Alastair Shephard

Content Writer

Bumper is offering LEVC taxi owners in London access to interest-free credit for servicing and repair bills.

The Bumper service is being promoted through LEVC’s London Central dealership in Islington and marks the first collaboration between Bumper and a specialist electric vehicle manufacturer.

Owner-drivers using the funding facility are able to spread the cost of servicing and repairing their taxis over six or nine monthly instalments, up to a total of £3,000. Also covered are accessories, extended warranty, GAP and tyres.

Ryan Warren, service manager at LEVC London Central says the introduction of Bumper’s payment platform has been welcomed by taxi drivers eager to spread costs and minimise downtime. 

“Since the introduction of Bumper we have been able to assist even more of our customers, helping to get them back on the road as quickly as possible,” he said.

“Many of the drivers appreciate the option of using this service following the uncertainty of the last two years and the impact it's had on taxi drivers. The option to use Bumper gives drivers peace of mind and helps them balance their finances.”

Bumper is reporting a high uptake for the facility, especially from taxi owners wishing to spread the cost of GAP products.

“We’re delighted to be working alongside LEVC and the team at London Central to enable London taxi owners to spread the costs of their bills and get their vehicles back on the road as soon as possible,” said Jack Allman, COO and co-founder, Bumper.

“We have already proved how dealers offering our interest-free Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) platform can convert more aftersales work and achieve higher average invoice values because customers are empowered to finance all the work they need doing, not just what they can afford at the time.

“The aftersales taxi market is an important area of growth for us and we’re planning to rollout to owner-drivers across the UK and into Europe,” he said.

Bumper offers LEVC taxi owners in London access to interest-free aftersales payments

 has integrated its aftersales digital payment service with Keyloop, a provider of technology solutions to the automotive sector. 

Bumper’s platform operates across Keyloop’s Autoline and Drive 

dealer management systems (DMS), providing users with access to its digital Buy Now, Pay Later and PayNow aftersales services.

The move also sees Bumper joining Keyloop’s International Partner Programme, becoming the first business to offer digital aftersales payment services. 

Vertu Motors, one of the UK’s largest dealer groups, became the first franchised network to go live with Bumper on its Keyloop DMS. 

“Integrating with Keyloop is a major step for us as we increase our footfall across the UK,” 

said Jack Allman, Chief Commercial Officer and Co-Founder of Bumper. 

“The integration makes it even easier for dealers using Keyloop to offer aftersales customers more affordable, convenient and secure ways to pay their servicing, maintenance and repair bills,” 

Commenting on the partnership Jules Grinnell, Global Partner Director at Keyloop said: “We’re delighted to extend our relationship with Bumper through Keyloop’s Partner Programme. The integration between Keyloop and Bumper will allow service advisors to process 0% finance for customers in just a couple of clicks. 

“The solution will pass through any available necessary data and improve the quality and accuracy of the data processed by Bumper, meaning more work is approved in a quicker, more efficient manner.”

Recent months have seen Bumper, the eighth fastest growing company in the 2021 FT1000, also partner with Nissan, Ford, Volkswagen Group and Jaguar Land Rover as well as Arnold Clark and CitNOW. 

Bumper integrates with Keyloop DMS to offer digital aftersales payments to dealers across the UK

Well done to the team at Luton for an outstanding month using Bumper to help their customers. 

Since joining Bumper in July 2021 the team have introduced our PayLater product as key part of their aftersales process. The team use Bumper

’s integration with CitNOW to offer a fast, digital experience and give customers more control over their finances. 

 ‘Our customers really value the option to spread payments, any unplanned work is far easier to budget for, and the process couldn’t be easier. The system is by far the easiest we have used. Support is always available on the rare occurrence it’s needed. Just the right amount of contact from Alex inspires confidence in the team.’ Aftersales Manager, John Fincher Specialist Cars, 

Well done to Graham, Rebecca, Nikki, Tracy, Jodie, Robert, and the rest of the team! 

