April 2020
OMVIC is committed to the health and safety of its staff and its stakeholders. OMVIC will continue to operate from remote sites and work with its stakeholders during the COVID-19 crisis. While some service levels have been impacted, OMVIC remains committed to maintaining a fair and informed marketplace by protecting the rights of consumers and ensuring fair, honest and open competition for registered motor vehicle dealers during these challenging times.
If you have a consumer inquiry, please email OMVIC at consumers@omvic.on.ca
CONSUMER PROTECTION
Buying a Car Online
COVID-19 has changed life for all of us, staying in is the new normal and much of our contact is virtual. For car-buyers, this means researching, and potentially completing the entire vehicle-purchase process, online or remotely. Because this trend is growing in popularity, OMVIC has added resources to its website so that car-buyers can be informed and protected.
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Thinking of Buying a Car Privately?
Pandemic or not, life happens.
Normally, when a consumer wants to buy a car, Ontario’s Vehicle Sales Regulator, OMVIC ‘s recommendation would be that they make an informed choice, whether that is buying privately or buying from a registered dealer. Should consumers opt to go the private sales route, they should know that they are forgoing the consumer protections available to them when they buy from a registered dealer.
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Answering Consumer Covid-19 Questions
As the current health crisis continues to evolve, some consumers have reached out to OMVIC with questions on navigating the changing marketplace. This article features two questions our Complaints & Inquiries team received related to car-buying during Covid-19.
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All About OMVIC
As Ontario's vehicle sales regulator, OMVIC both provides consumer protection to Ontario’s car buyers and enhances industry professionalism among registrants. But let's dig a little deeper and find out the who, what, where, when and why of OMVIC.
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OMVIC administers and enforces the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act (MVDA) on behalf of the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services. OMVIC maintains a fair and informed vehicle sales marketplace by regulating dealers and salespersons, regularly inspecting Ontario's 8,000 dealerships and 30,000 salespeople, maintaining a complaint line for consumers and conducting investigations and prosecutions of industry misconduct and illegal sales (curbsiding). OMVIC is also responsible for administering the Motor Vehicle Dealers Compensation Fund on behalf of its Board of Trustees.
Consumer Line is OMVIC’s consumer guide to Ontario’s motor vehicle dealer industry. It is published throughout the year, delivered free via e-mail and provides consumers with useful tips, industry news and important, up-to-date information.
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