Used Car Dealers Association of Ontario

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An Overview of the Association

Individually, We Struggle To Be Heard.

Collectively, We Cannot Be Ignored!

The UCDA was founded by 7 Ontario dealers and was incorporated as a not-for-profit association. It celebrated its 20th anniversary on November 15, 2004. Managed by an Executive Director and a staff of 19, the policies and direction of the association are governed by a 9 person Board of Directors who reflect the makeup of the membership.

Membership

The UCDA currently represents more than 4400 dealer members who are estimated to account for over 60% of the dealers registered in Ontario who actively participate in the Used Vehicle Industry.
The geographical distribution of members throughout the province is very evenly balanced and averages 40% to 66% of all registered dealers in the various towns and cities. For example, 38% of all the dealers in Ottawa are UCDA members, 51% in Sudbury, 49% in Toronto and 53% in Pembroke. There are UCDA members in more than 503 Ontario communities.

Mission

The Association's mission is to enhance the image of the Used Vehicle Industry!

To that end,

Representation
Education

Mediation

are the three pillars on which the association has been built.

Representation

The UCDA is in regular contact with the many Government Departments, Federal and Provincial, that affect dealers.
It maintains a close working relationship with the Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations and with OMVIC , the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council, which manages the industry. In fact, the UCDA had underwritten the cost of a number of Canadian Automotive Institute students who worked in the Registrar's office on curbsiding investigations.

Liaison and coalitions with other automotive industry groups is an important activity in helping to ensure that the interests of the industry are advanced.

The UCDA participated with CADA, AARO, CVMA, AIAMC, AIA * and others, in joint approaches to both the Federal and the Ontario governments. Issues have included GST, Dealer Regulations, Import Regulations, Vehicle Permit Branding, Vehicle Safety Standards, Vehicle Emission Testing, Curbsider studies and many others.

Internationally, the UCDA is associated with the NIADA ** which provides for the free exchange of information and ideas on issues that impact all used vehicle dealers in North America.

The media have acknowledged the Association's role as the spokesgroup for the industry and the UCDA is regularly contacted for the industry's perspective on issues.

The UCDA compiles and disseminates various industry statistics to the media, Government and other interested groups. Its data on used vehicle sales and curbsider statistics is frequently requested.

Education

Dealer education is of paramount importance to the association and it's seen as the means of promoting a better, fairer marketplace for dealers and consumers.

Members are made aware of the rights and responsibilities of a dealer through meetings, newsletters and special publications that focus on key issues.

The UCDA introduced Canada's first education course in correspondence form in 1997, and followed it with another first, a comprehensive course for salespeople a year later. Over 3000 dealers and salespeople have been enrolled in the courses.
The UCDA's Practical Guide to the GST became an industry standard, especially in the weeks and months following the GSTs implementation in 1991. More than 6000 copies were published and even some Revenue Canada auditors used it as a guide.

The UCDA made a commitment to author a series of publications, known as "Key Features", that wade through the legal jargon of the Legislation that affects dealers and presents it in plain language with explanations and examples.

"Key Features of the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act", the first publication, met with tremendous enthusiasm from members as well as a special commendation from the Consumer Minister for taking the initiative to improve dealer education.

A more ambitious publication has been "Key Features of the Sale of Goods Act".

This almost 100 page book helps to clarify many issues that get dealers into difficulty. It particularly deals with the implied warranties, guaranteed in every consumer sale, and reviews the responsibilities of dealers and consumers when a vehicle is sold.

A workshop seminar, entitled Know the Law and Protect Yourself was developed using "Key Features of the Sale of Goods Act" as the text. So far this year, fourteen wokshops have been held for members throughout the province and more than 300 of their staff have participated. Workshops continue to be held on a monthly basis.

Mediation

Started by two highly qualified lawyers, UCDA offers a free informal mediation facility to consumers and to dealers.

It was begun to provide a means by which friction between a consumer and a dealer could be dealt with quickly and without cost to either. The goal of such a programme is to head off potential court proceedings by trying to get each party to understand their respective rights and responsibilities.

