CCPC undertakes unannounced inspections of Dublin car traders
September 10, 2019
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has carried out a number of unannounced inspections of car dealers in the west Dublin area. The inspections, which were over a 48 hour period, were conducted by teams of Authorised Officers from the CCPC as part of a cross agency operation with members of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau. The purpose of these inspections was to identify and take enforcement action against dealers who mislead consumers in the sale of crashed and/or clocked cars.
Speaking about this inspection activity, Patrick Kenny, Member of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission said, “Consumer protection law prohibits traders from misleading consumers. Omitting or concealing material information, such as supplying a false odometer reading or failing to inform a consumer that a vehicle has been written off by an insurer, may be considered a misleading commercial practice under the Consumer Protection Act. The onus is on the trader to ensure that they have carried out the relevant checks into the vehicles history before selling a vehicle.
We will continue to conduct unannounced inspections of car dealers across the country and will use our powers to challenge and take enforcement action against traders found to be misleading consumers. If anyone has information regarding a trader that they believe has provided false information about a car’s condition or mileage, they should contact the CCPC’s consumer helpline on 1890 432 432 or email us at ask@ccpc.ie.”
The CCPC has previously investigated and taken enforcement action against a number of traders in relation to the sale of clocked or crashed cars where such information was not disclosed to the consumer. Most recently, in July 2019, Dublin motor trader, Mark Healy, of BRM Motors, Naas Road, Dublin was convicted of deceiving or misleading a consumer in relation to the prior history of a car.
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