Not upheld: PCP / HP mis-selling complaint against Hippo Vehicle Solutions Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Miss O complained that a car financed through a hire purchase agreement brokered by Hippo Motor Group was misrepresented to her. The complaint centered on the vehicle's mileage, which was stated as 36,412 in the finance agreement but later reported as 56,420 to the DVLA. The ombudsman found that the mileage in the finance agreement was likely accurate and consistent with expected usage patterns, and that any inaccurate reporting to the DVLA occurred after the agreement was concluded. Since Miss O had no knowledge of the potentially inaccurate reporting when she entered into the agreement, it could not have induced her to do so. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied the balance of probabilities standard and found that the mileage stated in the finance agreement (36,412) was likely accurate and consistent with the expected usage pattern based on the MOT reading and annual mileage allowance. The subsequently inaccurate mileage reporting to the DVLA occurred after the agreement was concluded and Miss O had no knowledge of it at the time of entering the agreement, so it could not have induced her to enter into the finance agreement. Therefore, no misrepresentation occurred at the point of sale.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website