A WREXHAM car sales outlet has been fined more than £2,500 for misleading advertisements.
Decidebloom Ltd Stoneacre Motor Group, on Plas Acton Road, faced three separate charges at Wrexham Magistrates Court on Friday.
Stoneacre had already admitted a misleading information charge under the Consumer Protection Act relating to price indications on Renault Clios.
Web advertisements stipulated prices from £5,595 but failed to mention other cost factors which meant total figures were thousands more.
The company was found not guilty on two other charges.
One referred to a web advert for the new Renault Clio model accompanied by specifications on an older model.
The other referred to newspaper adverts for the Fiat Grande Punto.
Chairman of the bench Michael Bishop said trading standards officers had not proved the case.
Mr Bishop said: “The Fiat Punto adverts were not misleading and did give the necessary disclaimer.”
In this particular charge, Stoneacre had been accused of a false trades description when it advertised unused Fiat Grande Puntos in local newspapers during July 2007.
The advert featured a photo of a blue model, selling at £7,795, with no deposit required and 0% finance. Customers were then told the deal only referred to white models which were out of stock.
Defending solicitor Neil Cameron successfully argued the case wasn’t a false trades description.
He said: “Colour of goods isn’t covered by Section 46 of the Consumer Credit Act and the small print which says “model shown for illustration purposes only” means the exact model shown there need not be the model offered in the showroom.”
Mr Cameron accepted that advertising techniques may disappoint some customers but he stressed they weren’t criminal offences. The sales manager at the centre of the allegations has since left the company, assured Mr Cameron.
