WEBVTT - Consumer Talk with Wendy Knowler 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:03.920 It is time for consumer talk, and consumer journalist Wendy 0:00:03.960 --> 0:00:06.200 Nola is with us in studio today as well as 0:00:06.200 --> 0:00:07.000 another guest we'll. 0:00:06.880 --> 0:00:08.080 Introduce in just a moment. 0:00:08.320 --> 0:00:10.640 We're going to be talking about I think I have 0:00:10.680 --> 0:00:13.160 to say one of the subjects that generates the most 0:00:13.280 --> 0:00:18.040 complaints and queries into our inboxes collectively second hand car 0:00:18.120 --> 0:00:21.279 purchases and all the things that can go wrong. And 0:00:21.360 --> 0:00:23.200 as I said, we have an expert guest joining us 0:00:23.200 --> 0:00:26.680 to offer advice on ways of protecting yourself against some 0:00:26.720 --> 0:00:28.880 of the common pitfalls. So if you want to ask 0:00:28.880 --> 0:00:30.400 a question, or if you want to share your own 0:00:30.400 --> 0:00:32.920 experience as well, you're welcome to send a WhatsApp to 0:00:33.280 --> 0:00:36.640 seven two five six seven one five six seven or 0:00:36.640 --> 0:00:39.440 give us a call on two one four four six 0:00:39.560 --> 0:00:42.680 oh five six seven. Wendy, I'm not joking about the 0:00:43.240 --> 0:00:47.000 traffic of inbox complaints around cars. I mean, obviously, buying 0:00:47.000 --> 0:00:49.120 a car is for many of us, the first big 0:00:49.159 --> 0:00:50.400 purchase that we ever make. 0:00:50.880 --> 0:00:53.160 Price sensitivity is a key thing right now. 0:00:53.200 --> 0:00:56.080 So it's very understandable that a huge percentage of buyers 0:00:56.240 --> 0:00:59.760 opt for secondhand, but our inboxes bear testimony to the 0:00:59.760 --> 0:01:03.280 fact that it can go horribly wrong at great cost 0:01:03.280 --> 0:01:04.039 of a lot of people. 0:01:04.680 --> 0:01:07.560 Very well said, yeah, so used cars offer far more 0:01:07.640 --> 0:01:11.080 value than used ones, do I mean, let the new 0:01:11.120 --> 0:01:14.920 ones do rather, Rather they let the new buy suffer 0:01:14.959 --> 0:01:17.480 the loss in terms of depreciation and the rest, and 0:01:17.520 --> 0:01:20.600 then we can get a bargain. But you really need 0:01:20.640 --> 0:01:22.840 to have your wits about you and be prepared to 0:01:22.959 --> 0:01:26.200 spend time and a little bit of money doing some 0:01:26.319 --> 0:01:29.080 checks to avoid landing up with one with a very 0:01:29.120 --> 0:01:34.800 dodgy past. And you know, so many of them are 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:38.760 very nicely put back together after a terrible smash. They 0:01:38.959 --> 0:01:42.080 land up looking and sounding lovely in that dealership listing. 0:01:42.160 --> 0:01:45.080 And we're talking about dealerships across the board, not just 0:01:45.319 --> 0:01:48.000 the little independent ones on the corner. We're talking about 0:01:48.000 --> 0:01:50.480 some of the big branded ones as well. 0:01:50.560 --> 0:01:50.720 Well. 0:01:50.720 --> 0:01:52.360 I'm going to say there've been a couple of recent 0:01:52.480 --> 0:01:55.560 rulings by the Consumer Commission issuing very large fines to 0:01:55.600 --> 0:01:56.800 some very established deals. 0:01:56.920 --> 0:02:01.200 Exactly, so it's vital that you don't take the info 0:02:01.320 --> 0:02:04.240 on the dealers listening at face value. You need to 0:02:04.360 --> 0:02:07.120 check and two things in particular, my research tells me 0:02:07.200 --> 0:02:11.680 and my informants whether or not the stated mileage is legitimate, 0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:14.320 and whether it was restored to show them glory after 0:02:14.360 --> 0:02:16.920 being involved in a major accident. And those are two 0:02:17.120 --> 0:02:21.160 very very common scenarios in South Africa. The industry word 0:02:21.200 --> 0:02:25.919 for having the mileage manipulated. They're not going to they're 0:02:25.919 --> 0:02:28.440 going to turn it back, not forward, right, is car 0:02:28.480 --> 0:02:30.560 having a haircut. So if you're in the market for 0:02:30.600 --> 0:02:32.440 a car and you throw in these kinds of words, 0:02:32.480 --> 0:02:36.040 the salesperson might take you a little bit more serious. 