A business owner from Trinant has been prosecuted by Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Trading Standards for advertising cars for sale without indicating they were being sold in the course of a business.
Grant Sutherland Parker, owner of Trinant Respray Centre, was convicted at Cwmbran Magistrates’ Court on Monday, February 15 for failing to declare he was selling a number of cars as part of a business – a banned practice under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
Parker had denied ten charges, including one relating to a Renault Clio that had been written-off and sold.
The buyer had paid £1,500 for the 54 plate car which was advertised for sale under the ‘Private Sales’ section of a newspaper. Following the purchase, the buyer discovered the car had been written off and was only worth £700.
Trading Standards discovered that Parker had bought other written-off vehicles from a motor salvage business, nine of which he then advertised in the same newspaper as the Renault Clio.
Parker was found guilty by magistrates of all ten charges under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
He was fined a total of £2,300, ordered to pay £800 compensation to the buyer of the Renault Clio and costs to Caerphilly Council of £913.50. A victim surcharge of £50 was also imposed.
Cllr Nigel George, Cabinet Member with responsibility for public protection said: “This prosecution should serve as a message to all unscrupulous traders that we will not allow this kind of practice.”