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NCT online ‘broker’ reported to gardaí over offering slots for quick car tests – for extra €76
Website charges €76 on top of standard €55 NCT fee
Testing underway at the NCT Centre in Fonthill, Dublin. Photo: Martin Nolan
Testing underway at the NCT Centre in Fonthill, Dublin. Photo: Martin Nolan
Composite image
Composite image
Al Keating and his wife Lilian from Co Wicklow encountered the 'broker' site when trying book an NCT
Al Keating and his wife Lilian from Co Wicklow encountered the 'broker' site when trying book an NCT
The NCT has nothing to do with the website
The NCT has nothing to do with the website
Testing underway at the NCT Centre in Fonthill, Dublin. Photo: Martin Nolan
Testing underway at the NCT Centre in Fonthill, Dublin. Photo: Martin Nolan
Composite image
Composite image
thumbnail: Composite image
thumbnail: Al Keating and his wife Lilian from Co Wicklow encountered the 'broker' site when trying book an NCT
thumbnail: The NCT has nothing to do with the website
thumbnail: Testing underway at the NCT Centre in Fonthill, Dublin. Photo: Martin Nolan
Senan Molony
Yesterday at 02:30
NCT operator Applus has reported to gardaí a British website that was offering slots for car tests here.
The site – nctservices.org – claims to be an intermediary and charges €76 for an NCT appointment.
It resembles the official website, while describing its activities as “brokerage”.
Those who pay the €76 also have to pay the standard €55 for the test itself later – meaning the total cost is over €130.
“We are doing what we can to notify and alert customers about a website that is acting as an intermediary for an NCT test,” said NCT officials.
“We have absolutely no affiliation with this website. We have posted warnings and have reported it to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CPCC), Google and the gardaí.
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“There is no need for anyone to pay a third-party website to book an NCT.”
The British site even has a working Irish-language version.
The NCT has nothing to do with the website
The NCT has nothing to do with the website
Further down its homepage is the statement: “We are an intermediary service that wants to help! Think of us as the middleman who does all the hard work in order to ensure you get the NCT date you really need.”
Al Keating and his wife Lilian from Co Wicklow recently went to book an NCT for their car.
“She googled ‘NCT’ and this NCT services site came up,” said Mr Keating. “Naturally, she took it this was the site for the booking, put everything in, and made the payment.
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“About a month later we got a time slot for the NCT test by email, telling us it was to be in Arklow. After another fortnight we went in with the car to Arklow – and were told we’d have to pay €55.
“We said we had already paid, and they said that this website had nothing to do with them, that they didn’t take the money until the day of the test itself. So we had to pay all over again.”
Al Keating and his wife Lilian from Co Wicklow encountered the 'broker' site when trying book an NCT
Al Keating and his wife Lilian from Co Wicklow encountered the 'broker' site when trying book an NCT
Mr Keating admitted he didn’t expect to get a test so quickly.
“If there was an official fee of say €20 to €30 for an early test, then that would be fair enough. Luckily, there was no problem with the car and it passed the test.”
But he said he felt “annoyed” and “taken in” by the site charging the extra €76.
“There are people who can’t afford the test money as it is, let alone this extra amount – and it will come as a nasty surprise to many.”
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Lilian Keating added: “It is strange that we were able to make the appointment through this website, when the NCT says that they don’t know anything about it.”
Gavin Darcy of the NCT customer services department said: “I can confirm we do not take payments of €76.
“NCT wish to make it clear that this organisation has no affiliation with the National Car Testing Service in any capacity and we urge the Irish public to only use the official NCT website at
www.ncts.ie.”
Testing underway at the NCT Centre in Fonthill, Dublin. Photo: Martin Nolan
Testing underway at the NCT Centre in Fonthill, Dublin. Photo: Martin Nolan
Jennifer Whitmore, Social Democrats TD for Wicklow, said: “This is a complete rip off. The fees being charged by this ‘middleman’ are eye-watering.
“Unfortunately, consistent failures to provide a timely service by the operator of the NCT have now enabled this type of profiteering by external companies.”
She also questioned how the company could “get access to priority appointments that would appear not to be available to others on the waiting list”.
It would seem the British site repeatedly “crawls” the official version, spotting cancellation slots that come up, which it then immediately books, on behalf of its own clients.
But Ms Whitmore said: “The NCT operators must step in immediately and make every effort to have this site shut down. It should also examine its own processes to see how this is being facilitated.”
The official NCT operator says: “If any customer has any concerns, we strongly advise them to contact their bank immediately for advice.”
The British website has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
The current national waiting time for a test is just over three weeks, rising to four weeks in the case of Arklow. A major recruitment of new test personnel is now coming on stream.
