Covid-19 Coronavirus Update

Following the government’s most recent update both JCT600 VLS and our partners are reacting to the new guidelines for us all to stay at home.  Therefore, as part of our collective effort against Covid-19, this will have an effect on deliveries, movements and collections as outlined below.

• Deliveries – all future deliveries will temporarily be paused until the government advises us that it is safe to resume business as usual. Your orders are safe and we will be in touch when we can, to get vehicles delivered out to you.
• Vehicle Movements – we are unable to facilitate movement requests at this time, again in an effort to reduce contact between people.
• End of Contract Collections – all bookings are postponed until further notice. We ask that you work with us during this difficult time, we have already confirmed that all vehicles will be extended with existing services and we will re-arrange collections as soon as it is safe to do so.

Service & Maintenance

If you need a service, MOT or have a technical query on your vehicle then we can confirm that our teams are set up to take bookings and we will do what we can to facilitate these. However, it is important to note that many of our partners are prioritising jobs for ‘Key Workers’ as they reduce their staffing levels to a skeleton operation.

We are reviewing upcoming MOT requirements and will be working to keep people mobile where we can. At the time of writing, the Department for Transport states that MOT testing for cars and light vans is still required, however the DVSA advises if you are currently in self-isolation you should not take your vehicle for an MOT. If your MOT expires during this time then you should contact us and we can apply to make your vehicle SORN, you can then arrange a test when self-isolation is over. Should anything change on this matter then we will update you further.

Breakdown & recovery, windscreens and tyres

At present our service providers in these areas are all reporting to us that they are operating business as usual where possible. Should you require their services please continue to contact them through the usual routes:

• RAC: 0800 032 5950
• Kwik Fit Mobile: 0330 123 1534
• National Windscreens: 0800 622 122

We will continue to work with our service providers and if anything significantly changes we will update you.

Daily Rental

Our team remains on hand to deal with all booking requests and other daily rental enquiries. Our partners are working to provide business as usual, albeit on a delivery and collection basis only. Please note that we will discuss turnaround times with you on a case by case basis.  Due to the current circumstances we are unable to work within the usual two-hour availability service level.

A note from us

We confirmed to you last week, that we had engaged our business continuity plans and started the process of migrating our people to a home working model.  Significant work has been done to extend our home working capability, to ensure we have the levels of resource required for the delivery of each of our services.

Our Head Office has closed today (24th March), but we want to reassure you that we have done everything within our power to ensure that the services to our customers are still available and operational to our usual high standards:

• Your calls will reach us – all phones have been diverted and we have put in place a call tree so you can get through to the right teams when you call our main number.  This is not an outsourced call centre, but the VLS team as usual.  All direct dial numbers will also remain in use and auto forward to the relevant VLS team.
• We are set up to deal with your queries – as we confirmed we have now further mobilised home working, so our teams are on hand to help you.
• The post will be received – we have implemented a plan to distribute any post to minimise disruption to essential services

We are all having to adapt and change business practices to navigate through this period and we all have a responsibility to support the fight against this. We continue to ask that you work with us during this time and if you do have any questions please direct them to your account manager in the first instance.

Our priorities remain the safety of the VLS team, our customers, suppliers and all of our families and loved ones.

We are quite sure that last week saw its fair share of challenges for you as we all got used to social distancing, remote working and in some cases isolation. At JCT600 VLS we have taken great comfort in the technology that we have at our fingertips to allow us to speak to and see our colleagues daily.

In our message last week, we had some important updates in regards to how the current situation had affected our ability to fulfill vehicle deliveries and movements. Where relevant, our teams spoke to all those who were affected to personally discuss this. JCT600 VLS has also been fielding your queries and we would encourage you to continue speaking to us with any concerns that you may have. Aside from the aforementioned deliveries and movements, our core teams are still operational. We did say that should anything significantly change to the services we are providing then we would let you know.

There have been some developments over this last week that we would like to bring to your attention…

MOT Update

On Wednesday of last week, it was announced that from 30th March 2020 there is to be a six-month extension to MOT due dates for cars and light vans. There is nothing that you need to do to extend the MOT expiry date, the vehicle will automatically be given a 6-month MOT exemption.

During the period of exemption, vehicles must be kept in a roadworthy condition, garages will remain open (where possible) for essential repair work.  

To implement this change, JCT600 VLS will temporarily cease emailing out MOT Due Reminders to you and your drivers. We will continue to email MOT Overdue Reminders for vehicles that required a test before 30th March 2020.

If you are able to, you can still get a MOT for your vehicle during the exemption period.

Service & Maintenance Update

To date, there have not been any government measures put in place to extend servicing deadlines for vehicles. We have made contact with the majority of our manufacturer partners this week and whilst some are putting allowances in place, our advice to you is to try and make a booking and get in touch if you do have any queries.

Our message remains the same in terms of prioritisation of work, this will be for ‘Key Workers’ and essential travel. For the safety of staff and customers, many workshops have moved to a reduced workforce and essential jobs are being prioritised.