0:02:36.280 --> 0:02:38.560 So there are a lot of cars that have had 0:02:38.600 --> 0:02:41.880 some very hairy haircuts out there, so you really need 0:02:41.919 --> 0:02:48.520 to check that number. So look these cars that have 0:02:48.600 --> 0:02:51.720 been as long as they've fixed to roadworthy standards and 0:02:51.919 --> 0:02:54.720 they go through a proper roadworthy not a corrupt one, 0:02:54.919 --> 0:02:57.440 and you could they could be put back on the road. 0:02:57.520 --> 0:03:02.239 But cars with bad accident has and very high mileage 0:03:02.760 --> 0:03:06.160 ought to be sold for you with full disclosure and 0:03:06.200 --> 0:03:10.880 at appropriate prices for that, not patched up chiny and 0:03:10.960 --> 0:03:15.639 you with the past not disclosed and really inappropriately high 0:03:15.960 --> 0:03:19.240 prices for what you're actually getting. But as in many 0:03:19.320 --> 0:03:23.320 cases paperwork might be fudged, it needs to be the 0:03:23.360 --> 0:03:27.840 past trauma is undisclosed, and they get sold as regular used. 0:03:27.600 --> 0:03:28.839 Cars on the show and floor. 0:03:28.919 --> 0:03:31.480 Okay, So obviously the million dollar question is how can 0:03:31.520 --> 0:03:33.880 we check because we don't know looking at a car 0:03:33.919 --> 0:03:36.520 from the outside, whether the mileage has been crooked and 0:03:36.560 --> 0:03:39.720 whether it has been patched up after an accident. Is 0:03:39.760 --> 0:03:41.840 there a way to find out what that car is 0:03:41.920 --> 0:03:44.800 really all about before you signed the offer to purchase? 0:03:44.920 --> 0:03:47.000 Yes, there is. There are a number of ways. But 0:03:47.040 --> 0:03:49.280 what Thassen Studio today is one of the owners of 0:03:49.400 --> 0:03:52.760 Cape based company First Check, which has been doing such 0:03:52.840 --> 0:03:56.400 checks for would be buyers or a modest sum Andrew 0:03:56.400 --> 0:03:57.960 Travers welcome. 0:03:58.000 --> 0:04:00.920 Great, have you weather sundry welcome, Thank you very very much. 0:04:01.320 --> 0:04:04.280 Thanks to SEVENA to Cape Talk and Wendy for everything 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:04.720 that you do. 0:04:05.600 --> 0:04:09.040 You're here to that okay, So first, just tell us 0:04:09.080 --> 0:04:11.520 a little bit about about First Check, Andrew, before we 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:14.240 dive into how you go about looking at things. Just 0:04:14.240 --> 0:04:15.760 give us a sense of the company, when it was 0:04:15.800 --> 0:04:16.960 started and what you do. 0:04:17.600 --> 0:04:21.880 Papa, First Check was started, it's over five years in 0:04:21.920 --> 0:04:24.200 the making now and we're extremely proud of what we've 0:04:24.200 --> 0:04:28.240 accomplished so far. First Check is a first in South 0:04:28.240 --> 0:04:32.200 Africa as a vehicle checking system and what this means 0:04:32.279 --> 0:04:35.359 is now all consumers can run the basic and extremely 0:04:35.520 --> 0:04:38.400 necessary checks and any vehicle registered in South Africa before 0:04:38.400 --> 0:04:43.479 they transact. We not only provide vehicle facts, but a 0:04:43.520 --> 0:04:47.640 place of reassurance and comfort and transparency, which is really 0:04:47.720 --> 0:04:51.400 key for any type of transaction regarding a vehicle that's 0:04:51.600 --> 0:04:55.159 on the South African road. With my team and years 0:04:55.160 --> 0:04:58.920 of building this technology and years of collecting data, including 0:04:58.960 --> 0:05:04.000 some assistance from strategic data partners, we now have a 0:05:04.080 --> 0:05:08.160 trusted and verified system that many, many thousands of South 0:05:08.160 --> 0:05:11.159 Africans are using on a daily basis, and many of 0:05:11.200 --> 0:05:12.520 them repeatedly. 