A ROGUE Black Country car dealer has landed a court bill of more than £6,000 after misleading a Dudley car buyer about the mileage of a vehicle.

Arvinder Singh Gill, of Newbridge Crescent, Wolverhampton, admitted selling a BMW 316 advertised as 75,000 miles, when in fact the vehicle had done 133,000 miles.

Dudley Council trading standards team led the prosecution against Gill, who trades as Autodesign and Auto Elite, at Dudley Magistrates Court last week (September 17).

Magistrates were also told the buyer was further misled by the MOT certificate provided by Gill which showed the lower mileage and omitted a list of problems with the BMW. The advert also failed to state that the vehicle had previously been declared a Category D insurance write-off.

The discrepancies came to light when the customer started to have problems with the car and decided to carry out his own checks and then complained to trading standards.

Gill pleaded guilty to four offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations and was fined £2,000. He was also ordered to pay costs of £3,458.80, compensation of £625 to the consumer and £50 victim surcharge.

Councillor Rachel Harris, cabinet member responsible for trading standards, said: “Trading Standards officers investigate complaints where second hand vehicles are not described fully or accurately, because it is vital that consumers receive the information they need to make an informed choice about whether to purchase.

“We will not hesitate to take action against traders who make misleading actions or omissions which deceive the customer and may put their safety at risk.”