Welsh car dealership fined for selling faulty vehicles

Welsh car dealership fined for selling faulty vehicles

A car dealership in Wales has been fined after admitting to selling unroadworthy vehicles to customers.

Trading Standards launched an investigation into Aberdare-based One Direction Cars Ltd after concerns were raised regarding the safety of the cars the business was selling. According to the South Wales Argus, the firm admitted to supplying an unsafe vehicle to a Monmouthshire family in 2014 and pleaded guilty to three offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

Ensuring the vehicles they are selling are safe is of paramount importance to any car trader, whether an individual dealing in cars part time or a large franchised dealership. A road risks insurance policy as part of a wider motor trade insurance policy enables the dealer to drive any of the cars they might be selling at any one time, which allows them to not only move the cars from A to B, but also to take the vehicles for test drives to make sure they are performing as they should.

The car in question that was sold by One Direction Cars was found to have structural and mechanical corrosion. Newport Magistrates' Court fined the business £500 for each offence and awarded Monmouthshire County Council £2,200 in costs and the family £900 compensation.

Councillor Giles Howard, cabinet member with responsibility for public protection, said: “Ironically, there was only one direction this car should have been going – the scrap yard.

"This case shows the vital work of trading standards officers to protect the public. They must continue to be able to do despite the resource issues faced in the public sector.”