- This topic has 30 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 10 months ago by
.
- Topic
First of all we blamed Brexit, then the chip shortage and now salary sacrifice. But are we just witnessing the demise of motability.
The scheme was set up to provide vehicles for disabled people but not necessarily to provide what most want in this day and age and that’s cars that are for more than A – B travelling.
Society has become wealthier over the years giving people more disposable income so many expect, myself included, top cars, cars with “Bells and Whistles”. However, recently, the choice has evaporated and although still doing what was intended of the scheme, many are disappointed by what’s on offer.
We have heard of forum members recently leaving the scheme, “bigdave” and “vinalspin” , and I fear they won’t be the last.
The only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
Anything i post over three lines long please assume it is an article lol.
- Replies
Motability is like the Titanic, unsinkable, but maybe we’ve just hit an iceberg but we will be OK after all the band is still playing on. ?
It’s certainly a tough one! There’s nothing on there I would choose now at all. I’ll be going down the PCP or personal lease, if the situation remains the same.
Personally, I think a good start would be to remove the caps. They’re way too limiting now anyhow. Some (probably many) people are happy to pay an higher AP for a vehicle that better fits their needs.
Also, as another poster on here mentioned earlier, should Motability be using their significant reserves to find a solution. As the poster said, maybe to incentivise dealers on Motability sales? That would solve the problem of being at the bottom of the pecking order. Imagine how good it would be if Motability customers were to be up there as their best earners.
The vast reserves Motability have built up are to protect the scheme in difficult times. Well, here we are. It’s time to dig deep, in my opinion.
Sounds very romantic Brydo but I’m sure that its not a a £500,000 a year to manage Motability which is what the chief executive gets factor in DIY online account – they don’t hold any stock the dealerships do al the work
They make millions in profit
Sorry say that again they profit from disabled people
Oh I thought thats what you said
They need to wake up from their complacency and start adapting
Oh its not our fault its the market oh well double the AP,s oh and answer the phones
Job done
I think it would be far more palatable if Motability came out of these periods of difficulty having made less revenue than times gone by. As it stands I think we’re all predicting large profits, with no intervention or initiative taken by the scheme on behalf of users.
If it were an individual they may well be dragged before a committee to answer hard questions such as, Why no earlier change over during those difficult times? How much extra profit did you forecast from lease extensions? Did you partake in any negotiations to retain access to certain vehicles?
I don’t expect anything will be asked, HSBC etc will pocket record profits from the scheme and we’ll be left with precious little choice for the considerable future.
I agree about the price caps Chris. They have never made sense, so now would be a good time to ditch them.
I’m less convinced about throwing money at dealers as a way of tackling the current problems though. Dare I say it, but that could be like the £20 uplift to Universal Credit. Nobody seemed to listen to the word ‘temporary’ and therefore when it ended (as it was always going to) people started talking about it being a ‘cut’. Dealers would get used to it and then when things return to normal and it’s removed, we would be in a worse place than we are now!
Folks, is there anything that the members on this platform can do to wake up Motability with regards to cars disappearing from the scheme.
I do find it hard to think that there will soon be nothing left on the scheme.
If I did not know better, looking in for the first time, I would assume that Motability are trying to close down or trying to bring it down to 4 or 5 vehicles which, with the saga of “chip” shortages, I am not wearing anymore. I can go and order a vehicle as a private buyer and get it fairly quickly, from some manufacturers.
Maybe Motability should exercise their buying power and authority to manufacturers in order to cater for every single one of the disabled people who rely on this scheme to keep mobile.
This is just my own PERSONAL opinion.
Maybe I have got this all very wrong (I hope I have) and in Q1 or Q2 2022, there will be an influx of cars reappearing back onto the scheme.
Current car 2019 Ford Kuga 1.5T Titanium X Edition (White)
On order new Vauxhall Grandland Ultimate 1.2 Turbo (Ruby Red)
As I have said on another thread, if our renewal was up now we would be leaving the scheme. No question. There is nothing left that even remotely appeals.
