Car trader fined for selling a clocked car

In a case brought by the Trading Standards Service of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Thomas James O’Connor (50), pleaded guilty to two charges under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

The investigation was initiated after a complaint was made to the Trading Standards Service.

It was alleged that a Peugeot 207 car, which was advertised on the Internet on the Gumtree website, had been advertised with a false mileage indication.

The advertisement stated that the mileage was 76,000.

In fact the car, previously owned by a driving instructor, had travelled in the region of 142,000 miles.

Investigations by the Trading Standards Service also revealed that the seller had advertised 30 vehicles on the Gumtree website, over a two-year period.

Speaking after the sentencing of O’Connor, Eamon McPartland of the Trading Standards Service, said car dealers must ensure that all descriptions applied to vehicles were truthful.

“They must not leave out anything important that might affect a consumer’s decision to buy a car. They must also ensure in advertisements, consumers are in no doubt that they are dealing with a motor trader. Mr O’Connor’s vehicle fell well short of trading practices.”