A 37 year old Busselton man has been fined $2,000 and ordered to pay costs of $200 by the Busselton Magistrates Court for buying and selling motor vehicles without a licence.
The man, who was granted a spent conviction, pleaded guilty on 13 March 2018 to buying and selling a total of 24 vehicles between December 2015 and January 2017 while not being licensed, in breach of the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act.
Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard said consumers should never do business with unlicensed dealers.
“Buying a vehicle from an unlicensed dealer means consumers may be forfeiting their right to a warranty and any redress should something go wrong with the vehicle after the sale,” Mr Hillyard said.
“The vehicles may also be sub-standard in quality and pose a safety risk to the occupants.
“Illegal dealers, especially those operating in a small community, are undermining the business of licensed dealers who have to comply with the law and provide minimum protections to their customers.
“Unlicensed activity should be reported to Consumer Protection so that action can be taken and the integrity of the industry can be maintained.”
Consumers can check whether a motor vehicle dealer is licensed by doing a search on the Consumer Protection website: www.consumerprotection.wa.gov.au. Unlicensed dealers can be reported by emailing consumer@dmirs.wa.gov.au or by calling 1300 30 40 54.
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Media Contact: Alan Hynd, (08) 6552 9248 / 0429 078 791 / alan.hynd@dmirs.wa.gov.au