Tyres

Our partner, Kwik Fit, have confirmed that at present all bar one of their centres are open. If you do need to attend a centre, you are advised to make a booking in advance. As you might expect their mobile operation is currently experiencing high demand which is affecting the turnaround for a mobile booking. At the time of writing they are not reporting any issues with short term tyre supply.

Breakdown & recovery

Our partner, the RAC, has confirmed that they are currently still able to provide a breakdown and recovery service. Whilst the Government is advising against non-essential travel the RAC are still operating 24/7.

Windscreens

Our partner, National Windscreens, have confirmed that their services will only be provided to key workers and those needing their vehicles for essential or critical travel. Where work is required, National Windscreens have implemented robust measure to keep both their customers and staff safe.

Daily Rental Update

The JCT600 VLS Daily Rental team are still on hand to take your vehicle booking requests. Most of our rental suppliers are still operating as normally as possible but there are some changes to the usual business practices;

We are unable to commit to the usual 2 hour turnaround times
Specific vehicle availability is reduced
A number of rental providers are not taking physical signatures on delivery, receipt of the vehicle is taken as acceptance of the vehicle and condition. You should contact JCT600 VLS as soon as possible after delivery with any concerns, and pictures if necessary.
Any vehicle off-hired will be collected as soon as possible. Once a vehicle is off-hired you will no longer be charges. After the off-hire date the vehicle must not be used and it must remain on your insurance until it is collected.
As I am sure you can appreciate the situation is changing daily, where we receive notable updates, we will include these on our website, where we have created a specific Covid-19 update area http://jct600vehicleleasingsolutions.co.uk/covid-19-coronavirus-update/

A note from us

The message we are all being told is to ‘Stay at Home, Save Lives’ and here at JCT600 VLS we support this message. However, we know that staying at home won’t be possible for all of you and where you do need to be mobile, we are here to help.

From all the team at JCT600 VLS we wish you and your families all the best.

We hope that this email finds you safe and well. It may seem like we are all getting used to the current situation but at JCT600VLS we are acutely aware that the effects of the changes imposed are still rippling through businesses of all sizes.

In our customer updates we aim to bring you important, relevant updates. This week in particular we have seen how our service network has been affected.

Important Information Relating to Service / Repair Bookings 

The coronavirus has had a detrimental effect on our service network. As of today, only 52% of the dealer network has remained open, and this on a reduced capacity basis. As we have previously reported and I’m sure you can appreciate they are prioritising work for Key Workers and Blue Light vehicles, making it ever more difficult to make a booking. 

JCT600 VLS have been in discussions with our manufacturer partners in order to understand their position regarding warranty claims on any vehicles which have had a delayed service as a result of site closures relating to the coronavirus. Their responses so far suggest that they will take a pragmatic approach should issues arise in the future. 

Taking this into consideration, together with the need to reduce unnecessary journeys, we have taken the decision to stop sending service overdue reminders to you and your drivers. Whilst you / they are free to try and make a service booking we would only recommend doing this if your vehicle requires more than just a routine service. 

The best way to make a booking is via our dedicated service booking partner who can be called on 0844 879 3325. Please be patient because they are experiencing high call volumes. Alternatively, you can make a booking through the following link which will place your booking request directly into their system – https://servicebooking.fleetassist.co.uk 

You can of course also get help from the JCT600VLS Maintenance team by calling 0113 250 8506. 

Thank you for your understanding during these unprecedented times. 

Updates from our service partners

The message from our service partners remains largely the same as we have previously reported. However, Kwik Fit, our tyre partner are making their first significant move in reducing the number of open centres and closing their centres on Sundays. The initial pressure the mobile service was under has eased off and this service is remains fully operational with typical levels of demand. 

You can find links to updates from our major suppliers on the Covid-19 area of our website and we have provided links below:

http://jct600vehicleleasingsolutions.co.uk/covid-19-coronavirus-update/

https://www.rac.co.uk/covid-19
https://www.kwik-fit.com/coronavirus
https://nationalwindscreens.co.uk/about/covid-19-essential-information.aspx 

A note from us

Whatever the current situation within your business JCT600 VLS want to reassure you we have teams in place to ensure our customers receive all the support they require. As you would expect, phones and emails are being diverted to the best possible people to support you and your colleagues at this time.

Where possible, please support the government message to ‘Stay Home and Save Lives’.

From all the team at JCT600 VLS we wish you and your families all the best.

As we head into the Easter weekend, we do hope that you are able to take some time out to re-set from these last few weeks. We just wanted to let you know about our opening times over the coming days.

Easter Opening Times 

The JCT600 VLS team will be available as usual on Good Friday, therefore if you need us, please get in touch. We will be closed over the weekend and again on Easter Monday, returning on Tuesday 14th April.

Should you need them, our service partners remain operational over the Easter Weekend, although please note this is within the restrictions that we have previously highlighted.

