Unlicensed motor dealers or ‘backyarders’ are a serious problem for the used car industry and consumers alike.

Not only do they compete for sales with legitimate dealers, but they also put buyers and other road users at risk, and the OFT takes a hard-line approach to the issue.

In one case earlier this year, the OFT hauled repeat offender Emilia Lloyd to court for the third time where she was sentenced to three months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.

Ms Lloyd, who had previously been fined $26,000 by the courts for unlicensed motor dealing and making false representations about vehicles, began advertising cars for sale just two months after her second fine was handed down.

The court heard she placed 50 separate ads for used cars under three different names on multiple online trading platforms, attempting to mask her unlicensed motor dealing as private car sales.

Unlicensed dealers like Ms Lloyd go to great lengths to conceal their activities, which is why it is important for genuine motor dealers to report any suspicions about unlicensed motor dealers so they can be investigated.

Reporting backyarders helps to ensure an even playing field in the industry and protect consumers from those trying to circumvent the law to make a quick buck.

You can report unlicensed dealers through the MTA Queensland ‘Dob in a Backyarder‘ form or by lodging a complaint with the Office of Fair Trading.

Source: Office of Fair Trading

25 November 2021