Consumerline - News

Newry car dealer fined for clocking car - 05/11/2007

A car dealer from Newry has today been fined £200 for advertising a clocked Landrover Discovery.

JMC Automobiles Ltd, of Dernaroy Road, Newry, was found guilty at Newry Magistrates' Court in a case brought by the Trading Standards Service (TSS) of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment. The charge was brought under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968.

The court heard how the car had been offered for sale in an advertisement in a magazine with “80k miles on the clock”. This advertisement was read by a previous owner of the vehicle, who knew it had travelled at least 139,000 miles. It was this previous owner who alerted the Trading Standards Service.

Trading Standards Service carried out an investigation, during which the car was offered to a TSS Enforcement Officer, who was told that that it had 79,000 miles on the clock. It was this investigation that led to JMC Automobiles Ltd being charged under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968.

Trading Standards Service Officer, Peter Rankin, said: "Not only do customers end up paying more than they should, they may well find the condition of the vehicle to be much worse than expected, leading to more expense further down the line. The penalty in this case should serve as a warning to traders that dealing in clocked cars will not be tolerated."

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