Published: Less than 20 min ago
Johan had done everything he could so that the A-tractor he bought for his son would be legal.
But five days later the son was stopped in a police check.
– They found hidden cables that weren’t supposed to be there, he says.
In September, Johan from Falun would buy an A tractor for his son.
They started looking around the Block and finally found an A tractor in the area that seemed to be fine.
When they reached the buyer, Johan did his best to check that it was legal.
– With an ordinary eye, it can be difficult to see what is not right, but I took out the A-tractor’s registration certificate and compared what I could see with the old construction. I also checked the cords and they also looked to be properly constructed, says Johan.
He questioned everything he could think of and test drove it.
– It went very well at 30 kilometers per hour. I even said several times that I refuse to buy something that was illegal, that could bring danger to my son, says Johan.
Stopped by the police – was illegal
Everything seemed to be as it should be, while the seller also certified several times that everything was correct. Johan then decided to strike and shook hands with the seller about the purchase.
Satisfied with his purchase, and with a very happy son, Johan then went home with the A-tractor.
But just five days later, the son was stopped by the police.
– He called me and told me that the police had checked the A-tractor. It then turned out that the police had found hidden cables that were not supposed to be there. If you had connected the cables, it could have gone as fast as a passenger car. We would have had to take apart the instrument panel to be able to see it ourselves, says Johan.
The police believed the son when he explained that they bought the A tractor in the belief that everything was correct. However, the vehicle was banned from driving.
The seller denies liability
Two workshop visits and an inspection later, the A-tractor is still not allowed to be driven.
– During the first workshop visit, more things were discovered that should not be there. Even at the first inspection. Now it has been at the workshop again and on Tuesday we will inspect it again, says Johan.
Except that the son, two months after the purchase, still can’t drive his A tractor. The first workshop visit alone cost SEK 9,300. Now Johan has spent around SEK 20,000 to make the A-tractor legal again.
After the police check, Johan also contacted the seller. In several text messages, the seller writes that the purchase went well and that the A-tractor is “completely legal”. Even after Johan told about the police check, the seller continued to deny that the vehicle had been tampered with.
– Finally, I confronted the seller, who refused to contact me, on the phone. That led to new excuses, which ended with him throwing the receiver into my ear, says Johan.
Finally, Johan decided to sue the seller – because that was the only legal action he could take.
– I want to be able to do everything I can to clean up my son, and if I get the money back, it will be a plaster on the wounds.
Want to warn parents
Now Johan wants to warn other parents about the same thing happening to them, with dishonest sellers and illegal A-tractors.
– It is above all the children who have to take the blame for this. I’m glad it stopped where it did for us, because it could have been a lot worse. What if this hadn’t been discovered, and I had then resold it? What if the vehicle causes a fatal accident? You ask yourself if you even dare to buy an A-tractor anymore, says Johan.
The Falu Courier, who was the first to report on Johan’s situation, have spoken to The Swedish Transport Agency about A-tractors.
Hans Cassepierre, investigator at the Swedish Transport Agency, says that he often comes into contact with similar cases. His advice to parents is to take the vehicle into an inspection company and have them check it out.
– Then you know whether it meets the requirements or not, he tells the newspaper, and continues:
– Because it doesn’t help later to tell the police that “I didn’t know”. Because it is the driver, who sits behind the wheel, who is responsible for the vehicle he or she is driving.