VSA BULLETIN
MAY 29, 2007
Kelowna dealer's imported sales team:
Three salesperson licences cancelled
The Registrar of Motor Dealers has cancelled the licences of three salespeople employed by Ohio-based G&A Marketing Promotions, as a result of a promotional event that took place at Kelowna Hyundai between February 21 and 24 this year.
The Motor Vehicle Sales Authority (VSA) has an ongoing concern about imported high pressure sales teams contracted by dealerships for special sales and marketing events. The rules require that every salesperson, and consumer-related business employee of the dealership, be properly licensed under the terms of Salesperson Licensing Regulation.
Kelowna Hyundai contracted with G&A Marketing Promotions of Milford, Ohio, for the February promotion. G&A provided a team of salespeople to work the event. One of the individuals had previously been licensed but did not hold a valid licence at the time of the event. Two G&A managers were fully aware and responsible for the participation of the unlicensed individual.
The Registrar held a hearing into the case at which time the dealership accepted responsibility for the error. It was explained that they had received the conditional licences that were issued by the VSA for the event, knew the personalities involved from past experience, but did not match up the licences with the individuals in attendance. A VSA licensing officer said he works with an Ohio-based employee of G&A Marketing to "ensure that all the paperwork is completed a minimum three weeks prior to any sales event." He said that this is because salespeople applying in the past had had deficiencies in their applications: missing IDs, criminal records checks, certification course and lapsed licenses, which were difficult to correct because most live outside the province and travel for their work.
In making his ruling, the Registrar, Ken Smith, held the dealership responsible, issuing an administrative assessment of $2,000, but appreciated that there had been no intent on their part to violate the rules. With respect to the two G & A managers (Joseph "Rick" Balazs and Rony Sandvar) and the salesperson (Stephen John Prosser), none of whom appeared at the hearing, the Registrar cancelled their licences and said they could not reapply within three years and even then, only after a formal hearing before the Registrar.
Don't let your salesperson licences expire!
June 1 continues to be a critical date in the B.C. motor dealer industry. Because compulsary salesperson licensing commenced on June 1, 2004, a dispropionate number of people face renewal on that date each year.
In a recent Bulletin we reported that 4,382 salesperson licence renewal notices went out in April. There are many out there who have yet to renew and all of them would be selling vehicles illegally if they do not comply by June 1. The dealers who employ them would be held responsible.
Dealers and salespeople should visit the VSA web site and make sure that everybody working in their dealership is properly licensed. Renewing on line is an effortless process, requiring mere minutes
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