Trading Standards want to talk to me about my car?

Xandros

Got a letter thru the post this morning from a Tranding Standards office asking me to discuss/make an appointment to discuss my car. No further information given.

I can't get thru to them on the phone, left a message and I'm waiting to hear back to see what's up. But I do wonder, the office is located in West Sussex, and I bought the car from that county.

Is it possible I've bought a nicked car or something because I can't think of any other reason Trading Standards would want to talk to me about it.

If it turns out to be dodgy in some way, can they take it off me?

LandyAndy

Quite likely investigating a 'dodgy' dealer and contacting everyone who bought a car from them.

Maybe a dealer posing as a private seller.

Who did you buy it from?

neilmcl

If it's stolen then surely the Police would be contacting you. TS probably just want to discuss your dealings with a dodgy dealer or something that someone has made a complaint about, possibly they are trying to gather evidence. Until you contact them though you'll never know.

Xandros

LandyAndy wrote: »

Quite likely investigating a 'dodgy' dealer and contacting everyone who bought a car from them.

Maybe a dealer posing as a private seller.

Who did you buy it from?

Some bloke in Crawley. I forget the names and such (it is all written down somewhere as I've still got the hand written receipt). I found the car on Autotrader's website, it was a trade sale according to the advert, again I forget the name of the dealership, but when I arranged to go have a look at the car it was a home address, and I paid the guy in cash, in his kitchen (hence the hand written receipt).

skipness

IMO it is more likely that trading standards are investigating "clocking" rather than stolen.
Could your new car have covered more miles than the odometer indicates?

LandyAndy

LandyAndy wrote: »

Quite likely investigating a 'dodgy' dealer and contacting everyone who bought a car from them.

Maybe a dealer posing as a private seller.

Who did you buy it from?

Xandros wrote: »

Some bloke in Crawley. I forget the names and such (it is all written down somewhere as I've still got the hand written receipt). I found the car on Autotrader's website, it was a trade sale according to the advert, again I forget the name of the dealership, but when I arranged to go have a look at the car it was a home address, and I paid the guy in cash, in his kitchen (hence the hand written receipt).

Pound to a penny.

Xandros

I did find it kind of odd myself at the time. Don't think it has been clocked either, it had done 90,000 miles when I got it but the engine doesn't use a drop of oil.

Oh well, thanks for the replies, I'm more at ease now but as already said, won't know exactly until I hear back from them.

Hackman_2

skipness wrote: »

IMO it is more likely that trading standards are investigating "clocking" rather than stolen.
Could your new car have covered more miles than the odometer indicates?

More likely he's not paying his dues and a complaint has been made after a problem when he's told a buyer they have no rights.

motorguy

LandyAndy wrote: »

Pound to a penny.

Why do you say that? You actually highlighted the bit where it was a trade advert?

There is no law that insists the dealer has to have premises and is doing anything wrong just because he is working from home?

arcon5

Have you checked the mileage on its MOT history?

https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history-vehicle

Joe_Horner

pgilc1 wrote: »

Why do you say that? You actually highlighted the bit where it was a trade advert?

There is no law that insists the dealer has to have premises and is doing anything wrong just because he is working from home?

But he may well have sold other cars from his kitchen without admitting he's a trader (one for me, one for the tax man, one for me....) and been caught out.

In any case, if it was anyting for the OP to worry about (stolen / ringer etc) then it would have been the police rather than Trading Standards contacting him.