Portadown auctioneers fined for supplying a car with incorrect mileage

A Portadown company was fined £1,000, plus £22 costs, at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court today, for falsely describing the mileage of a car and subsequently supplying the same car to a consumer.

In a case brought by the Trading Standards Service of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Wilsons Auctions (Portadown Ltd) pleaded guilty to two charges, under the Trade Descriptions Act, 1968.

An investigation by the Trading Standards Service revealed that Wilsons had advertised a Mercedes C220 in an auction booklet as having ‘73,453 miles – correct’. A consumer had purchased the car for £5,100, and shortly afterwards it was detected that the true mileage of the vehicle was at least 133,479 miles.

The court heard evidence of how Wilsons were aware that the mileage stated in the brochure was incorrect, and yet failed to take appropriate action to ensure that it was not misrepresented to prospective purchasers.

Richard Knipe of the Trading Standards Service said: “Consumers’ rights are greatly reduced when they buy goods through an auction. However at the very least, consumers are still entitled to expect that the goods have been described correctly.

“Consumers need to be confident when buying any goods, that an accurate description has been applied to the goods by the trader. Although it is not suggested that Wilsons Auctions (Portadown) Ltd actually “clocked” the car, the case highlights a significant degree of neglect when they failed to correctly describe the car, despite the issue being brought specifically to their attention.”

Anyone who believes they have been sold a misdescribed car should contact Consumerline on 0845 600 62 62.

Notes for editors:

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