FARCE OF FREE NCT PROMISED TO MOTORISTS

Centres are charging for car tests despite ‘four weeks or free’ pledge

CONSUMER advocates have hit out at NCT chiefs after it emerged that the current backlog means many tests should be free of charge.

An Irish Mail on Sunday investigation has revealed that the National Car Testing operators are charging the full rate for tests, despite a ‘four weeks or free’ pledge. Spanish operator Applus has a customer charter that states the

customer ‘will be provided with a test free of charge’ when they cannot offer a test within a four-week period.

This is provided the customer has not declined an appointment ‘more than twice’ and ‘has not previously accepted a booking outside of the four-week period’.

Motorists are being forced to wait up to six months for a test in many centres but are not being told they are entitled to it for free.

Motor industry insiders say the backlog is because failure to have an NCT certificate has been added to the list of penalty point offences.

The MoS has found that only a handful of the 47 test centres around the country are offering a test within the four weeks.

‘It is appalling and it is wrong’

Dermott Jewell of the Consumer Association of Ireland said: ‘Obviously, the system has completely broken down and demand has significantly increased above and beyond what was envisaged.

‘But if you don’t know about it [the four-week pledge] you never stand a hope of ever getting it for free. Even if you did eventually read the wording, because you accepted a date, without knowing, you are defaulted out of the system.

‘That is clearly intended to disadvantage the consumer and it is appalling and it is wrong,’ he added.

Latest figures show that an increase in NCT failures contributed to bumper profits for the Spanish firm, which won an exclusive 10-year contract to operate the test centres in 2009.

Applus Car Testing Service Ltd’s profits increased by 11.5% in 2013 to €4.9m, thanks to an extra 184,363 tests.

The company performed over 1.78 million tests and retests and, in the process, chalked up revenues of €64.2m – more than €1.23m per week.

The price of an NCT is €55 and a retest costs €28.

Annual tests are mandatory on all cars over 10 years old. Cars between four and 10 years old must get a test every two years. Motorists without an NCT cert can now collect three penalty points every time they are stopped, plus a €60 fine.

The new rules, which came into effect on December 8, have had the effect of swamping almost all test centres.

Labour Senator John Whelan last month slammed the backlog, saying he had been ‘inundated’ by concerned motorists who were being offered test slots as far away as April.

On the pledge of a free test Mr Whelan said: ‘I think it is a real classic, “Read the small print”. It’s a bit of a ruse.’

The MoS spoke to a number of motorists who waited months but were not offered a free test.

One motorist detailed how she originally applied for her car to be tested in a north Dublin centre in October and was eventually given a test slot on March 26, long after her NCT deadline. There was no mention of a free test over the phone or by text.

Another said he applied this week for his car to be tested, but was not offered a date until May 12. When he enquired about a free test, the agent said that ‘if I had accepted the online date, then I had agreed to the date and would have to pay.’

Another motorist wrote to the NCT because he was annoyed he was not offered a free test. He was told: ‘As you accepted the appointment that was offered to you and did not request a sooner date, unfortunately I cannot accede to your request of a refund.’ He threatened to contact the Consumer Agency and was told: ‘I would like to offer you a refund of the test fee as a gesture of goodwill.’

But this week, NCT spokeswoman Sinéad McKeon denied there was a backlog and said the ‘vast majority’ were being offered tests within four weeks.

She said the NCT had ‘employed an additional 100 vehicle inspectors and support staff’ and were opening longer hours to accommodate demand.

Ms McKeon declined to give any figures of the number of cars waiting to be tested and how many were eligible for a free NCT. She said: ‘Our customer charter outlines the standards of customer service to which NCT operates.’