RAC False Endorsement of Product by TV Personality

DoaM

Anonfromuk wrote: »

<< Wall of text >>

I got to the end of the first line and gave up.

Anonfromuk

Sorry if my posts look jumbled , im not a computer whizz ...

Anonfromuk

I do apoligise to the grammar and punctuation Police

DoaM

It's for your own benefit ... many posters (myself included) will pass over walls of text, so the poster ends up losing out on potentially useful feedback.

Anonfromuk

flashg67 wrote: »

Sorry, you lost 17k but more concerned over a (likely) forgotten, rather than fraudulent celeb endorsement?

Not really the same as what happened to Martin really - I don't class the RAC in the same boat as fake bitcoin merchants. More likely a mistake rather than deliberate IMHO

Anyway, surely you used the product to claim your 17k?

I am asking about the specific point of using a celebrity without authorisation to sell and advertise a product. It makes no difference if its its a fake bitcoin merchant or a huge company like the RAC but I would suggest its more shocking to find a huge national organisation like the RAC doing this.....

Anonfromuk

This is what Quentin Willson has said on the matter :

Quentin Willson
Nigel. I don’t endorse RAC Inspections. I may have written about them in motoring journalism in the past but there is no commercial relationship. Please don’t make me sound as though I’m in any way connected to them because I’m not.

Feb 21
Nigel Valentine
Hi Quentin , thanks for responding. It look like you do on the the RAC car Passport.... Here is the link *********


Nigel Valentine
Are the RAC using you photograph and quote without your authority ? Thats shocking. It looks like you have endorsed it on the Webpage.


Nigel Valentine
I bought a Range Rover Evque via a Gumtree ad, used RAC car check to be sure it was all legitimate. Turns out the car is a stolen clone. I had to harass the Police as they didnt care even tho i called them repeatedly and went to the divisional headquaters twice. I took the Evoque to two Range Rover dealers and they looked over the car and told me it was all genuine.Turns out its part of an organised crime operation stealing Range Rover and cloning them. I have involved the DVSA , DVLA and I have now got Jaguar Land Rover Ltd involved as their vehicle security and windscreen tamper proof VIN are not fit for purpose. They have not been very helpful. My insurance company ONE Call just cancelled my policy told me I couldnt make any claim and billed me £160 for them cancelling the policy. I am £17,000 plus out of pocket and still have the stolen clone on my drive. I did everything correctly and now no one wants to know. As a result i'm going to shout about it all over the internet and the press.


Quentin Willson
I have no commercial relationship with the RAC or their inspections arm. Will investigate the website.

Feb 21
Quentin Willson
I’ve just seen that there’s a quote from a news piece I wrote in the Sunday Mirror. This is not endorsement and was meant as general buying advice. I will contact the RAC.

Feb 21
Nigel Valentine
Many thanks Quentin. I am as shocked as you must be that they have used you like this.


Quentin Willson
Can you remove my name from your tweet that says I endorse RAC inspections because that’s not true.

Feb 21
Nigel Valentine
Yes of course. Would it be ok to say they have used your details without your permission ?


Quentin Willson
No. I need to talk to them.

Feb 21
Nigel Valentine
ah ok I see


Nigel Valentine
I have taken screenshots and a web cache for my records. Let me know if you need a copy. Obviously my concern is with my loss of £17k. I've messaged a few other motoring journalists about my situation and the RAC car check to see if they will help me.


Quentin Willson
I will get clarification from them. But let me repeat that I do not endorse their inspections and they are using a quote I wrote in a national newspaper. Please be factually accurate in all your social media activity.

Feb 21
Nigel Valentine
Yes I fully understand that you DO NOT endorse the RAC car check but your quote and photo have been used by them on the web page without your permission and duped people like myself. I have just tweeted with Which. Trading standards next. I cant believe the RAC would do such a thing. Yes I will be as factually accurate as possible and make it clear you have not endorsed this product and the product is worthless. I have been told consumer action groups would be interested in this as well as advertising standards. I just want my £17k back. I love your journalism and i am very upset at what the RAC have done. Me and my partner had been waiting three years to buy an Evoque and now we have lost our car and all our money as a result of the RAC car check. I dont even have any transport now and I live out of town. Its a nightmare.


Hiya Quentin , the RAC have messaged me to say this....

Nigel Valentine
""Hi Nigel, your complaint is awaiting investigation. You will receive an acknowledgement with further information within 5 working days of your concerns being logged. I have heard back from our press team advising that Quentin did endorse the Car Passport.""


Quentin Willson
I’ll speak to them and find out what’s going on.

Feb 22
Nigel Valentine
Glad to see your photo etc have been removed from the RAC car check website. Which Consumer Rights are investigating it all for me and they also noticed your details removed. Its also being reported to the ASA. Best regards Nigel

verityboo

Anonfromuk wrote: »

I am asking about the specific point of using a celebrity without authorisation to sell and advertise a product. It makes no difference if its its a fake bitcoin merchant or a huge company like the RAC but I would suggest its more shocking to find a huge national organisation like the RAC doing this.....

Did the so called endorsement simply repeat views that Quentin had expressed previously (such as in the article link in one of the above posts) or was it made up? I still can't believe though that you used the RAC check just because of Quentin's endorsement

That doesn't change the fact though that you ran a vehicle check on a completely different car which was not stolen so the RAC don't owe you anything

Anonfromuk

This is what the RAC said on Twitter and then Via Email Customer Car in relation to my complaint:

RAC Care Twitter
Replying to @NV
Hi Nigel, as previously mentioned, our Press Team have confirmed that Quentin did endorse the Car Passport. Your complaint is under investigation and will be responded to accordingly. Hannah

Customer Care :
I also note you feel RAC were using an endorsement from Quentin Wilson for the Car Passport without his consent. I have spoken with our press team who have advised that when this product was launched, Quentin Wilson wrote a positive journalistic review of the product and this was not used as any form of endorsement. I can only apologise if you felt this was in any way an endorsement and I can confirm this has now been removed from the Car Passport website

verityboo

Anonfromuk wrote: »

.................. I have involved the DVSA , DVLA and I have now got Jaguar Land Rover Ltd involved as their vehicle security and windscreen tamper proof VIN are not fit for purpose.

I just wondered where you got the idea that windscreen VINs are tamper proof? I thought they were just an addition VIN placed there for convenience. Seen it many times on the TV, they are usually the easiest VIN to change. Often a new VIN is just typed on a bit of card and then pushed down between the dashboard and windscreen to cover the original

waamo

So it's sorted now then?