News
Greenhous Group Achieves SAF Approved Status
Greenhous Group is the latest high-profile dealer group to achieve SAF Approved status under the Finance & Leasing Association’s Specialist Automotive Finance (SAF) initiative. Greenhous' inclusion into the SAF Approved ranks means that half of the top ten UK dealer groups have now become SAF Approved.
This milestone coincides with growing consumer interest in SAF as a result of the new SAF Approved ‘dealer directory’ (www.financingyourcar.org.uk) that enables car buyers to search for their nearest SAF showroom.
SAF aims to give consumers confidence about motor finance sold through dealerships. It does this by increasing dealer staff’s knowledge of finance with an online competence test. With all Greenhous outlets now SAF Approved, customers opting for dealer finance can be confident that they will be guided to the most suitable finance deal for them by staff who have passed the competence test.
Greenhous achieved SAF Approved status after all of their sales executives passed the online SAF competence test, administered by the FLA. Greenhous and other SAF-Approved dealerships will be able to display the SAF-branded material in all their showrooms. The free SAF test will shortly be extended to include a new module to help dealers prepare for changes under the Consumer Credit Directive. More information is available at:www.SpecialistAutomotiveFinance.org.uk.
Paul Harrison, Head of Motor Finance at the FLA, said:
“SAF is a kite-mark to give consumers confidence about the motor finance information they receive. If customers are given clear and reliable information on why a particular product is right for them then this will give them the confidence to take out finance again in the future.
“I am pleased that more and more leading dealer groups – now including Greenhous Group - are taking steps to voluntarily raise standards by becoming SAF Approved.”
Nick Jones, Group Finance Manager for Greenhous, said:
“Greenhous are delighted to become SAF Approved. The hard work that has been undertaken by the sales teams to achieve the necessary standards shows our continued commitment to offering customers the highest levels of advice and service.”
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Note to editors:
Specialist Automotive Finance (SAF) was launched by the FLA in June 2007 at the AutoRetailing Conference. SAF aims to raise consumer awareness of finance sold in dealerships by raising standards and improving skills amongst dealership staff.
Central to SAF is the FLA’s online competence test, launched to dealers in October 2007. The competence test is a free-of-charge assessment covering the finance products sold in showrooms and the surrounding regulation. The test does not teach staff how to sell finance but aims to improve their overall finance knowledge. To remain SAF-certified, individual staff must renew the test every 12 months.
As part of SAF, the FLA has also developed an impartial consumer guide to motor finance – www.FinancingYourCar.org.uk. The web site helps potential car buyers to review all of the options available in showrooms to help them purchase their next car, all from the comfort of their own home.
www.SpecialistAutomotiveFinance.org.uk is the SAF portal for the industry to help companies learn more about the initiative.
There are currently 9,500 individuals registered for the online SAF competence test. There are currently across 880 SAF Approved dealerships. SAF is fully endorsed by the motor finance industry and is funded by FLA member finance companies.
For further media information, please contact:
Helen Saxon, FLA
T: 020 7420 9664 E: helen.saxon@fla.org.uk M: 07918 766 993