Salespeople
VSA Industry Bulletin
November 13, 2024
VSA Bulletin: An Update on Connector
Dear Licensees,
The VSA recognizes the power of voluntary alternative dispute resolution for dealing with consumer disputes. We thank all the dealers who have used the VSA’s online dispute resolution platform, Connector, to respond to consumer issues and to try and resolve consumer disputes.
The purpose of Connector is to connect the parties of disputes — consumers and dealers — and provide them with a safe and secure space to negotiate solutions. Connector’s slogan is “Win-Win Solutions are Reached Together.”
Participation in Connector is voluntary for consumers and dealers. The VSA encourages licensees to always respond to your customer’s disputes in Connector. This is an opportunity to ensure that your customer has been heard, even if you decide not to settle with your customer. Ignoring your customers’ dispute in Connector increases your risk of reputational losses and reduces your opportunity to resolve the dispute.
The VSA wishes to inform you that as of November 12, 2024, the VSA has changed its action on formal consumer complaints about deposits and dealer fees. For resolution of these complaints, consumers will be directed to:
- My Self-Help – to learn about their legal rights and the responsibilities of dealers, and
- Connector to try to resolve the issues directly with the licensee before taking other legal action, including making a Civil Resolution Tribunal claim, or starting a court action.
This diversion of consumer complaints about deposits and dealer fees from a traditional VSA’s complaint process to My Self-Help and Connector does not change the VSA’s compliance approach. The VSA will continue to educate industry about the legislative requirements of the Motor Dealer Act and its regulations, and certain sections of the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act, and will monitor licensees’ compliance with the legal requirements through inspections, investigations and enforcement action,
If there is a Connector dispute involving your dealership, an email inviting you to act on it will be sent to your dealership’s business e-mail address to the attention of your business contact you have on file with the VSA’s Licensing department.
Please ensure the VSA has your current business email address:
To do so, you can go to the VSA’s Licensee Directory and search for your dealer information. The search results will include the business email address.
To change your dealership’s business email address or business contact:
Please reach out to the VSA’s Licensing Department at licensing@vsabc.ca, 604-575-7253 or toll-free at 1-866-400-3529.
Please ensure you have an internal process to regularly monitor your business email address:
We encourage dealers to regularly monitor their business email addresses registered with the VSA, to ensure an email from Connector is not missed. If the VSA cannot reach your business, the opportunity to use the platform is missed. To ensure these emails continue to be delivered as expected, we recommend you add ‘connector.donotreply@vsabc.ca’ to your address book and safe senders list.
If the VSA does not have your up-to-date contact information, in addition to missing out on using Connector to resolve your customer’s disputes, you risk missing important messages/calls to action from the VSA.
Connector has been available since April 1, 2023. In that span:
- 246 Consumer disputes were registered.
- The average time to resolve a dispute is 12 days.
- The average dealer response rate is 72%.
- 16% of online disputes resulted in the parties signing an online settlement agreement. This is a confirmed resolution rate.
*Connector was not designed for the VSA to know about the details of the solutions reached by the parties to disputes. Communication between the parties in Connector is anonymous. The VSA uses certain indirect indicators to measure success with resolution of disputes that are dealt with in Connector. We believe that the actual resolution rate may be significantly higher.
Averages from March 1, 2023, to Oct. 31, 2024.
- Using Connector may help you to settle the consumer’s issue and keep your customer.
- It is a safe and secure online space to try and resolve disputes.
- Negotiations are confidential.
- It is a fair process, as both parties have an opportunity to be heard.
- It is easy, convenient, and informal – chat-like online negotiation, 24/7, anytime from anywhere.
- Both parties are in control of the outcome.
- Negotiations are usually the fastest way to resolve a dispute.
If you have any questions regarding Connector, please reach out to the VSA’s Consumer Services department at consumer.services@vsabc.ca, 604-575-7255 or toll-free at 1-877-294-9889. We’re here to help.