0:05:12.240 --> 0:05:13.680 Okay, good to know. 0:05:13.839 --> 0:05:17.240 So what information do you need from a potential buyer 0:05:17.440 --> 0:05:20.320 or someone that has bought a car, used car and 0:05:20.400 --> 0:05:23.839 has begun to suspect that all was not disclosed when 0:05:23.839 --> 0:05:26.560 they bought it. What do they need to what's the process? 0:05:28.160 --> 0:05:31.719 Essentially, a buyer or a seller with intent would typically 0:05:31.760 --> 0:05:35.560 go to first check dot cosar. You take the unique 0:05:35.600 --> 0:05:39.000 seventeen digit VIN number off your vehicle, you put it 0:05:39.040 --> 0:05:43.880 into our website. It's impossible to get it incorrect because 0:05:45.120 --> 0:05:47.400 it's a confusing number in many cases, but there is 0:05:47.440 --> 0:05:51.600 only one way to put it in Whether you own 0:05:51.600 --> 0:05:53.839 a vehicle, you're looking at buying a vehicle, wanted to 0:05:53.880 --> 0:05:56.520 sell your current vehicle. First check would be an excellent 0:05:56.560 --> 0:05:59.680 place to start your journey, as we provide you with 0:05:59.720 --> 0:06:02.960 what we call a venty vehicle match, which is the start. 0:06:03.279 --> 0:06:04.960 It allows you to check that we in fact have 0:06:05.040 --> 0:06:07.360 the correct vehicle all the way down to the actual 0:06:07.360 --> 0:06:09.120 model and vehicle specifications. 0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:11.880 Okay, so sorry to interrupt, but if you're looking at 0:06:11.880 --> 0:06:14.720 buying a blue Honda Jazz and vin number x y 0:06:14.839 --> 0:06:16.720 Z and you put that into your system and it says, 0:06:16.720 --> 0:06:19.279 well that ven number actually belongs to a red Corolla, 0:06:19.760 --> 0:06:22.640 you know straight away something automatic. 0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:29.120 Yeah, okay, be flagged once once we verified the ven number, 0:06:29.680 --> 0:06:34.800 the detailed customer value journey, if you will, begins and 0:06:35.040 --> 0:06:38.560 some of our most valuable touch points being actual live 0:06:38.680 --> 0:06:43.760 market values. We give you six different values actually, which 0:06:43.800 --> 0:06:47.279 is a spread across trade and retail high and low 0:06:48.080 --> 0:06:53.360 perceived market value. Any damage claims that have been recorded, 0:06:53.880 --> 0:06:58.200 in other words, official insurance claims at verified panel shops 0:06:58.240 --> 0:06:59.960 would be recorded obviously the. 0:07:00.160 --> 0:07:01.680 One real tell all that. 0:07:01.920 --> 0:07:04.840 Yeah, yeah, it is naturally there are instances where a 0:07:04.920 --> 0:07:07.839 vehicle has been patched up by somebody that the accident 0:07:07.960 --> 0:07:10.640 was too small to claim and they go to a 0:07:10.720 --> 0:07:14.880 non franchised repair shop. Those aren't picked up first. Chick 0:07:14.880 --> 0:07:18.920 would always recommend doing a physical inspection on a vehicle 0:07:19.040 --> 0:07:25.760 if you see issues. There are various centers, roadworthy centers 0:07:25.760 --> 0:07:27.800 and vehicle checking centers that are able to help you 0:07:27.840 --> 0:07:32.280 with us. Very importantly, a police interest, and we see 0:07:32.320 --> 0:07:37.040 this every day, whether the vehicle is actively sought or 0:07:37.080 --> 0:07:40.080 if it's been stolen, if it's recorded as stolen. We 0:07:40.440 --> 0:07:45.160 see this very often, very importantly. Finance interest in the 0:07:45.280 --> 0:07:47.680 vehicle is that, in other words, is the title owner 0:07:48.320 --> 0:07:51.200 the title holder the owner? Or is does the vehicle 0:07:51.240 --> 0:07:53.520 belong is it finance doesn't belong to a bank? That's 0:07:53.720 --> 0:07:54.480 very very important. 