still no reply from chesterfield mg ref wpms, have now emailed eric stead sheffield with same question. even in the ad above the show wpms as still the standard ap no reduction. sureley thats wrong. i know its for cars reg by 1 march so no good for me as i cant even order until 28 feb but has to be unlawful?
As I posted previously, dealership Motability sales people are given virtually no training on WPMS when they do their online ‘Motability training’, other than WPMS does exist. Also most sales gadgeys have never met or dealt with a WPMS recipient (we are a dying breed sadly).
Thus they have very little to no idea how the differential payments (WPMS vs other benefits/allowances) works and its effect on AP’s and any special offers.
They are almost universally blind to the fact that although WPMS recipients pay a lower AP, they pay a higher weekly payment. However (and this is the important point to emphasise ) Motability pricing ensures both WPMS and other allowance recipients pay exactly the same for the same vehicle over the course of the 3 year lease (or 5 for WAV’s).
Probably the best way to exemplify this is to print off a few examples of normal priced vehicles, showing the AP and weekly payments for both sets of customers over 3 years which should work out exactly the same. Then spell it out to them as you would do for a 5 year old!
The difficulty can arise when an offer takes the WPMS AP below zero as the dealer cannot adjust weekly payments to compensate. This needs to be rectified via either cashback or something else in lieu.
If a dealership special offer does not reduce the AP for WPMS equally to other benefits/allowances then they are in effect charging WPMS veterans more for their lease.
Not necessarily illegal strictly in the law terms, as being a veteran is not a protected characteristic.
However, it is jolly bad form for a dealership not to offer an equivalent offer to WPMS recipients. I am sure the CEO of any company would not like to think they are doing this.
Also check whether or not ant particular dealer group or motor manufacturer has signed an Amed Forces Corporate Covenant. Most have it written that they will not treat veterans less fairly than others:
Check here: https://www.gov.uk/armed-forces-covenant-businesses
If the sales gadgy still won’t play, raise it through their ‘chain of command’ – via their social media often works, or a personal letter to their CEO.