Galway motor dealers are furious over what they claim is a seriously unportrayal of their profession in the local media last week.
Niall Cunningham on behalf of SIMI said that an article in a local newspaper last week, in which Galway motor dealers were branded arrogant, disrespectful, greedy, uncompetitive, and up on their high horses was grossly misleading, seriously inaccurate, and bordered on slanderous.”
He questioned the integrity of an interview carried out with Michael Kilcoyne, SIPTU branch manager, stating that “Mr Kilcoyne is a board member of the Consumers Association of Ireland who purport to represent the consumer.
“However on visiting their website, I found that they represent registered members and their main activity is producing a consumer targeted magazine. The CAI fail to disclose that Mr Kilcoyne is employed by SIPTU which surely is a conflict of interests from the outset. All of Galway’s motor dealers are also consumers and we jointly agree that none of us are represented by Mr Kilcoyne nor his CAI entity,” he said.
When challenged by Mr Cunningham to discuss the article on behalf of the local SIMI motor dealers, Mr Kilcoyne said to “sue him” if he did not like his comments.
“Comments made by Mr Kilcoyne in relation to badly paid mechanics are unsupported, and another comment referring to idle salesmen was also unfair and unsupported,” said Mr Cunningham, who is calling on Mr Kilcoyne for an explanation on where he gathered information to make these judgments.
In the article, Mr Kilcoyne also referred to an exodus of customers to Northern Ireland and England to purchase cars and blames this fact on “a lot of arrogance and greed in the motor industry” — remarks which infuriated Mr Cunningham who felt the comments were “bordering on slanderous.”
“ I am asking for Mr Kilcoyne to again clarify his reference material in making this comment publically, as a so called consumer expert,” adding, “It is unfounded allegations from the likes of Mr Kilcoyne that will scare consumers away from local businesses as opposed to the required change in car dealers’ attitudes, which Mr Kilcoyne states will lead to job losses in the motor industry,” said Mr Cunningham.
The Galway members of the SIMI franchised dealers association are asking Mr Kilcoyne and the Consumer Association of Ireland to back up their views and statements with facts, and welcome a public debate on local or national radio.