0:07:54.680 --> 0:07:57.120 I've had cases where they haven't found out later that 0:07:57.160 --> 0:08:00.360 the bank is still care. 0:08:00.400 --> 0:08:05.040 Yeah, it happens often. Also, the micro dot status the 0:08:05.680 --> 0:08:10.040 vehicle as it's introduced into the South African system. Nowadays, 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:11.720 new vehicles all come with the micro dot. 0:08:11.800 --> 0:08:13.320 I didn't know that, okay. 0:08:14.360 --> 0:08:17.560 And very importantly the vehicle specifications, even basic things like 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:21.520 a long wheel base saloon for example, it can't fit 0:08:21.600 --> 0:08:24.440 in your garage. You know, it's important to important to 0:08:24.520 --> 0:08:25.560 know these kind of things. 0:08:26.240 --> 0:08:28.800 Okay, so that's an awful lot of information that you 0:08:28.800 --> 0:08:30.440 can gather just from having. 0:08:30.240 --> 0:08:31.040 The VIN number. 0:08:31.480 --> 0:08:34.000 Rob asking the very important question of where on the 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:35.319 card do you find. 0:08:35.120 --> 0:08:35.839 The VIN number? 0:08:35.880 --> 0:08:38.000 Do you have to look under the hood license for 0:08:38.120 --> 0:08:39.840 the card, ceter Is it just right there on the 0:08:39.880 --> 0:08:40.560 license disc? 0:08:40.760 --> 0:08:41.560 Is it anywhere else? 0:08:41.800 --> 0:08:45.320 Well, there's actually three ways. Either on the license disc, 0:08:46.640 --> 0:08:49.439 which is a piece of paper that's been printed that 0:08:49.720 --> 0:08:52.320 it is possible to fake it. To fake it, that's 0:08:52.320 --> 0:08:56.440 how people clone vehicles. But being a right hand drive country, 0:08:56.559 --> 0:08:59.560 typically on the left hand side at the base of 0:08:59.559 --> 0:09:01.439 the vehicle is wind screen. This is in the more 0:09:01.480 --> 0:09:04.880 modern vehicles, typically post ninety eight. 0:09:05.320 --> 0:09:06.640 At the bulk of them. 0:09:06.679 --> 0:09:06.880 Yeah. 0:09:06.960 --> 0:09:10.360 Yeah, you will find the VEN number stamped on a 0:09:10.400 --> 0:09:12.680 plate which is as I said, at the bottom of 0:09:12.679 --> 0:09:14.040 the left hand side of the front. 0:09:13.880 --> 0:09:16.800 Wind screen, adding plane sight. Yeah. 0:09:16.840 --> 0:09:21.079 And also on more modern vehicles on the on the 0:09:21.120 --> 0:09:26.080 b pillar of the vehicle you will find a sticker 0:09:26.120 --> 0:09:28.959 which would also have the VEN number on. And if 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:31.240 the vehicle has service books, the VEN numbers should be 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:32.880 stamped somewhere in the service book. 0:09:33.040 --> 0:09:33.760 So you used to. 0:09:34.760 --> 0:09:37.320 These are the terms that I recommen. People throw around 0:09:37.360 --> 0:09:40.920 and they go looking for cars because it tells the dealership. 0:09:40.960 --> 0:09:43.440 You know what you're talking about. So your A pillar 0:09:43.480 --> 0:09:45.000 would be the edge of the wind screen and then 0:09:45.000 --> 0:09:49.320 you go backwards. So so the pillar between the front 0:09:49.559 --> 0:09:54.319 door frame and the wind screen is the and it 0:09:54.360 --> 0:09:56.959 just goes down the car B, C, D, depending how 0:09:57.080 --> 0:09:58.600 long the car is. So B is. 0:10:00.800 --> 0:10:04.440 Behind your please basically at your at your shoulder. 0:10:04.559 --> 0:10:05.760 Yeah, at that. 0:10:05.880 --> 0:10:08.360 Vertical panel that goes down, that's the B pillar. 0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:11.800 Okay, learned something new today. Okay, So look on the 0:10:11.840 --> 0:10:14.560 license just look at the left hand side base of 0:10:14.600 --> 0:10:17.040 the windscreen. Look on the for the sticker on the 0:10:17.040 --> 0:10:19.600 B pillar, or go to the service history book of 0:10:19.679 --> 0:10:21.400 the car and awful places. 