HPI not always what they are cracked up to be.

[oldred]

A colleague of mine recently purchased a Nissan pickup, and being a cautious sort of guy arranged an HPI check. All appeared OK until several weeks after he submitted the log book etc to the DVLA, he received a call from his local police station asking to look at the car, as his was identical to one in the other end of the country. He had no problem with this, thinking the DVLA had cocked up with a duplicate reg no. Imagine his horror when it appears his truck is stolen, and all documentation including the VIN plate has been cloned from another pickup truck. The vehicle has now been taken off him and he is awaiting further developments. The question is I appreciate how easy it must be to clone a number plate, but the reg documents, VIN plate etc. He felt he may have some recourse with the company that ran the HPI check, however it seems they are only liable for the £20 fee he paid. I guess as the legitimate vehicle had not been stolen, as far as the HPI company were concerned, everything was OK. How difficult would it be for the HPI company to say "oh yes the vehicle is legitimate and should be residing within this postcode"

Oh and as a PS, the police complained they had called around several times but the vehicle was never there. My colleague said "that's because it is parked in the police station car park every day, my wife works there"

[g_attrill]

Well as you say, the HPI check will tell you the status of what is presented to them, I'm not sure they would have details of the postcode or

The only thing that could be suggested is to check the VIN plate very carefully, and possibly find some other places that would have the VIN plate stamped. Also check the other paperwork very carefully, ie. tax disc, V5, MOT if applicable. Also the DVLA's website will tell you whether a vehicle is taxed and when it's due for renewal - this could give some clues. I would imagine that checking the alleged service history might be a place where most scammers slip up.

Gareth

[jasandjules]

I don't know if a case has gone to court on this..

I would have thought there is a possibility you can get them under the tort of negligence..They owe you a duty of care to ensure that a vehicle you HPI is indeed clear, they screwed up and breached that duty, and the damages arise directly from that breach.... If they have a disclaimer re:liability then it will be subject to a reasonableness test in court anyways......

Could be worth a chat to a solicitor?