A second-hand car dealer has been ordered to pay almost £4,000 by a court after he sold a jeep riddled with faults to an unsuspecting customer.
Evan Courtney, 28, of All Sorts Motor Company in Maesycwmmer, sold the Grand Cherokee Jeep to Josie Fletcher for £2,500 after advertising it on Auto Trader as “a stunning example”.
However Ms Fletcher, who had travelled from Somerset to buy the 4×4 started to find faults with it almost immediately.
A court heard the air conditioning failed on the way home and that Ms Fletcher had also heard “scraping” and “screeching” noises when she drove around right-hand corners and a “creaking noise” turning off the ignition.
Prosecutor Kayleigh Simmons said: “The vehicle was found to have a long list of extremely worrying defects.”
A court heard Ms Fletcher had travelled 80 miles from Chedder with her dad in June 2016.
Courtney, director of the company, had listed the dodgy vehicle for £2,500 – and Ms Fletcher agreed to pay the asking price including a three-month warranty.
She collected the Jeep a week later and was given an MOT certificate and V5 document.
But she had no idea the faulty vehicle had problems with the windscreen wipers, electric mirror controls, locks and brakes.
The court heard Ms Fletcher took the vehicle back to the dealer and was told repairs would take a week.
But the company did not contact her or return her calls.
Ms Simmons added: “She was consistently told someone would call her back.”
Ms Fletcher was told she could collect the vehicle at the beginning of July.
Ms Simmons said: “It soon became apparent the repairs had not been carried out.”
She decided to take it to another garage and mechanics found more than a dozen “worrying” defects – including oil leaks and rusty brakes.
An investigation was launched by Trading Standards at Caerphilly council.
The Jeep was inspected and found to be in a “dangerous and unroadworthy condition” due to the braking system.
The court heard Ms Fletcher eventually sold the vehicle for scrap.
Car dealer Courtney, of Hengoed Road in Penpedairheol, made the misleading sale while he was being investigated by Trading Standards for a series of similar previous offences.
He had previously been sentenced in 2017 for four offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations.
He sold a car which was a Category C write-off without telling the buyer.
He also sold a vehicle described as a 4×4 which was not a four-wheel drive. He was fined £400 on each count.
In this latest case he admitted two counts of engaging in misleading commercial practice.
Andrew Taylor, mitigating, said: “It is a learning curve for most people when they start a business.”
He added the business is “thriving” and Courtney sold more than 600 vehicles last year.
Judge Eleri Rees said the vehicle was “dangerous and unroadworthy”.
She fined him £1,200 and ordered him to pay £2,616 in compensation
After winning her two-year fight for compensation, a relieved Ms Fletcher said: “It has taken a while but I finally saw the case end and he was prosecuted.
“I hope this sends out a message to anyone else thinking of selling dangerous cars.
“It’s lucky that I did not end up in a serious accident.
“I am glad it is finally over.”
Not a harsh enough punishment – as the article states,this is not the first occasion this company has committed offences.