On the 17th of September, a Fitzgibbon resident was ordered to pay $6,000 plus costs in the Sandgate Magistrates Court after being charged by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) for making false representations about a motor vehicle.

Darshik Deepak Kumar pleaded guilty to two counts under the Motor Dealers and Chattel Auctioneers Act 2014, for tampering with a motor vehicle odometer and for making a false or misleading representation about the total distance travelled by the motor vehicle.

Between 1 September 2016 and 19 September 2016, Mr Kumar was found guilty of purchasing a 2013 Holden HSV GTS motor vehicle online and engaged a person to replace the odometer with one that had a reading approximately 24,000km fewer.

In October 2016, Mr Kumar sold the tampered vehicle online.

In February 2018, the buyer of the vehicle attempted to list the vehicle for sale on carsales.com.au but the advertisement was immediately cancelled by carsales.com.au due to inconsistent odometer records. The consumer then lodged a complaint with the OFT and an investigation into the matter was initiated.

Acting Fair Trading Executive Director Sharon Simmers said the OFT takes odometer tampering very seriously.

“Odometer readings contribute to the vehicle’s value and tampering with an odometer to increase the value of a vehicle is against the law,” said Ms Simmers.

“The number of kilometres travelled on an odometer indicate when certain services are due or when some parts need replacing. Vehicles sold with tampered odometer readings are of high risk and can cause fatalities.

“If we have evidence of odometer tampering, we will come after you whether you are a licensed motor dealer or not.”

Consumers are encouraged to report unlawful practices in the motor industry by making a complaint at www.qld.gov.au/fairtrading or calling 13 QGOV (13 74 68).

Source: Queensland Government – www.qld.gov.au

19 Sept 2018