AMVIC decision upheld
EDMONTON, ALTA. – The Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council’s cancellation of an Edmonton used car businesses’ sales licence and salesperson registration was upheld by an appeal panel last week.
An independent appeal panel concluded that Martin Hausner, owner of Cars on Whyte and Edmonton Imports, failed to respond to AMVIC’s various enforcement actions and “demonstrated a callous disregard for the regulatory role AMVIC plays.”
Hausner repeatedly failed to pay the AMVIC levy of $6.25 per vehicle sale, has failed to attend an administrative review scheduled by the regulator and did not pay a $1,500 administrative penalty issued by AMVIC against a second business, Edmonton Imports.
“We could not allow someone who blatantly ignores consumer protection laws to continue to operate,” John Bachinski, executive director of AMVIC said. “We made several attempts to gain compliance including warnings, director’s orders and administrative penalties.”
The appeal panel’s decision upheld AMVIC’s Oct. 27, 2015 cancellation of Hausner’s salesperson registration and his business licence for Cars on Whyte. The business licence for Hausner’s other business, Edmonton Imports, was cancelled Oct. 1, 2015 and has been the subject of several consumer complaints over the past year. In spite of the licence cancellations, Hausner continued to sell vehicles.
“We take consumer protection very seriously. If a licensee refuses to comply then it is our duty to take the steps necessary to ensure consumers are protected,” Bachinski said.
