VSA BULLETIN
August 20, 2008
Issue #16 - 2008

New Salespeople:

VSA's conditional licence period reduced to 45 days

Effective September 1, 2008 conditional licences for new salespeople will be valid for 45 days only, reduced from the current 90-day period of grace.

Before anyone can start working in vehicle sales, the name of the individual must be registered with the VSA in the form of a salesperson licence application. Once received, the 45-day conditional licence will be issued, a period during which the compulsory Salesperson Certification Course must be completed.

A concern has been a tendency of some dealers to try out new people in the showroom using words such as hosting, hospitality, or shadowing to describe their function, formalizing licensing procedures only after the individual demonstrates worth. If there is customer contact in pursuit of sales, there must be a licence.

Salesperson licensing applies to everyone working in the following positions who deal with retail vehicle consumers: used and new vehicle sales, business office (finance and insurance), lease office, Internet sales, sales managers as well as general managers and dealer principals.

The current conditional licence policy

Licensing procedures are outlined in detail along with the necessary application forms and are available on the VSA web site, http://www.mvsabc.com/application_package.htm

Please note : Incomplete or incorrect submissions will delay the issuance of conditional licences.

REMINDER - Registration in the VSA Salesperson Certification Course is not permitted until the licence application and payment are complete.

We are moving!

Effective Monday, September 22, 2008, the VSA headquarters will be located in a new building in Surrey, near the intersection of 152nd Street and #10 highway.

The lease on the current Burnaby location (since the founding of the Authority in 2004) is expiring and three problems had to be addressed: significantly rising lease rates; insufficient space and a location increasingly distant from the direction of motor vehicle sales industry growth.

The new address is 208-5455 152 Street, Surrey, BC V3S 5A5.

New telephone numbers will be announced when they are known. The toll free number (1-877-294-9889) will not change.

Dealers beware of bank scams!

It is not just vulnerable private citizens who are being duped by Nigerian letters and various e-mail and Internet schemes to get private financial information. Businesses also should be extremely circumspect with respect to any bank information.

Dealers have reported to VSA receiving multiple e-mails from individuals who claim they wish to buy specific advertised vehicles and propose dispatching the funds by bank transfer. They request from the dealership bank transit information.

The VSA has not been advised of any dealers who have been victimized in this fashion, but it would be wise to consult your lawyer, accountant and bank to establish firm and secure guidelines for these modern business practices.

www.vehiclesalesauthority.com

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