Motor dealer still guilty

A Labrador motor dealer who sought a re-hearing after being found guilty and fined in February 2021, has again been found guilty by the court.

Parvis Amiri, also known as Pablo Amiri, had been prosecuted following an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). The matter was heard ex-parte in February 2021 as Mr Amiri did not appear in court.

Following the outcome Mr Amiri successfully asked the court to re-open the matter and a new hearing was held at the Southport Magistrates Court on 10 May 2021. Mr Amiri pleaded guilty and he was fined $5,000 for unlicensed motor dealing. A conviction was recorded.

These offences were not Mr Amiri’s first. He was also prosecuted by the OFT in January 2020 for making misleading claims to a consumer about a vehicle’s warranty and for accepting a deposit from another consumer but failing to complete the contract or refund the deposit.

Just a few days after this court appearance OFT discovered that Mr Amiri was continuing to operate as a motor dealer even though he did not hold a motor dealer licence.

Between 5 January 2020 and 14 January 2020, he had placed advertisements for 25 motor vehicles for sale on a popular online trading platform despite not being licensed or authorised to do so.

Mr Amiri’s motor dealer licence was suspended by QCAT in October 2019 after he failed to release a consumer from a contract and refund her when she attempted to exercise her cooling off rights.

Magistrate Pamela Dowse said Mr Amiri didn’t want to take responsibility and the court needed to protect consumers.

Fair Trading Executive Director Brian Bauer said Mr Amiri compromised the public’s trust in the motor dealing industry.

“Consumers are entitled to expect that the person they are dealing with is a professional who is appropriately licensed and follows their legal obligations.”

“As has been previously stated by the OFT, Mr Amiri is no longer licensed as a motor dealer in Queensland and the OFT has noted his lack of suitability for licensing into the future.

“When looking to purchase a vehicle, make sure you are buying from a reputable, licensed dealer. Consumers can do a quick, free licence check on the OFT website to see if a dealer is licensed.”

Specific guidance for motor dealers on the legal requirements for motor vehicle sales is available from www.qld.gov.au/fairtrading or by calling 13 QGOV (13 74 68).