2019s necessary, then the answer is no it definitely isn\u2019t. Most companies can and should provide it to you for free (such as us here at Scrap Car Network!). If you\u2019ve received a charge and you\u2019re asking whether you\u2019re obliged to pay it, well, unfortunately that depends on the terms of the agreement you signed. And yes, if you\u2019ve received a charge, there\u2019s a good chance that you will have entered into some form of agreement, whether you realised it or not.<\/p>\n

So how does this happen? Well, what some companies are doing nowadays is giving you the service but putting their terms and conditions in tiny letters and having pre-ticked checkboxes. Lots of companies use pre-ticked checkboxes as a way to get around data protection regulations such as GDPR. Often, it\u2019s usage is fairly innocuous stuff \u2013 you\u2019ll find lots of examples of companies using it to get customers to sign up to an email list for example. In some cases though, unethical companies will use them to trick you into consenting to a charge.<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t that illegal?<\/h2>\n

Unfortunately, not technically. Unscrupulous yes, but technically not illegal if you\u2019ve provided consent. One company named by Honest John<\/a><\/strong> is charging people \u00a370 mainly via the use of pre-ticked checkboxes, and then if they don\u2019t pay within 30 days, threatening to transfer the debt to a debt collection agency. It is \u2013 let\u2019s be honest \u2013 not a very ethical way to make a living. But crucially, and this is worth reiterating, it\u2019s not illegal.<\/p>\n

Now, some people are understandably refusing to pay. If you\u2019ve been caught yourself, it\u2019s probably an option that will occur to you. You can decide for yourself whether or not it\u2019s an option you want to pursue. Just make sure you\u2019re fully aware of all the potential implications of non-payment. If you\u2019re prepared to take it to court, it can be risky, and may even end up costing you a lot more dearly in the long-term.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, just make sure you carefully read all terms and conditions and look for any pre-ticked checkboxes. Trust your instincts \u2013 if something looks suspicious, it probably is. It\u2019s a harsh lesson to learn, but we\u2019ve all learned them at some stage in our lives!<\/p>\n

Of course, you\u2019ll get none of that nonsense with us here at Scrap Car Network. We take care to make everything straightforward and transparent, providing instant scrap car quotes that are completely obligation free \u2013 so you don\u2019t have to proceed until you\u2019re ready. It\u2019s never been easier to scrap your car with us. All you have to do is enter your car reg and postcode<\/a><\/strong> into the fields on our homepage, and we\u2019ll provide you with an instant scrap car quote! Curious to see how much your car is worth?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Getting an online valuation for your car is very easy. In fact, it\u2019s something that that we\u2019ve worked very hard to make easy here at Scrap Car Network, when you\u2019re going to scrap your car. But car valuations aren\u2019t just done at the end of a vehicle\u2019s life \u2013 you may start looking for one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":6285,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n