Council obtains court order against city businessman
LEGAL action is being taken against an Inverness tourism businessman following a trading standards investigation.
Highland Council has secured a court order placing specific requirements on the future conduct Ali Raza Mohamed’s businesses — the Highlander B&B, in Ardconnel Street, and Highlander Hostel, in the High Street.
Mr Mohamed was found to be falsely claiming membership of VisitScotland’s quality assurance scheme.
Signs indicating VisitScotland accreditation had been displayed at the premises and on a website, making unjustified claims to high standards and reliability.
"This business had been found falsely displaying signs on two previous occasions and these were removed after intervention by our officers," explained Gordon Robb, the council’s trading standards manager.
"The second time it happened we also received a formal undertaking from Mr Mohamed that it would not happen again. When the offending activity was repeated yet again, we took the matter to court."
Trading Standards Officers work closely with VisitScotland to ensure that visitors to the Highlands are not misled by false advertising or other misleading practices.
"VisitScotland’s quality assurance schemes are the best in the world and they give visitors a simple, unbiased, approach which also allows businesses to not just meet visitor’s expectations, but exceed them," said the agency’s regional director Scott Armstrong.
"Therefore it is essential we work in close partnership with trading standards to help protect the credibility of VisitScotland quality grading, in turn protecting the quality of the Highland tourism product."
