Getting rid of a scrap car should and can be easy. It should also be pretty much black-and-white. You give your car to a scrap dealer, they salvage what’s still in working order and recycle the rest – end of story.
But if this is the case, why is it that there’s a never-ending story of scrap car scams taking place across the country? And even if scrap car scams really do exist, what makes them so dangerous?
The Dangers of Car Scams
Well, as far as the owner goes, falling foul of a scam could see you lose out in a number of ways. First of all, anyone who charges you a penny for accepting or collecting your scrap car is scamming you. There is absolutely no excuse for charging a cent at any time. In fact, you are also being short-changed (quite literally) if you are not offered a fair cash price for your car. Even if it is falling to pieces, this really doesn’t matter when it comes to scrapping and recycling.
Along with this, you could also find yourself in a certain amount of legal trouble, if you allow your car to be taken by a scammer. When getting rid of a scrap car, you need to obtain a certificate of destruction as official confirmation that it has been disposed of responsibly. If you don’t get one, it’s you that could end up in trouble if questions are asked.
Everyone Loses
Aside from the individual scrapping the car, working with dodgy dealers can be detrimental and dangerous on a much wider basis. For one thing, it pretty much goes without saying that your car will not be recycled or disposed of responsibly. Waste fluids get poured down the drain, bits and pieces get dumped by the side of the road and only the most valuable components are sold on for profit.
Worse still, the dealer may decide to polish the vehicle up a little and sell it on to a new owner – even if it happens to be something of a death trap. Given the fact that they aren’t operating legitimately, they’ll think nothing of doing so and fleeing with the cash, regardless of the consequences.
More often than not, it’s the fact that these ‘service providers’ deal entirely in cash with no paperwork to speak of that gives them away as fraudsters. You might think that you yourself are blameless if you make an ill-informed decision, but in reality this isn’t the case at all.
The simple fact of the matter is that it has never been easier to ensure that your car is scrapped and recycled responsibly, by way of the simplest and most rewarding process possible. Making the right choice is a small price to pay for the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your car that may still be registered under your name isn’t still out and about on the streets posing a threat to life and limb.
For more information on responsible car scrapping and recycling, get in touch with the Take My Scrap Car customer service team today.