0:10:21.480 --> 0:10:23.920 Rob will help you find the VN the VIN numbers. 0:10:23.920 --> 0:10:26.080 Thank you for asking on behalf of all of us 0:10:26.080 --> 0:10:27.440 who were wondering the same thing. 0:10:27.559 --> 0:10:29.560 And before our listener points it out, as I know 0:10:29.600 --> 0:10:35.760 they will VIN numbers. You're basically saying vehicle identification number number. 0:10:36.080 --> 0:10:39.240 So yeah, in is the but most people call it 0:10:39.280 --> 0:10:39.880 the VIN number. 0:10:39.920 --> 0:10:40.240 Correct. 0:10:42.440 --> 0:10:45.640 Quick question for Andrew from Tabor. How is what first 0:10:45.720 --> 0:10:48.520 check does any different from what DECA or the AA. 0:10:48.440 --> 0:10:50.679 Do on checking second hand vehicles. Is it any different? 0:10:52.480 --> 0:10:54.720 In some ways, it is very different. In some ways, 0:10:54.760 --> 0:10:55.800 it's it's supportive. 0:10:56.000 --> 0:10:56.320 Okay. 0:10:56.440 --> 0:10:58.839 They would do a physical inspection and they would say, well, 0:10:58.880 --> 0:11:01.600 your tires are worn, or your shock absorbers are worn, 0:11:01.679 --> 0:11:05.559 or your exhaust hangar is worn, or it appears that 0:11:05.640 --> 0:11:07.520 the vehicle has been in an accident and it would 0:11:07.520 --> 0:11:13.000 need further inspection. What First Check does is we provide 0:11:13.280 --> 0:11:19.160 the facts about the vehicle. We avoid sensationalism and litigation, 0:11:19.720 --> 0:11:24.800 but we point if we establish something which we feel 0:11:24.840 --> 0:11:28.640 is suspect, it would be flagged. And it's essential information 0:11:28.679 --> 0:11:30.040 if you're buying or selling a vehicle. 0:11:30.320 --> 0:11:34.440 I think the clue is in the company named First Check. 0:11:34.480 --> 0:11:37.600 I would say that you're easily online, put them in 0:11:37.600 --> 0:11:41.680 in and you get you see if any red flags 0:11:41.720 --> 0:11:45.280 come up, I would say certainly that you should have 0:11:45.720 --> 0:11:47.439 you know, you must test drive the cou must see 0:11:47.440 --> 0:11:49.679 it in person. The big thing now is to buy 0:11:49.679 --> 0:11:52.040 everything digitally and then if you if I caped out 0:11:52.240 --> 0:11:55.400 Joe Big Dealer, you get it on a carrier and 0:11:55.400 --> 0:11:57.320 get it sent down here. Too many people are doing that, 0:11:57.400 --> 0:11:59.600 my goodness, because they saw a video that the dealership 0:11:59.640 --> 0:12:03.640 sent them, everything looked fine, there's a lot that will hide. 0:12:04.000 --> 0:12:06.640 And even if there's nothing wrong with the car, it 0:12:07.120 --> 0:12:09.719 might not be might not suit you. The clutchmate might 0:12:09.800 --> 0:12:11.760 take too late. You might not be able to get 0:12:11.760 --> 0:12:15.720 a comfortable right drive position. You know, I'd say you 0:12:15.800 --> 0:12:18.200 must drive the car, and you must experience it physically 0:12:18.240 --> 0:12:21.720 at the very least. If you're buying from another province, 0:12:22.040 --> 0:12:26.760 get these professional checkers view for you as a group 0:12:26.800 --> 0:12:29.079 that our country wide, and I deal with them quite 0:12:29.120 --> 0:12:31.560 a lot that will go and give you a very 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:36.240 full report having driven you know, the car, hoisted it up, 0:12:36.240 --> 0:12:39.319 had a good look for accident damage and the rest. 0:12:39.679 --> 0:12:43.360 But I think certainly something like first check went for 0:12:43.440 --> 0:12:45.760 How much? How does it cost? I think this is 0:12:45.760 --> 0:12:46.440 what we wanted to know. 0:12:46.600 --> 0:12:50.439 The starting price for an verification is only forty nine round. 