A new system is in place whereby vehicles that are purchased on finance can be disabled automatically if motorists miss any payments. This comes from a company in the US called Prompt Pay which offer a keypad operated immobiliser.
The way the immobiliser system works is as follows;
When the first payment is made for the vehicle on finance, then the driver is provided with a 6 digit code which is entered into the immobiliser and allows the car to operate normally. Three days before the next payment for the finance is due the immobiliser springs back into life. This will show a number 3 on the screen, indicating that there are three days until the next finance payment is due. This then counts down to 2 and then 1 depending on the number of days which remain before the next payment for the finance vehicle is payable. The message is reinforced by beeps alerting the driver to the countdown which has begun. If the payment is not made on the requested date then the immobiliser will initiate, preventing the car from starting and stopping the driver from using the car. When the next payment is made the driver is provided with another 6 digit code and is then able to be on their way again with the vehicle.
There are many different arguments to this new procedure. On the one hand, you could have motorists stuck without a vehicle especially with the issues of payments being delayed through banking errors etc. However on the other hand, car companies are not offering a free service, payment for a vehicle must be made if the vehicle is being used. Also it is handy to note that the system offers several advanced warnings before the vehicle is immobilised. Some may view this as a relatively harsh standpoint however it is a fair one if you look at the bigger picture.
What is your opinion on this?