Bumper’s Dealership of the Month for December 2021 goes to Specialist Cars Luton 

We’re pleased to announce the Dealership of the Month award for October 2021 goes to Burrows Toyota Sheffield. 

The team at Toyota Sheffield have performed exceptionally well this month with Bumper. Since undertaking Bumper's new online training sessions, the team have introduced PayLater as key part of their aftersales process. 

During the training, the team learned how to complete applications in under 60 seconds and how to appropriately provide a credit product to consumers in an aftersales environment. 

Not only did the team perform well in sales this month, but they also provided outstanding customer service. Here’s what some Toyota Sheffield Customers had to say: 

“It was well explained, it was great we could split the bill over 4 months interest-free” 

“An easier option to spread payments without any interest. Thank you very much for providing this facility.” 

“Large garage bill, thanks to Bumper I can spread the cost with no interest or fees. Thank you” 

“Very good service, with no complications” 

Well done to Nikki, Ben, Codie, and the rest of the team at Burrows! 

Burrows Toyota Sheffield: Dealership of the Month October 2021

Nissan is partnering with Bumper to offer aftersales customers the option of interest-free payments for servicing and repair work across its 194-strong dealer network. 

The announcement follows the successful launch of Bumper’s Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) digital payment platform with West Way, the UK’s largest Nissan dealer group. 

Bumper’s service is available from now to all participating Nissan dealers, with customers given the opportunity to split their aftersales bills – including accessories, maintenance and 

“We’re delighted to be partnering with Bumper to provide the option of more flexible payment options to aftersales customers across the UK,” said Chris Marsh, Aftersales Director, at Nissan. 

“The ability for our customers to split their bills into affordable interest-free monthly payments will further enhance the customer experience and innovation offered by our retailers. We have already seen great outcomes for dealer workshops using the Bumper platform, with an average transaction of £670 on a typical six year-old-car – a key target area for our retailers.” 

Jack Allman, CCO of Bumper, said: “Working with Nissan, as its sole recommended supplier of BNPL, will provide owners with greater flexibility in how they pay for aftersales work. 

“The provision of BNPL in workshops is still a relatively new concept which is resonating with customers as it removes the need for them to find cash to pay for work or use a credit card. 

“This flexibility is also enabling aftersales departments to retain customers and sell unbudgeted work that might otherwise prove difficult.” 

Recent months have seen Bumper, the eighth fastest growing company in the 2021 FT1000, also partner with Ford, Volkswagen Group and Jaguar Land Rover as well as Arnold Clark and CitNOW. 

Bumper provides an interest-free digital payment platform for vehicle repairs and services, enabling owners to spread their costs. 

Bumper is based in Sheffield and London, with a tech development centre in Ankara, Turkey. 

Nissan partners with Bumper to offer aftersales customers interest-free monthly payments 

Research carried out over the last couple of years by companies such as Kwik Fit and Evans Halshaw has highlighted the extent to which motorists put off vital car maintenance; often opting to drive their vehicles in an unroadworthy state, simply because the cost of repairs exceeds their financial limits.

As revealed in an article from This Is Money, over 1.2 million UK motorists have admitted to knowingly driving cars that are not fit for the road. A large proportion of owners have also chosen the 'cheap fix' route of DIY repairs. Although this may sometimes be an acceptable move for those who know their way around an engine, repairs from the 'have a go' novice or 'friend of a friend' are extremely worrying. Indeed, as Kwik Fit discovered, of those who decide to carry out repairs themselves, "a third said the quality of the work they or a friend or relative did concern them".

Many motorists fail to realise that, as well as being dangerous, driving an unroadworthy vehicle is actually a criminal offence. A faulty exhaust system, faulty brakes, worn-out tyres, damaged seatbelts or even cracked 

 could all result in a fine of up to £3000 and 3 points on a licence. In some cases, motorists could even find themselves on a 'careless driving' charge. Of course, driving a vehicle that is unroadworthy can have far more dire consequences; posing a serious risk to the lives of the driver, other motorists, passengers and pedestrians.