Over the years, Motability has saved me a fortune. Not because it’s cheaper than sourcing cars privately (because I know from first hand experience that it isn’t), but because it’s kept us in ‘sensible’ cars, as there’s always been something that ticks most boxes.
When we both retired a few years ago we decided to go down to one car. My wife can no longer drive so continuing with two cars was pointless. I came very close to buying a new BMW X5, but as we were going to be having work done on our house I hesitated and thank goodness that I did as the pandemic then started and I would have had a very expensive, heavily depreciating car sitting in the garage for most of the year.
My wife is the PIP recipient and as the BMW X1 ticked almost all boxes she was keen that we went for one through Motability. Thankfully we are very pleased with it, but it’s now gone from the scheme. Mrs Glos Guy really likes the Porsche Macan after we test drove one some years ago. I’m sincerely hoping that things things improve drastically on the Motability scheme by the time that we next renew (thankfully not until 2024) or I can see me having to buy a Porsche Macan S to keep her ladyship happy!
That’s a good point you raise Glos Guy, regarding dealers getting used to any uplift.
However, as it is now, are manufacturers and dealers going to get used to not processing Motability sales at all?
I’m not even sure myself, either way.
Maybe I’m wrong but i haven’t seen or recieved anything from Motability explaing what the problem is and whats gone wrong. I’m sure many would give them a bit of slack if they explained the situation. There’s too many members to call them all personally but a text would certainly help. In the absence of this we just chat and come up with our own conclusions.
The only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
Anything i post over three lines long please assume it is an article lol.
Well I phoned today to make the point about lack of choice. I asked the agent to feed through my feedback that maybe they should consider adding vehicles of the pick-up type – Ford Ranger, VW Amarok etc. I for one would certainly consider such a vehicle. Seats 5, and plenty of room in the back for a decent size scooter (or two!!)
Perhaps if enough of us made these points, they might, just might, take some notice.
I still think that they won’t do anything as it’s a good situation for them. The CEO will be lining his pockets with the bonus he will make from all the extra profit. Plus the cash reserves will just keep on increasing.
I still think that they won’t do anything as it’s a good situation for them. The CEO will be lining his pockets with the bonus he will make from all the extra profit. Plus the cash reserves will just keep on increasing.
It’s not just the CEO Elliot. December is bonus payout month for the junior staff at Motability Operations as well. How call centre staff in a monopoly with zero competition warrant bonuses is completely beyond me. I know someone who works there and have to really bite my lip about this. It just seems morally wrong to me given that all the profit that pays for these bonuses comes from disabled people.
I still think that they won’t do anything as it’s a good situation for them. The CEO will be lining his pockets with the bonus he will make from all the extra profit. Plus the cash reserves will just keep on increasing.
It’s not just the CEO Elliot. December is bonus payout month for the junior staff at Motability Operations as well. How call centre staff in a monopoly with zero competition warrant bonuses is completely beyond me. I know someone who works there and have to really bite my lip about this. It just seems morally wrong to me given that all the profit that pays for these bonuses comes from disabled people.
Yes it’s disgusting how they use our money for their pleasure.
The thing that amazes me is that there a number of people on the forum who are ok with this ?
Motability has around 650,000 customers. There are around 10 people in this thread voicing criticism. Can you see where I am going with this? If you want to make an impact with Motability, you are going to have to do a much better job in getting people to see it from your point of view or your voices will not be heard.
I have had Motability cars since it first started and I have always been frustrated by the availability of suitable cars. Generally speaking there have been more manual gearbox cars than auto. Auto cars equivalent cars have always cost more than their manual counterparts. So, for example, an auto Ford Escort/Focus has always cost more than the manual one.
The lack of choice and loading of prices for auto cars drives me nuts. Will it change? I doubt it, not in my lifetime.
Out of interest the current CEO has recently been appointed, he hasn’t had chance to make any changes or ‘line his own pockets’. Be careful what you say in a public forum folks.
