AN ONLINE car dealership is being investigated amid claims it has defrauded buyers out of at least £23,000.

Millstone Motors Limited gives its postal address as Millstone House in St Thomas Street, Weymouth and advertised cars for sale on eBay and its website. But the Dorset Echo can reveal that at least four people have paid around £6,000 each for the same vehicle which has not been delivered as promised.

Dorset County Council’s trading standards team have been unable to find Millstone Motors at its given address and a spokesperson for Royal Mail confirmed there is no entry for this address in their file.

On its website the company claims to be a ‘family run business operating in Weymouth, Dorset’.

It adds: “With over 30 years of experience in the motor trade, we understand your needs when it comes to purchasing a car. We have built an enviable reputation and pride ourselves on our first class customer service.”

But concerns have been raised that the company, which until recently offered vehicles for sale through classified adverts on eBay, charges customers for cars which allegedly never materialise.

Trading Standards are investigating the claims.
A Manchester man, who asked to be known only as Lee, paid £5,800 for an Audi A4 plus a delivery charge of £120. Another man from Huddersfield paid £5,870, also for the Audi A4 which has the same registration. Neither has received the vehicle.

A woman from Suffolk and a man from Ipswich paid £6,100 each for a Volvo XC70, with the same registration. The vehicle has not been delivered to either person.

Both vehicles were still being advertised as for sale on eBay - but the Millstone Motors page has since been updated to state it is 'no longer a registered user on eBay'.

These sales are only a few days overdue but customers are increasingly anxious.

The woman from Suffolk said she had been left feeling frustrated and embarrassed.

“They have a website, a postal address, they’re a registered company, it all looked legitimate. 

“I was aware it was a cheap price for the car but my partner and I thought there might be something wrong with the vehicle, so we arranged to have it delivered to a friend who knows about cars. 

“It never occurred to us that the car didn’t exist.”

Maxwell Hall lives in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and contacted Millstone Motors about the Volvo.

After contacting the company by phone he received an email requesting a bank transfer to an account in the name of a Y A Bezaz. The email, which has been seen by the Dorset Echo, also confirms a time and date for delivery.

Mr Hall has not transferred any money for the Volvo.

He said: “There is something about it that did not seem quite right. It would be very easy for them to take the money and the car never turn up. Innocent people could be falling for this.”

Investigations by the Dorset Echo have not revealed any link between Millstone Motors and anyone with the surname of Bezaz.

The company is registered as a private limited company with Companies House, which is run by the UK government.

A certificate of registration which is available online lists Phillip Edwards and Anne Edwards as joint directors, each holding one share in the company. A statement of capital reveals shares in Millstone Motors are worth £1 each.

Dates of birth and occupations are given for each director and a certificate showing that Millstone Motors has been listed as a private limited company was issued on July 31 2015.

Applications to register a company cost £15 and can be done online. A spokesman for Companies House said that documents submitted in applications are taken ‘in good faith’.

On its website the business also claims to be a Black Horse approved dealer for finance. But the Black Horse website does not list Millstone Motors as an approved dealer. A spokesman for Black Horse said the website list is up-to-date.

The Dorset Echo has contacted Millstone Motors by phone and a private email address to request a viewing of a car. At the time of publication we have not received a response.

The company has also not responded to a request for comment in response to the claims.

Trading standards 'aware of concerns'

Ivan Hancock, Dorset County Council trading standards manager, said: “We are aware of some concerns about a company trading as Millstone Motors Ltd giving an address on Thomas Street, Weymouth. However, having looked into it we have been unable to find a business at that address.

“If anyone has paid money for a vehicle and received nothing, they should contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline in the first instance on 03454 04 05 06.”