Ballymena car trader fined for 'clocking' cars

Ballymena car dealer, Samuel James Surgenor, who traded as Tullycross Motors at Moorfields Road, Ballymena, was today fined £1,600, at Ballymena Magistrates' Court, for selling ‘clocked’ cars.

In a case brought by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment’s Trading Standards Service (TSS), Samuel James Surgenor (43), pleaded guilty to eight charges under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968.

In March 2008, the Trading Standards Service (TSS) embarked on an investigation into the sale of used cars on local vehicle websites. One vehicle was advertised for sale on one of these websites as having travelled 95,000 miles. The previous owner of this particular vehicle stated that the vehicle had in fact travelled at least 127,000 miles.

A second vehicle, advertised by the same trader as having travelled 90,000 miles, was offered for sale to a Trading Standards Officer. The previous owner of this vehicle stated that it had travelled in excess of 120,000 miles.

TSS also received complaints from two unsuspecting consumers who had purchased vehicles from the same trader and later discovered that the vehicles had been ‘clocked’.

The TSS investigation detected a total of four vehicles that had been sold or offered for sale by Mr Surgenor, with lower mileage readings than the actual mileages travelled by the vehicles.

Moira Todd of the Trading Standards Service said: “Mr Surgenor knew that the mileage reading was incorrect on at least one of the vehicles, yet failed to disclose this information to his customers. In the cases relating to the other vehicles, Mr Surgenor could have easily established that mileage readings on the odometers were inaccurate, by making some very simple enquiries.

“This is a case of a trader deceiving consumers by making vehicles more attractive to consumers with the aim of maximising the sale price. Trading Standards Service advises that consumers should always be vigilant when purchasing second hand vehicles.”

Anyone who believes they have been sold a vehicle or any other goods that have been misdescribed to them by a trader should contact Consumerline on tel: 0845 600 62 62 or 028 9025 3900, or alternatively log on to the Consumerline Website

Notes to editors:

1. Car ‘clocking’ is the practice of turning a car’s mileage reading back, in order to display a reduced number of miles on a car’s odometer with the aim of increasing the car’s price and making it more attractive to the would-be buyer.
2. Under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 traders must describe goods or services they supply correctly. Under section 1 of the Act, it is an offence for a trader to apply a false trade description to goods and also to supply or offer to supply goods which have been falsely described. This legislation was replaced by the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 in May 2008.
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