The mediation programme is not restricted to issues dealing with UCDA members. Any consumer complaint, involving a used vehicle transaction, is accepted. Often, dealers who were not members at the time of the mediation have joined the association afterwards. They became aware that they could be more effective business people if they were more familiar with their rights and responsibilities.

The UCDA has also dealt with a number of cases in which consumers had, unfortunately, purchased a vehicle from a curbsider. We have been able to successfully intervene in many of them.

Most mediation is done by telephone and, more often than not, the issue is settled amicably and in hours or days. Often, the problem is simply a lack of communication.

The verbal format was chosen because its fast and many consumers are much better able to communicate their concerns verbally. It is also less intimidating to them.

The UCDA makes no charge for the service and referrals are regularly received from Automobile Clubs, newspaper ombudsmen and even the Consumer Ministry.

The UCDA's motivation, to participate in the mediation process, emanates from the Associations mission statement... to enhance the image of the used vehicle industry!

Benefits and Achievements

Lien Searches and Registrations

SEARCHES
The UCDA began an easy to access Lien Search service for its members as one of its earliest benefits. Dealers now go on-line, phone or fax their enquiry searches to the UCDA and get an instant response. The service meets our members' needs in that it's fast, it's easy and its user cost is lower than any other method.

The UCDA's Lien Search facility has grown to be the largest such search group in the province and accounts for over 20% of all Ministry searches.

REGISTRATIONS
When the Ministry provided access to electronic registration of liens, the search service was expanded to include this new service. Through the UCDA, members are now able to register PPSA or RSLA liens without leaving their offices.

Visa & MasterCard Discounts

Because of the Association's size, the UCDA is able to offer merchant discounts that provide some members with savings of more than $100 per month!

Consumer Credit Reports

UCDA members have direct access, through the UCDA office to Equifax Consumer Credit Report service.

This is a fast, fax response service that allows a member to receive a complete Consumer Credit Report in minutes. Competitively priced reports from North America's largest consumer reporting companies.

Members have a host of advantages when they use the UCDA service, not the least of which is that they have no extra fees to pay to access the service.

Group Health Plan

The UCDA offers its members an extremely competitive and comprehensive medical plan with one of the country's largest insurers. A significant feature is that the plan is available to all of its members regardless of the size of the dealership. Even one person operations are able to participate.

Legal Services

The UCDA's Legal Services Department consists of its Director and Manager of Mediation Services. Both are lawyers on UCDA's staff whose services are available to all members. While they cannot represent individual dealers, members can call the UCDA's Help Line for legal advice related to the carrying on of their businesses. There is no charge for this advice. Access to the service is included as part of a dealer's membership.
Most dealer problems of a legal nature tend to revolve around contractual disputes with consumers and other dealers, such as mechanical defects, odometer discrepancies, accident damaged or written-off vehicles, etc. Other common concerns include PPSA and RSLA lien registrations on vehicles, and regulatory issues involving dealer registrations under the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act.

Because the Legal Services Department deals with these types of matters every day, they can often help settle them, or at least point the member in the right direction, quickly.

Their key role is to help members stay out of trouble. In this respect, they serve as educators, in attempting to keep members, both individually and as a group, aware of their rights and responsibilities in a variety of areas.

As always, preventing a problem from occurring is preferable to trying to deal with the consequences of one later.

The Department also plays the lead role in mediation efforts, outlined earlier, between dealers and consumers and between dealers. Again, the goal, in conjunction with the UCDA's mission, is to help solve disputes amicably, without the need for the parties to resort to litigation.

Curbsider Programme

The UCDA turned its attention to curbsiders soon after it was formed. Curbsiders, exploiting the financial gains of the underground economy and pretending to be honest private sellers were seen as a dealers worst competitor.
In 1986, the UCDA began a computer study of private car ads, modeled on one that was done by the Washington State Independent Auto Dealers Association the year before. It showed the multiple number of cars being offered for sale by supposedly private individuals and the startling results gave some sense of just how big a menace curbsiding had become.

Confronted with a doubting media and many people in government, who couldn't see the problem, the UCDA set about making the term "curbsider" a word that everyone could identify.

A lot of time, effort and money was invested in proving to all, that curbsiders were injurious to the consumer, the Government and to the industry.

