Consumerline - News

Roadside (Garages) Limited found guilty of misleading and unfair trading practices - 29/11/2011

A Coleraine car trader who misled a consumer into paying more than the advertised price for a motor vehicle was today fined a total of £1,500 at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court.

In a case brought by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment’s Trading Standards Service (TSS), Roadside (Garages) Limited was found guilty of three charges under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

The case arose following a complaint to Consumerline. A consumer viewed a vehicle at the premises of Roadside (Garages) Limited. The vehicle displayed a price indication of £8,995. The consumer decided to purchase the vehicle on finance but was not given any paperwork by the trader in relation to the sale. It was only when a copy of the credit agreement was sent from the finance company to the complainant that it was discovered that the price of the vehicle was in fact £9,895, £900 more than the price displayed on the car.

Furthermore, the company was found guilty of misleading the consumer in relation to the duration of the credit agreement. After receiving the paperwork from the finance company, the consumer also discovered that the repayment period indicated on the credit agreement was five years and not four years as had been agreed with Roadside (Garages) Limited.

Angela Gilliland of the Trading Standards Service said, “There is an onus on traders to act in a professional and transparent manner. Consumers should be provided with comprehensive, accurate and relevant information to enable them to make informed decisions when purchasing goods or services. In this case, Roadside (Garages) Ltd failed to ensure the correct price was displayed on the vehicle, which resulted in the consumer paying a higher price for the car than had been agreed to. The company also misled the consumer in relation to the duration of the credit agreement”.

Mrs Gilliland went on to say: “It is vitally important that consumers are given the opportunity to scrutinise the terms of any finance agreements they enter into. In this case, the trader attempted to pull the wool over the consumer’s eyes by increasing the price of the vehicle and the length of the finance agreement. The company then failed to provide the relevant paperwork which would have alerted the consumer to this deception.”

Anyone who believes they have been misled into paying a higher price for goods or mis-sold credit should contact Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 or logon to http://www.consumerline.org

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