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:53.240 If you look for evaluation, it's ninety nine round. If 0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:55.240 you look for a full report, it's one hundred and 0:12:55.280 --> 0:12:58.160 forty nine round. The value behind that is exceptional. 0:12:58.880 --> 0:13:01.160 A entiny amount of is the risk that you take. 0:13:01.840 --> 0:13:04.600 Brain once the once the veinners run through our platform 0:13:04.640 --> 0:13:08.920 and the technology, this exciting AI space that we loosely 0:13:09.000 --> 0:13:13.360 refer to nowadays used correctly by us. By ad we 0:13:13.480 --> 0:13:16.600 can now assist our clients vehicle journey with their vehicle 0:13:16.679 --> 0:13:21.000 journey and health check through different lenses and which is 0:13:21.040 --> 0:13:25.040 one of full transparency, meaning we can immediately understand if 0:13:25.040 --> 0:13:27.240 a vehicle is high risk or a lower risk vehicle 0:13:28.240 --> 0:13:31.679 well while always looking out for our customers and avoiding 0:13:31.760 --> 0:13:34.800 costly mistakes. I mean, a vehicle is the second largest 0:13:34.800 --> 0:13:38.880 expense second home nowadays, sometimes even more than a home. 0:13:40.320 --> 0:13:44.280 And you know, we we we point things out before 0:13:44.320 --> 0:13:48.360 you experience the headaches. You know, when you get your valuation, 0:13:48.679 --> 0:13:51.400 depending on the condition of the vehicle, the kilometers driven, 0:13:51.600 --> 0:13:55.920 the value is adjusted. As I said to verified claim history, 0:13:56.320 --> 0:14:00.800 we we see a lot of people RepU heatedly buying 0:14:01.160 --> 0:14:05.760 reports for the same brand and model of vehicle, and 0:14:05.840 --> 0:14:08.840 when they see an accident damage, they run another report 0:14:08.880 --> 0:14:11.040 for another vehicle until they find one that's clear. And 0:14:11.679 --> 0:14:14.280 we see it all day every day, accident damaged and 0:14:14.320 --> 0:14:18.680 stolen vehicles. And yes, accident damaged vehicles can be repaired 0:14:18.800 --> 0:14:21.920 very well. One of my own vehicles I bought from 0:14:21.960 --> 0:14:24.760 a large retailer and I knew that it had iran 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:27.320 A report. I knew it had a rare end, but 0:14:27.640 --> 0:14:29.760 I approached the vehicle knowing what I was looking for, 0:14:29.800 --> 0:14:31.320 which is transparency and the. 0:14:31.280 --> 0:14:34.440 Comfort and just for anybody who's coming in only now 0:14:34.720 --> 0:14:37.600 with me in studio, not only our usual consumer specialist 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:41.240 Wendy Nola, but also Andrew Travers of First Check, which 0:14:41.280 --> 0:14:44.080 is a company that offers, for a very modest fee, 0:14:44.360 --> 0:14:46.760 the service of running the VIN number of the car 0:14:46.840 --> 0:14:50.040 you're thinking of buying through their system and getting you 0:14:50.240 --> 0:14:53.680 all kinds of data points about that car, Confirming that 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:56.920 the VIN number matches the vehicle that you're buying, Confirming 0:14:56.960 --> 0:15:00.160 the accident record and any previous insurance claims against that 0:15:00.280 --> 0:15:03.320 VENE number, Confirming whether there's police interest in that car 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:05.320 because it's actually stolen or it was used in a 0:15:05.400 --> 0:15:08.200 robbery last week, as well as letting you know that 0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:10.760 the person selling it to you is actually the owner 0:15:10.840 --> 0:15:13.600 of the car and it's not still technically owned by 0:15:13.640 --> 0:15:16.000 the bank. These are some of the pieces of information 0:15:16.280 --> 0:15:19.960 that First Check can offer to you off the basis 0:15:20.000 --> 0:15:23.280 of that ven number. And Kathleen asking Andrew, how do 0:15:23.320 --> 0:15:25.800 you source that information? What sort of access do you 0:15:25.840 --> 0:15:28.440 have to what sort of databases to allow you to 0:15:28.760 --> 0:15:29.680 farm all that info. 0:15:30.760 --> 0:15:34.960 Thanks for the question. It's taken us years to build 0:15:35.000 --> 0:15:38.280 our data set. Put it that way, the amount of 0:15:38.360 --> 0:15:42.720 data that we've collated. We have access to information from 0:15:42.720 --> 0:15:46.080 a number of data providers, which is obviously proprietary to 0:15:46.120 --> 0:15:53.040 our business. However, they are all validated and the information 0:15:53.120 --> 0:15:57.360 that we provide is actually factual. It's important to mention 0:15:57.440 --> 0:16:00.720 as well, which I forgot earlier, when you're looking at 0:16:00.720 --> 0:16:03.600 the actual valuations that we provide you with. Those are 0:16:03.680 --> 0:16:06.840 very pertinent when you're insuring your vehicle. It's a very 0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:11.360 expensive commodity, which you need to ensure it not for 0:16:11.480 --> 0:16:14.160 too much and not for too little. The minute you 0:16:14.240 --> 0:16:16.720 drive away in your lovely vehicle, whether it be new 0:16:16.760 --> 0:16:19.760 or secondhand, it's costing you money and it's devaluing. So 0:16:19.880 --> 0:16:21.360 one needs to be very careful with that. 0:16:21.680 --> 0:16:22.280 Okay. 0:16:22.960 --> 0:16:25.360 I was going to say, there was a few years 0:16:25.360 --> 0:16:28.360 ago where I was in the process of investigating one 0:16:28.400 --> 0:16:31.240 of these used car deals gone horribly wrong, and I 0:16:31.280 --> 0:16:34.280 came across the company called Winddocks, which they provide this 0:16:34.440 --> 0:16:39.200 verification service online, same sort of story, and I put 0:16:39.240 --> 0:16:41.720 in this vehicle that the woman had was having all 0:16:41.760 --> 0:16:43.720 sorts of problems within the dealership was saying, you know, 0:16:43.760 --> 0:16:48.080 everything's fine, and it revealed a very very serious insurance 0:16:48.120 --> 0:16:52.840 claim it was quite new and which wasn't disclosed, and 0:16:52.880 --> 0:16:55.080 it helped me in that case. So I used it 0:16:55.120 --> 0:16:57.360 a few times after that, but there were it just 0:16:57.440 --> 0:17:01.960 came up with so many errors. The one case I remember, 0:17:02.280 --> 0:17:04.359 I wrote to the dealership to say, this is actually 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:07.480 it was a Toyoto and it was the wrong model, 0:17:07.520 --> 0:17:09.040 and I was thinking, how did this work? Was it? 0:17:09.080 --> 0:17:09.280 You know? 0:17:09.760 --> 0:17:15.080 And fortunately the dealership was very understanding about and saying, 0:17:15.080 --> 0:17:16.679 I don't know where you got that information from, but 0:17:17.280 --> 0:17:19.320 it gave me all the real information. So I stopped 0:17:19.400 --> 0:17:21.679 using it after that, recommending it. So that was going 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:24.400 to be before our listener asked all of my main 0:17:24.480 --> 0:17:27.960 questions to Andrew is to say, how can we know 0:17:28.400 --> 0:17:30.879 for sure that the information you're going to provide is 0:17:31.080 --> 0:17:31.960 accurate and can. 0:17:31.920 --> 0:17:35.560 Be trusted, Wendy. It starts, as I said, with the VIN. 0:17:35.840 --> 0:17:38.160 You cannot fudge the VIN. There is only one VIN 0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:41.600 that will ever belong to a vehicle, and nine times 0:17:41.640 --> 0:17:43.800 out of ten, if you put a VIN, we find it. 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:46.800 We will inform you before you proceed that we find 0:17:46.800 --> 0:17:49.119 a match. When we found the match, you will actually 0:17:49.160 --> 0:17:51.560 see an image of the actual vehicle, although the color 0:17:51.640 --> 0:17:56.200 might be different. If we do not find a vin 0:17:56.359 --> 0:18:00.600 which can happen particularly with older vehicles or very scarce 0:18:00.720 --> 0:18:03.240 vehicles sort of in other words, low volume vehicles or 0:18:03.280 --> 0:18:07.200 imported vehicles, the system would automatically offer you the option 0:18:07.320 --> 0:18:10.040 to take a manual search, and again we will warn 0:18:10.080 --> 0:18:12.400 you that there's a possibility that you won't get all 0:18:12.440 --> 0:18:17.680 the information that you require. Does that answer your question? 0:18:18.000 --> 0:18:18.280 Thanks? 0:18:18.720 --> 0:18:22.160 Interesting question in from Louis, who I know has spent 0:18:22.200 --> 0:18:24.480 a lifetime involved in the motor industry, so it makes 0:18:24.480 --> 0:18:27.520 sense to me he might have some classic cars. Aranda says, 0:18:27.520 --> 0:18:30.280 what about older cars with shorter the numbers? I have one, 0:18:30.280 --> 0:18:32.639 for example, that only has a twelve character of that. 0:18:33.080 --> 0:18:34.600 Would your system be able to work on that? 0:18:34.840 --> 0:18:41.800 No? No, the system is designed essentially based on what 0:18:41.840 --> 0:18:44.880 the data providers can provide, and the data providers are 0:18:44.920 --> 0:18:49.760 not able to provide that information. However, the caller can 0:18:49.840 --> 0:18:52.960 contact Enatus and they would be able to give if 0:18:53.240 --> 0:18:56.600 should the vehicle belong to him or her, then the 0:18:56.640 --> 0:18:59.199 traffic department would be able to provide the information that 0:18:59.240 --> 0:18:59.880 he requires. 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:00.880 Okay, that's good. 0:19:00.920 --> 0:19:01.119 To know. 0:19:01.800 --> 0:19:03.760 I'm interested to know because I've seen a few TikTok 0:19:03.840 --> 0:19:08.000 videos around about this service. Is it mostly women or 0:19:08.040 --> 0:19:09.639 men who are using the service? 0:19:10.040 --> 0:19:13.400 We're seeing Aif you're both smiling at me, we've seen her, 0:19:13.560 --> 0:19:16.280 I better say the right. We're seeing a fifty to 0:19:16.280 --> 0:19:20.000 fifty Yeah, very much. There's there's one particular girl, and 0:19:20.040 --> 0:19:22.680 I noticed it about ten days ago that was looking 0:19:22.760 --> 0:19:27.639 for an extremely popular small hatchback and she did about 0:19:27.680 --> 0:19:31.159 twelve reports until she found one that hadn't been in 0:19:31.160 --> 0:19:31.720 an accident. 0:19:31.880 --> 0:19:33.800 Well, and she's paying one hundred and fifty round each 0:19:33.840 --> 0:19:36.040 time she felt that she's doing. 0:19:36.600 --> 0:19:40.480 For Yeah, you know that? What is that one thousand, 0:19:41.240 --> 0:19:43.720 one thousand and seven hundred in my maths right now? 0:19:44.640 --> 0:19:46.800 Okay, Well, yeah, as you said, it's less than two 0:19:46.800 --> 0:19:49.920 thousand rand. And if she'd gone with option number one 0:19:50.280 --> 0:19:54.800 without knowing the accident three or options nineteen eleven, she 0:19:54.800 --> 0:19:56.240 could have had a very defect outcome. 0:19:56.240 --> 0:19:58.920 And that's probably the next question is what percentage of 0:19:59.720 --> 0:20:02.399 report also are you providing? Are these major problems with 0:20:02.560 --> 0:20:03.240 the car. 0:20:02.960 --> 0:20:07.359 In question, Wendy, We see a lot of them. I 0:20:07.359 --> 0:20:10.600 would say it's about a fifty pleasantly it's about a 0:20:10.640 --> 0:20:13.280 fifty to fifty split. There's a lot of very good 0:20:13.440 --> 0:20:16.560 vehicles out there, and there's some very good vehicles with 0:20:16.640 --> 0:20:19.359 a bad history that have possibly been repaired properly. But 0:20:19.400 --> 0:20:21.480 as I said, initially, one needs to know what you're 0:20:21.480 --> 0:20:26.480 looking for, because once you've bought the vehicle that the 0:20:26.520 --> 0:20:28.919 previous owners basically passed the buck to you, and at 0:20:28.920 --> 0:20:31.440