Regional police units are routinely pulling dangerous cars from our roads as part of a national operation aimed at tackling unsafe and unroadworthy vehicles. Where possible, however, we need to prevent these cars from being on the roads in the first place! Given that cost is the main reason cited for the avoidance of repairs and maintenance work, dealerships can play a key role in promoting road safety; specifically, by offering cash-strapped motorists an affordable, achievable way of paying for repairs.

As with Bumper, the option to spread payments over a realistic time frame, at no extra cost, encourages motorists to put safety first:

A responsible lending solution means drivers can have work carried out at a reliable franchised workshop. It eliminates the need to 'shop around' and risks choosing somebody less reputable for the sake of a 'cheap fix'.

The ability to comfortably meet payments lessens the temptation to carry out DIY 'bodge jobs'.

For customers who may have otherwise been tempted to skip repairs altogether, interest-free payment plans offer the flexibility to 'fix now, pay later'. Motorists are given peace of mind that their vehicle is in safe working order and financial outlay is controlled.

Aftersales finance offers many benefits for dealerships, but it isn't always about enabling a larger proportion of red and amber work to be sold; it's also about demonstrating a duty of care to the customer.

Demonstrating your duty of care with aftersales finance

While 2015 saw the average British household spend just under £800 over the festive season, recent studies suggest 2016 could prove even more costly. According to research carried out by the Centre for Retail Research, UK Christmas spending is expected to hit a record £77.56bn, almost double the European average.

During a time of Christmas budgeting, we're all under pressure to funnel our money into the festivities and delay any non-urgent financial outlays in order to free-up some seasonal spending funds. Unfortunately, these 'non-urgent expenditures often extend to winter servicing and car repairs. Deterred not least by the prospect of the upfront payments these require, there is often a temptation for motorists to underplay the importance of car checks and maintenance; a decision which could have severe implications for road safety. (Indeed, the Christmas period tends to coincide with a peak in road accidents!)

Aware of the tendency for motorists to delay car servicing and repairs during the Christmas period, many dealerships choose the option of giving discounts to entice customers. Although a good idea in theory, in practice this is far from ideal. Not only does this eat into a dealership's profits, it does very little to resolve the problem of motorists having to pay out a lump sum upfront at a time when funds are destined to be spent on the highstreet.

As an alternative, interest free payment plans offer a much more practical solution, one which, crucially, has the potential to benefit both the motorist and the dealership. For drivers, payment plans offer the flexibility to 'fix now, pay later'. Payment dates can be arranged according to personal preference, meaning that instalments can be scheduled for after the festive rush. Motorists are given peace of mind that their vehicle is in safe working order and financial outlay is fully controlled. Dealerships on the other hand can charge full price for a service/ repairs with no reduction in profit, while still demonstrating their duty of care to the customer.

How dealerships can help the Christmas budget dilemma

The team had their record month for Bumper sales, which produced an outstanding month for their internal targets. Not only did they manage to increase their conversion of VHC work and average retail invoice value, Ford Bromley also had much happier customers in January, with the team hitting their monthly CVP target.

Bumper Director, Jack Allman, said, “Bristol Street Ford Bromley are seeing the benefits of proactively introducing their customers to Bumper at every touch point; at the booking stage, when the vehicle is dropped off and finally during the duty of care call. Having Bumper fully embedded into the aftersales process has resulted in great metrics and will promote long-term loyal customers”.

Sarah visited the team for a vehicle health check and said, “Very good service. Courteous staff and very helpful.” Another customer visited and said, “Excellent service and really helps to keep your car in perfect condition with the option to spread the cost over 3-6 months which can really help if you end up needing more work than expected”.

Service Advisor of the month: Be More Bromley

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