City Trading Standards prosecutes city car dealership

Plymouth CIty Council's trading standards team has prosecuted a car dealership and its former director for making false claims.

A jury convicted MotorCity (Plymouth) Ltd and Michael Haxby of four counts of engaging in an unfair commercial practice yesterday (Thursday 23 May), after the company made claims in a leaflet and on its website that it was a ‘Trading Standards Partner’.

The dealership was not endorsed by the Council's trading standards service and was not a member of its ‘Buy with Confidence’ approved trader scheme.

Sentencing took place today and the company was given two £5,000 fines. Mr Haxby was given two £1,000 fines and the court awarded the Council costs of £10,000, making the total fine £22,000.

Councillor Brian Vincent, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “We are very pleased with this positive outcome. By falsely advertising that it was a ‘Trading Standards Partner’ MotorCity was misleading the public and gaining an unfair advantage over other garages in Plymouth. The company had been warned previously about using a similar phrase but chose to ignore that warning. Traders need to be careful to ensure that their advertising is not misleading.”