10:25 am, October 3, 2024
A car salesman has been ordered to pay costs after he sold a vehicle which had been written off in the UK – at a dealership in the Republic of Ireland.
Patrick Doyle, of Byrnes Garage in County Wexford, sold a Ford Fiesta in August 2020, without revealing it had previously suffered heavy damage in an accident.
The buyer, who was purchasing the car for his daughter to learn to drive in, specifically asked if the car had been involved in a crash and was provided with a history check printout, which indicated no damage alerts.
However, Doyle failed to inform him that the Fiesta had actually been imported from the UK in 2017, having been classified as a Category D Insurance Loss, meaning it was considered an insurance write-off.
The damage dated back to September 2016 but was only uncovered when a subsequent history check was carried out on the car’s UK registration.
Under Irish law, car dealers are required to take ‘all reasonable steps to ensure a car is safe and roadworthy’, including completing a full history check before listing it.
Doyle, who no longer works in the motor trade, has now pleaded guilty to misleading a consumer at Gorey District Court.
The case was brought by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and Doyle was ordered to pay €1,000 towards their legal costs
Responding to the case, a CCPC spokesman said: ‘It is illegal for traders to give false or misleading information about the history of a car.
‘Unless otherwise stated, a motor trader should take all reasonable steps to ensure a car is safe and roadworthy, including completing a car history check, before making a car available for sale to a consumer.
‘While the law sets out the rules for traders, consumers should also take a proactive approach when buying a car and use the CCPC’s online information and checklist to ensure they are getting what they pay for.’
