Dealers denied finance licence

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Dishonest motor dealers have been put under the spotlight after a pair of court rulings.

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Dishonest motor dealers have been put under the spotlight after a pair of court rulings.

In the first, an East Sussex dealer has had his application for a renewed licence to sell motorists finance rejected.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) rejected the application by Lee Steven Marriott, whose main place of business is at the Chaucer Industrial Estate, Dittons Road, Polegate, on the grounds that he failed to declare he had been convicted of fraud.

Although the OFT said Marriott is not fit to hold the licence, he will be able to continue arranging finance for car buyers until his appeal is heard by the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI). This process can take more than a year.

In a separate case, the DTI has decided to reject such an appeal lodged by two Carmarthenshire motor traders.

Geraint and Margaret Jones of High Noon Garage, White Mill, had been refused a new consumer credit licence by the OFT because Mr Jones had a number of convictions, including offences of dishonesty.

Now that their appeal has been rejected, they will no longer be able to arrange or sell finance to car buyers. The couple can continue to buy and sell cars, however.