Creating a fraud-proof environment

MOHAN (left) with Lat after formally inking a deal that would hopefully bring the level of trust among online car buyers and sellers to a higher level

Purchasing a brand-new or second-hand vehicle via online car buy-and-sell websites should not be a matter of divine intervention. There’s no St. Enzo, patron saint against suspension rattles and hidden defects, looking out for our welfare.

Unfortunately, apart from having an incomplete documentation trail, countless online buyers end up with vehicles with not so obvious frame damage indicating it had been in a serious accident, or with poor previous repair work that led to sloppy bodywork to improper installation of modifications.

Online buyers could get saddled with a smoker’s vehicle (it is nearly impossible to remove cigarette smoke smell that gets into the vehicle’s headliner and upholstery); or one that has been flood-damaged wherein papers have been falsified or repaired to hide the signs.

According to the University of the Philippines Manila’s National Telehealth Center, there are 44.2 million active Internet users in the Philippines. And from this figure alone, Carmudi Philippines, the country’s biggest car classified site, believes that around this same number too may be prone to fraud.

Good reputation

“As an online vehicle marketplace, we need to be very conscious of the importance of having a good reputation and making sure we always deal well with any issues our customers might experience after buying a car. Otherwise, car buyers will go elsewhere, or worse, will no longer trust online companies,” said Abhishek Mohan, managing director of Carmudi Philippines.

But how would you know if the pre-owned car—or even the brand new one—being eyed is really a good buy?

As part of its campaign to empower its client, Carmudi Philippines recently forged a partnership with Rapide to ensure that every vehicle buyer or seller has a fair chance and peace of mind.

Rapide is the country’s well-respected auto service expert operating in more than 50 shops nationwide.

Mohan said: “Through this partnership, Rapide’s auto service experts will stand as the automotive inspections team for the identified clients of Carmudi Philippines. What the seller will do is to first secure a coupon, which can be obtained from our website, take this coupon to any Rapide Auto Service Center, and from there, the experts will then perform a 210-point test/checkup of the said vehicle. A certification will then be issued. Carmudi will then post this certification describing the actual state of the vehicle, enabling buyers to make informed choices. This partnership between the two auto industry giants will bring the level of professionalism for online buying and selling of vehicles to a whole new level.”

Crucial step

He said this certification services was in line with Carmudi Philippines’ mission to provide the safest online environment  for buying and selling in the automotive space.

“We see certification as a crucial step toward bridging the information and trust gap between buyers and sellers that use online automotive classifieds to transact business,” Mohan said.

Before, a buyer would have to bring a mechanic to determine the actual state of the vehicle. “While this is good, our option is much better as you have a third party, and at the same time, a well-established company that could easily provide professionally inspection and certification of secondhand vehicles,” he said.

Rapide Auto Service Experts GM Byron Lat agreed: “The program would bring honesty and trust to all parties concerned with every transaction in Carmudi, especially with the system that our companies have devised.”