HomeMotoring UKNorthern Ireland Car dealer fined Jayne Henry June 5, 2013 Motoring UK, Recent Number Plate News, Registrations A car dealer from Carrickfergus, County Antrim Northern Ireland has been fined £300 for selling a vehicle which had been a category C insurance write off. Speedy Reg have learned that Blair Buchanan of Buchanan Car Sales did not at any stage during the sale inform his customer that the vehicle had been written off. According to BBC News NI the case was brought to court by the Trading Standards Service following an investigation arising from the customer’s complaint. The court heard that the woman bought a Vauxhall Meriva from Mr Buchanan in March 2011 and when she went to trade the car in she discovered that the vehicle had been previously recorded as a category C insurance loss but was never told this by Mr Buchanan. Lisa Mallon of the Trading Standards Service said: “All second hand car dealers must ensure that they give customers all the information needed to make an informed decision before a sale. Important information must not be hidden or omitted.This case should act as a warning to all car dealers in Northern Ireland” Mr Buchanan pleaded guilty to the offence under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRS) and was fined £300. Although some write-offs can be legitimately allowed back on the road, almost half are beyond repair. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has provided classification of damage to vehicles that have been written off. Category A or B must never reappear on the road, while C and D may do so following proper repair, passing an independent approved structural examination.
