A former Mercedes owner paid for 2 years for a car he didn't own because the new owner cheated. Now the new owner is convicted of the fraud.
In autumn 2020, a Norwegian man sold his 16-year-old Mercedes-Benz to another man from Follo, near Oslo, for DKK 39,000.
As the two men shopped, a payment chip was removed from the car. But the agreement behind the chip continued. And the new owner took advantage of that.
From the sale in 2020 to autumn 2022, a total of DKK 10,152 was collected in so-called tolls. Something that is charged on the roads in central Oslo.
However, the former owner first noticed the problem when he received a significantly higher bill than usual from the toll company in October 2022. It turned out that he paid tolls for both his new electric car and the old Mercedes.
This is written by Norwegian Motor .
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The situation led to a complaint to the Consumer Complaints Board, where he sought reimbursement of the amount from the car's new owner. The Consumer Complaints Board upheld him with the following reasoning:
It is an implicit prerequisite that the costs for toll crossings after handing over the car must be covered by the car buyer. The fact that the seller has not informed the toll company about the change of ownership, and thus was obliged to pay the company, does not change this.
The case illustrates the importance of canceling this kind of payment solution when selling a car. Simply removing the payment equipment from the car is not sufficient. As long as the agreement with the company continues, former owners will foot the bill.
This is also the case here at home with cars that are registered, for example, for a pay buy plate on the Storebæltsbroen. Sund & Bælt, which administers the scheme, is not notified when a car changes ownership.
The Consumer Complaints Board's decision means that the former owner gets his money back from the buyer, who perhaps thought he could sneak around the capital for free.
At the same time, the case emphasizes how important it is to ensure that all practical matters concerning payment agreements are in place when a choir toy changes ownership.
Here at home it has previously been the case that private individuals had 4 weeks to re-register a used car. But today the police already start looking for the car, if this sort of thing hasn't happened after 3 days. The rule entered into force on 1 January 2021.
Read more exciting news from and about the world of cars right here!