Pilsen Man Filmed a Video About a Used Car Dealership — Now He Faces Trial

Pavel Hajný, regional prosecutor for Pilsen, has filed charges against a man who recorded and posted on social media a video reviewing a used car at a local dealership. According to the prosecution, the video contained knowingly false information about the vehicle's technical condition, along with insulting remarks directed at the dealership itself. The man faces up to three years in prison for violating fair competition rules.

According to the prosecutor's office, the inspection shown in the video was not objective: its author claimed that the car — which the dealership presented as being in good condition — had actually been repainted after an accident and had rusty brake discs, worn-out pads and deformed wheel rims. However, an expert examination found no serious defects in the vehicle.

Rigged Measurements

According to the prosecutor, the defendant deliberately tilted the paint-thickness gauge so that it would display values several times higher than the actual ones. He claimed the car had definitely been in an accident and repaired afterward, even though the expert's report did not confirm this. The expert determined that the car had indeed been repainted — but not because of a crash, rather due to scratches and minor cosmetic flaws in the original paintwork.

The man was filming the video on behalf of a company that offers customers a pre-purchase inspection service for used cars. It was as part of this inspection that he ended up at the dealership.

Customers Backed Out of Deals

The negative video also hurt the dealership's clientele. One buyer backed out of purchasing a car worth two million crowns after seeing the footage, resulting in a significant financial loss for the dealership.

The owner of the affected dealership declined to comment on the situation before the trial begins. The head of the company that had sent the video's author to inspect the car admitted that certain parts of the footage had indeed crossed the line of what was acceptable. "I only saw it after it was published. I immediately ordered it to be taken down and ended our cooperation with the author," the businessman said.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz