CarQuid: does anybody use them? Any good?

forgotmyname

So dodgy then. Isnt a trading address a legal requirement?

Site not registered to the UK.

bowlhead99

Considering they've been trying to get themselves featured in a bunch of different media in the last 6 months you would have thought their website would be less light on the details, and I agree it's not encouraging if they just have phone, email and twitter without an actual mailing address.

Surely some kind of 'about us' section would give them more credibility than a threadbare FAQ and the opportunity to sign up with your personal details? For all the newspaper or TV coverage (all light on detail in terms of how many people are really signed up, what adverts get what prices and what incidental costs do you bear), there is not a lot in terms of hard facts on who you are engaging with or how the process really works.

Good job they haven't done a big viral advertising campaign to give them serious page impressions at the site, as they would then be throwing away opportunity by not trying to hook people in properly. You can't drive serious signups without letting people know exactly what they are signing up for. I'm guessing it's pretty much an agency arrangement where they just try to match advertisers with car owners and hope the price and potential exposure is attractive to both parties, and they take a cut for arranging the hookup. That description could also describe a pimp's role in the sex trade...?

The insurance question is an interesting one. You might need something to cover more than just social, domestic, pleasure - because if you're earning a periodic income from driving your car about or parking it in prominent locations, that is an income stream for your business, just like renting out a house. Some of the cheaper basic business insurance classes such as 'class 1 business' where contractors can visit client sites as well as their usual commute, etc, would not seem to be relevant - but you're literally earning money by carrying a sandwich board painted on your car - this sounds like commercial use to me, which comes with a premium price.

Also worth considering that the amount you pay to insure your car is likely to be inversely proportional to the income you can get. For example if the car spends much of the business day in a garage or a residential driveway, you're not exactly as attractive to advertisers as if you park directly on a busy main road.

I suppose having extra insurance expenses is at least a dedicated cost that you can offset from the advertising income from the advertisers for the purposes of income tax. Your other costs of petrol and maintenance and car parking when driving from A to B or parking in public are not likely to be wholly, necessarily and exclusively in connection with the business. Maybe you could make up some kind of apportionment but clearly it would be open to challenge. And you can't just earn an ongoing income of £100 a month for selling a service (advertising) to an unconnected third party without paying tax.

Personally I don't fancy driving around with someone's adverts all over my car even if it does give me an income. I like the way it looks as it is just fine. But I'm not on the breadline, others might be different.

Leasing or renting a car with banners is probably different. If I just need something to get from A to B temporarily or do a lot of business miles and don't want to actually own the car, I'm less concerned with how it looks. If I can get a cheaper one with a worse colour or an advert or whatever, I might take it. Having the advertiser give the leasing company some cash to reduce the end price to me, might be fine. But having the advertiser give me the money direct to mess up my own car and then pay 40% income tax on the income he gives me? Not interested.

bubbleoflife_2

I haven't heard from them yet. Oversuscribed?
Has anyone tried to call the number?

[Deleted User]

bubbleoflife wrote: »

No, I do not see one but the telephone number is a London number 0208 783 2990

Number location means nothing. Geographic numbers can be bought and diverted anywhere just like 0345/0870 etc numbers.

Probably just a cheap online voip mailbox rather than a real office.