Some merchants do not reveal the commercial nature of their activities. They are considered "false private vendors". They pose as private vendors, in other words, people who are not owners of a vehicle buying or selling business.

Risk of being denied your rights

If you purchase a vehicle from a false private vendor, you could be denied several of your rights. This is part of the reason why merchants try to hide the true nature of their activities.

In addition, these merchants often cover up the poor quality of the vehicles they sell. Be vigilant!

How to recognize false private vendors

If you are looking for a used vehicle in the classified ads, check to see if the same phone number appears several times. Many classified advertisement sites offer a function that allows you see all ads from the same person. This tool can help you to recognize false private vendors.

Here are some other clues to help determine if the seller is a false private vendor:

• they claim to be selling a vehicle for another person;
• they are reluctant to meet you at their home;
• they have more than one vehicle for sale;
• they offer to do the transfer of ownership themselves.

Hidden merchants

False private vendors are:

• merchants who do not have a motor vehicle merchant license from the Office de la protection du consommateur;
• merchants who have a license, but sell some of their vehicle through classified ads;
• people who are selling vehicles for merchants who have a license, but omit to mention this fact.