How approximate is approximate?

legal updates

Off the top of the head approximations for fuel consumption, mileage or service intervals could lead to prosecution.

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A recent case (Norfolk County Council Trading Standards Service v Bycroft and others 2012), involved an estate agent approximating the size of gardens.  

The size was stated as approximately of an acre.  In fact it was only 0.4 of an acre (about 50% of that declared). It was held even though the word approximately had been used it was still seriously misleading.   Car dealers should be aware of this, since, ‘off the top of the head’ approximations for, say, fuel consumption, mileage, service intervals etc could lead to prosecution.

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