An outback car rental company based on the gold coast has gone into liquidation, owing tourists hundreds of thousands of dollars in bond money and raising questions about a Federal Court case aimed at recovering funds.
Key points:
- Australian 4WD Hire’s previous owner Smart Corporation sold the firm in December
- Days later, Smart Corp went into liquidation
- The ACCC is alleging Smart Corp engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is suing Smart Corporation, which ran Australian 4WD Hire, through the Federal Court.
The consumer watchdog is seeking financial penalties, compensation for customers and injunctions against the company.
It is also seeking disqualification orders against former director Vitali Roesch and his wife, current director Maryna Kosukhina.
The court action, filed in April last year, follows numerous complaints to the agency spanning many months.
The ACCC is alleging Smart Corporation, through its then-subsidiary Australian 4WD Hire, engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct and unconscionable conduct, used unfair contract terms and made false or misleading representations in relation to insurance cover.
Vitali Roesch and his wife Marnya Kosukhina were…