Members are unlikely to forgive and forget manufacturer inaction

By Paul Hollick, chair of the AFP (Association of Fleet Professionals)

It’s no secret that in recent times, relationships between fleets and manufacturers have been poor. Now, it appears they are hitting an all-time low.

Our members are reporting everything from late cancelled orders to simply not being able to get hold of representatives from major car and van makers, alongside a suspicion that large fleets are often being placed last when it comes to allocating stock.

There’s a general perception that this issue is getting worse rather than better.

Everyone knows and understands that there are ongoing production issues affecting almost every manufacturer, but no one can comprehend why this has seemingly caused a complete breakdown in responsibility and communication.

With a couple of possible exceptions, the story appears to be consistent for almost every manufacturer across all of our fleets.

Placing orders is difficult because you can’t get hold of the right people to do so, getting subsequent updates on those orders is often impossible and finally, these orders are often pulled at the last minute with no explanation.

We are hearing regular stories from across the AFP about orders for dozens, or even hundreds, of cars and vans being cancelled more than a year after they were made and within weeks of when they were due. This leaves fleets high and dry.

It’s having a direct impact on businesses that need transport and, on a personal basis, potentially damages the perception of the fleet manager within their business.

The situation is causing such a high degree of ill feeling that there is even talk of organising boycotts of some manufacturers.

As an organisation, we don’t think this would be an effective strategy, but the fact that such an idea is being raised just shows the strength of feeling.

A refrain we hear time and again from fleets is that, once supply returns to some kind of normality, the worst-offending manufacturers will not be easily forgiven and our members will not work with them in the future where a choice exists.

A further point of contention is that manufacturers appeared to be giving priority to retail customers and small fleets over large-scale buyers of vehicles.

Especially for certain types of more fashionable vehicle, it seems that it is easier to get hold of supply if you are a private individual or if you run 10 vehicles rather than if you run a thousand.

This is something that makes no sense whatsoever – especially at a time when fleets are often paying something very close to retail prices.

It’s a common complaint that before the pandemic, fleet managers were pursued by manufacturer reps on a daily basis and now, they haven’t heard from any in years. That’s simply not a basis for responsible, long-term partnerships. Fleets feel not just taken for granted, but mistreated.

In our view, manufacturers should realise the damage they are doing and change their approach as quickly as possible.

The damage they are doing to their relationships with our members and others across the industry is considerable.