Keep Updated

You can find links to updates from our major suppliers on the Covid-19 area of our website:

http://jct600vehicleleasingsolutions.co.uk/covid-19-coronavirus-update/

A Note From Us

From all the team at JCT600 VLS we wish you and your families a lovely long weekend.

At VLS we are preparing for what our world will look like under the new government guidelines released this week, as more of the restrictions are lifted in the weeks to come and as the country begins to build back up to some form of normality over the coming months.  

As you know, at the end of March we had put all deliveries, movements and collections on hold. In the last week, we have proactively engaged with our supply partners to get updated information for our customers and the good news, is that some manufacturers and dealerships are starting production and to offer deliveries.

That said, there are two important areas we need to closely monitor and manage around both vehicle availability and the safety of any processes in relation to vehicle delivery and collection. We have provided additional details on this below:

Availability 

The level of new vehicle production is expected to be significantly lower than normal, especially over the coming months. Estimates forecast output to be circa 30% of normal production levels, based on factories operating within safe distancing regulations and the significant backlog of existing production volume.

The knock-on effect will result in some orders being delayed and lead times extending. It may also result in reduced availability of new vehicles in the future. Rest assured, that due to our pro-active approach and our strong relationships with our supply partners, we are in a great position to help provide our customers and drivers with up to date information for existing orders and deliveries as soon as it becomes available.

This will initially be a weekly update as the volumes of activity gradually begin to increase. On that basis, whilst we expect the coming week’s updates to be relatively limited, we will pro-actively update you as and when additional information becomes available and the volumes of supply partner activity improve. 

Processes

Each logistic supplier and dealership group are working hard to put in place Covid-safe vehicle delivery and collection processes.  Initial documents we have received show conflicting solutions for this process and we are working hard with all parties to understand fully, when and how, deliveries and collections will be up and running safely.

The key for JCT600 VLS is to manage all vehicle logistics safely and within government guidelines to protect ourselves, our supply partners, our customers and your employees.

What are the next steps? 

Our Purchasing and Delivery Teams will continue to work closely with all our manufacturers and dealers.

For all vehicle movement requirements including new deliveries, vehicle collections and vehicle movements; we believe that we will be in a position to start to facilitate the majority of these towards the end of May onwards. These will all be dealt with on a case by case basis and we will provide specific details for each request as it becomes available.

For each delivery we will advise the Health & Safety Guidelines in place with the supplying dealer or logistics provider, how this will affect your delivery / collection / movement and what we will ask you or your employee to do to support the process. 

We would like to thank you for your continued support and we will be in touch over the coming weeks to support all future orders, deliveries, collections and vehicle movements.

From all the team at JCT600 VLS we wish you and your families all the best.

Kind Regards,

Lindsay Francis
Customer Services Director

In addition to supporting our customers during this difficult time, the core team who remain operational, have been working hard behind the scenes to enhance the service offering to our customers. We are pleased to announce changes to how you and your drivers seek our maintenance services.

These are:

• The introduction of a free one dial driver support line
• The broadening of our maintenance network
• Our Driver Support Line 

When calling 0800 048 9569, drivers will be able to reach all of the following:

• Breakdown – via RAC
• Mobile Tyre bookings – via Kwik Fit
• Tyre centre bookings – via Kwik Fit
• Service, MOT and maintenance bookings – via our booking team
• Glass and technical queries – via our maintenance team
• Hire bookings – via our Daily Rental Team

As and when we all come out of lockdown and start to mobilise again we want to make sure we have made things as easy as possible. Providing one number to all your drivers will help, just one number to reach all maintenance services.

In particular, utilising our team to manage your maintenance bookings will help your fleet get the quickest, most appropriate bookings. Let our team do the hard work for you and your drivers, let your drivers maximise their time working.

We have also made changes to our driver app, driveVLS so that all calls are routed to the right places using our new numbers and the booking forms now link directly to our service booking system.

Our Maintenance Network

We know that when fleets re-mobilise there will be a surge in demand for service bookings, MOT bookings and other maintenance queries (mainly caused by vehicles being inactive for long periods of time). We want to ensure that we have the right strategy in place to help handle the demand on the network.

JCT600 VLS is enhancing the maintenance network by adding a further 500 outlets across the UK. This will help reduce booking in times, reduce distances to garages and give us greater capacity as the lockdown restrictions are raised.

What will this deliver to you?

• It will strengthen the choices available
• Give you and your drivers greater flexibility
• Quicker booking times
• Greater coverage

Greater ability to meet your needs through:

• Delivery & collections
• Courtesy vehicles
• While you wait appointments
• Mobile services
• Valeting services

All the above is supported by our booking team to help and assist you and your drivers through the process.

What do we need you to do?

Promote the driver support line within your business, ask your drivers to use the one dial number – we will handle the rest.

The phone number, 0800 048 9569, is now live.

From all the team at JCT600 VLS we wish you and your families all the best.

Kind Regards,

Lindsay Francis
Customer Services Director