A Limerick car dealer was fined €2,000 after pleading guilty to providing false information about a car’s history on Thursday.
Patrick Quinn, who trades as Raheen Auto Centre, admitted the charge when he appeared at Kilmallock District Court following a probe by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.
Under consumer protection law, it is an offence for traders to give false, misleading, or deceptive information about the history of a car.
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Unless otherwise stated, a motor trader should complete due diligence, including car history checks, before making a car available for sale to a consumer.
Consumers should be told if the car was previously involved in a car crash, was recorded as an insurance ‘write-off’, or displays the wrong mileage.
Patrick had purchased the car from another trader before bringing its NCT.
He then placed an advert on DoneDeal which included a photograph of the car’s odometer which read 183,231kms.
Further to a report received by the CCPC, Authorised Officers visited Patrick at Raheen Auto Centre and found that the odometer reading was approximately 68,000kms higher than advertised.
Kevin O’Brien, who is a Member of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, said: “The fine imposed by the court reinforces that misleading consumers is a very serious offence and traders who fail to provide complete and accurate information will be held to account.
“The CCPC closely monitors the used car sector and we encourage any consumer who believes that they have been misled by a motor trader, or indeed any trader, to contact us.”
Patrick also has to pay €500 in costs and Judge Patricia Harney gave Mr Quinn six months to pay the entire sum in full.
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