'We buy any car - but at a cheaper amount than we first quoted you'

INTERNET-BASED motor vendor Webuyanycar.com has come under fire from regulators after it emerged that almost all of its customers received less cash for their vehicle than they were originally quoted online.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said it was to take enforcement action against the firm following an investigation which revealed that 96 per cent of its customers did not receive the headline valuation of their car.

It also discovered that some of the firm's vehicle inspectors were set targets to reduce the price paid from the original valuation - by as much as 25 per cent.

The site, which is well-known through its TV advertising campaigns, offers a free online valuation based on the car's registration plate - and a list of additional questions including how many miles it has travelled and its service history.

Customers were given the impression that if Webuyanycar.com found the vehicle matched the condition and description given online by the seller, the valuation would be met, the OFT said.

But, in reality, investigators discovered that the price quoted online reduced dramatically by the time of the sale - in some cases by hundreds of pounds.

"Selling personal possessions through the internet is increasingly popular, especially in these tough economic times," said Cavendish Elithorn, senior director of the OFT's consumer group. "But it's important that the headline figure isn't chipped away at by the buyer, because it makes it very difficult for consumers to shop around and find the best deal."

The regulator warned that information on the site which claimed the quote would be valid for seven days encouraged customers to rush into a sale.

The OFT has required Webuyanycar's directors to sign an undertaking that they will make it clear that the website valuation is not necessarily the price at which the company is offering to buy the consumer's car - and to scrap targets for vehicle inspectors which the OFT said could encourage them to reduce the valuation offered for "inappropriate reasons".

Lucy McTernan, chief executive of Citizens Advice Scotland, said: "There does seem to growing concern about the way some buyers operate. As with all commercial transactions, the key must be to ensure clear and straightforward communications, so that both buyer and seller know the full terms of the deal and a strong regulatory presence to ensure the industry is operating fairly and not taking advantage of people."

"Our strong advice to anyone who is thinking of selling a car - or any large item - would be to take the process very slowly, and make sure they read and understand every detail of the contract before they enter into any transaction."

Richard Harrison, chief operating officer of Webuyanycar.com, said the company had changed its policies since the OFT had launched the investigation more than a year ago.

"We've implemented a huge amount of changes at Webuyanycar.com over the past 12 months to improve our customer experience, and the feedback from the OFT has helped to shape some of the changes we've made," he said.