Skoda Enyaq Race Blue
Ok with it, or limited on freedom of speech Brydo, any post that don’t bow down to the popular posters on here WILL get deleted….. FACT. ?..
I’ve always been amazed at the by standers in life, the ones who no something wrong is going on, but would be unpopular to point it out so simply don’t, how sad & worrying..
YES men/women almost placed in position for the ability to turn their popular agreeing heads when needed..?
I think motability should be streamed down to just a few manufactures..
Making other manufactures compete to join if they wanted, or needed..
Being popular here has no room for me, simply as I find it hard to agree with what I see and witness….?
Out of interest the current CEO has recently been appointed, he hasn’t had chance to make any changes or ‘line his own pockets’. Be careful what you say in a public forum folks.
Do you know when the current CEO at Motability Operations was appointed? I’m not sure myself, but had a feeling that it was at least a year ago. I was hoping that a new CEO would bring about some major improvements to the scheme (more manufacturers, far more choice of cars, abolition of the pointless price caps etc), but we’ve seen absolutely nothing yet, other than the TV ads targeting the 1.2m people with qualifying benefits who choose not to join Motability. From my experience in business, a good new CEO has made an impact within 6 months of arrival. On the basis that we’ve seen no positive changes at all and a decimation in choice (which, admittedly, is primarily down to external factors) I am no longer hopeful.
Do you know when the current CEO at Motability Operations was appointed?
1 January 2021
Skoda Enyaq Race Blue
https://www.motabilityoperations.co.uk/about-us/our-leadership/
Skoda Enyaq Race Blue
The Motability CEO is probably just a figure head with no real will not motivation for change. Why make change when you can collect annual bonuses with minimal effort? Seems like a culture over there.
Do you know when the current CEO at Motability Operations was appointed?
1 January 2021
Thanks. As I feared, he’s been in role for almost a year. If we were going to see positive changes we would have seen them by now. I didn’t know that he was an accountant by background. That’s bad news. In my many decades in business, the accountants were always risk averse and blockers of change. Never saw the bigger picture (puts tin hat on awaiting incoming ?).
I don’t think motability will fold, they make far too much money for that to happen.
I don’t think motability will fold, they make far too much money for that to happen.
I agree. There’s zero chance that they will fold. If anything, with so many people extending leases, their profits will be going up, not down. Those who have the ability to source cars through other means than Motability will steadily leave the scheme, but will be a small percentage of the customer base and will probably be offset by those drawn to the scheme by the TV ads.
I fear that the only way that things will improve significantly is if Motability lose their monopoly and new entrants are allowed into the market with the same block VAT exemption, so that they can compete on equal terms. The government sponsored review into Motability suggested that this should be considered, but they suggested a lot of other improvements as well (e.g. greater choice of larger vehicles) and nothing has happened. Only one recommendation from that review has been implemented and that’s the issue of targeting the two-thirds of eligible benefits recipients who choose not to join Motability. That benefits Motability Operations, not customers, as it will generate yet more profit. Not a single recommendation that would benefit existing customers seems to have been given an ounce of air time. Funny that.
Sadly, I think that the ship has been badly holed and is taking on too much water to stay afloat. Whatever the factors involved, from Covid to chip shortage, the scheme should not have been allowed to get into this chronic state. Curiously, I hope that it is just incompetence causing it. Why? Because the only alternative is that Motability’s leaders have been told by Boris and the Flail to run the scheme down in preparation for closing it altogether.
Sadly, I think that the ship has been badly holed and is taking on too much water to stay afloat. Whatever the factors involved, from Covid to chip shortage, the scheme should not have been allowed to get into this chronic state. Curiously, I hope that it is just incompetence causing it. Why? Because the only alternative is that Motability’s leaders have been told by Boris and the Flail to run the scheme down in preparation for closing it altogether.
Are Motability Operations in a chronic state though Tharg? I’d suggest not, as all the lease extensions are profit generative for them. I bet that their profits will be increasing at present. What is chronic is the lack of choice but, again, that’s bad news for customers but not for Motability Operations as the scheme has become a lot simpler to manage!
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.