One of the most tangible results has been Ontario's introduction of the UVIP programme that requires private sellers to purchase a special consumer protection package. The Used Vehicle Information Package concept was established by the Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations and its implementation was led by the Registrar of Motor Vehicle Dealers.

While the UVIP initiative won't stop curbsiding, it has already had an impact on curbsiders and, as it matures and refinements are made to the process, it has the potential to reduce curbsiding to a minimum.

UCDA members can be pleased that, through the efforts of their Association, together with journalists and Government, the public now know what a curbsider is and they can better protect themselves.

Membership Recruitment

Since its inception, the UCDA's principal means of attracting new members has been by distributing bulletins to non-members that focus on dealers concerns and UCDA benefits.

The idea was first suggested by the late Homer Stephens and Ruth Hart Stephens of the Toronto Auto Auction. It was an instant success and the association's growth can be credited in large measure to the strong support of dealer auctions in the province. Today, word-of-mouth contributes greatly to the UCDA's growth and its current membership base of 4300.

Membership Fees ... User Pay Concept

The Association's basic activities are funded by membership fees.
Services that are offered to members, directly by the Association, are financed on a break-even basis. Surpluses that develop from a service are returned to the users of the service through discounts for volume usage.

Other UCDA parternship programmes pass along all incentives to the subscribing member. Programmes such as Baird MacGregor Garage Insurance, Visa/MasterCard and Primus long distance savings are good examples.

Code of Ethics

The Used Car Dealers Association of Ontario

A trade association of registered used car sales organizations is organized to promote the continued growth and perpetuation of its members through the strengthening of their sales, marketing and management skills; to dramatize to the automotive industry, to customers and suppliers, the advantages to them of doing business through registered used car sales organizations.

To further these objectives and to bring them within practical reach of its members, the association develops and maintains programs and activities designed to help them conduct their businesses in an ethical, efficient and productive manner. To implement these worthy goals, members of UCDA voluntarily subscribe to a code of ethics which urges them:

To encourage free enterprise and unselfish service to the public and to the industry
To strive continually to promote the image of the industry; in the local community and on regional and provincial levels.
To make the greatest contribution possible to the safety and welfare of the public in the purchase of the industry's products and services
To support all efforts to improve the industry's products and services.
To advertise and sell the merits of the industry's products and services; and to refrain from attacking unfairly the products, services or methods of doing business of others.
To reveal all material facts and to refrain from the use of misleading advertising or innuendo in advertising and selling, to ensure that products or services are fully understood by the consuming public.
To fulfill promptly and completely all contractual obligations; to act on such obligations, whether explicit or implied, written or oral; and to process justifiable claims without hesitation or delay.

Used Car Dealers Association of Ontario

*
AARO	Automotive Aftermarket Retailers of Ontario
AIA	Automobile Industries Association of Canada
AIAMC	Association of International Automobile Manufacturers of Canada
CADA	Canadian Automobile Dealers Association
CVMA	Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association
**
NIADA	National Independent Automobile Dealers Association

Board of Directors

Steve Peck - President
Jillran Holdings. Ltd., Thornhill

Doug Callowhill - Chairman of the Board
Hollis Auto Sales, Hamilton

Brian Calvin - 1st Vice-President
Nomis Corporation, Dundas

Verne Cole - 2nd Vice-President
Collectible Auto Sales, Burlington

Mark Campbell - Director
Campbell's Autoshoppe, Barrie

Gordon Grosz - Director
Harriston Motors Ltd., Harriston

Greg Hannah - Director
Greg Hannah Holdings Ltd., Cobourg

Bart Hartwick - Director
Courtesy Auto Sales, St. Catharines

Larry Wright - Director
Wright Auto Sales Inc., Waterloo

Robert G. Beattie - Executive Director

Used Car Dealers Association of Ontario

230 Norseman St.

Toronto, Ontario M8Z 6A2

Telephone: (416) 231-2600 or 1-800-268-2598

Fax: (416) 232-0775

email: web@ucda.org

to enhance the image of the used vehicle industry

Representation

Education

Mediation

are the three pillars on which the association has been built.

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