Shropshire Car Dealer fined
A car dealer who has admitted selling a car with a false odometer reading has been fined.
Paul Anthony Wright, of Newport Road, Hinstock, has been fined £1,000, ordered to pay £2,500 costs and pay a victim surcharge of £15 he was also ordered to pay £1,708 compensation to the purchaser of the car by Telford magistrates.
In a case brought by Telford & Wrekin Council’s Trading Standards Service, Mr Wright pleaded guilty to three charges under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and one charge under the Companies Act 2006.
He sold a Telford consumer a Renault Grand Scenic with an odometer reading of approximately 24,000 miles.
However, enquiries by the council’s Trading Standards service revealed that the car had travelled in excess of 76,000 miles.
The investigation revealed that Mr Wright knew that there was a problem with the odometer, failed to mention this in his advert to sell the car and also did not tell the buyer.
When the buyer discovered the mileage problem a few days later, Mr Wright had changed the advert to state there had been a problem with the odometer and told the buyer it had always said this.
He also failed to give the consumer the correct information about his identity and gave Trading Standards information he knew to be false.
Anita Hunt, Telford & Wrekin Council’s Trading Standards Manager said: "This was a blatant attempt to mislead the consumer by selling a car with a false odometer reading.
“Consumers may well find the condition of the vehicle with a false mileage to be much worse than they expect and this could lead to unexpected expense further down the line.
“Honest dealers are at a commercial disadvantage as a car with a correct mileage is generally more expensive than an identical model which has a false or incorrect odometer.
“In this case the seller knew about the higher mileage but made no effort to tell the prospective buyer of the true facts.
"The penalty in this case should serve as a warning to traders that they should ensure that cars they sell are correctly described in advertisements and during negotiations with potential buyers.
“We will take all necessary steps to identify, investigate and take action against anyone found to be defrauding the public.”
