Cartel spied on dealers with ‘mystery’ purchasers

THE Irish Ford Dealers’ Association (IFDA) enlisted members of the public to purchase vehicles from the cartel to see if any of its dealers were undercutting prices set down by the association.

It emerged yesterday that people pretending to be customers bought cars around the country to see if any dealer was undercutting the cartel minimum, under a scheme operated by the IFDA called the “mystery shopping survey”.

If dealers were found to have sold cars at prices breaching the association’s guidelines, fines were imposed.