Ministry raises the heat on erring auto dealers
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce has tightened the noose on automobile dealers violating warranty terms, reports The Peninsula.
The ministry has forced a leading car dealer to repair a car under warranty period free after the dealer refused to fix it in line with warranty terms.
The ministry said it would take legal action against the erring dealer. The ministry acted after receiving a complaint from the vehicle’s owner through one of its communication channels concerning the car dealer’s refusal to repair the vehicle.
The dispute arose over a complaint about the car’s gearbox. The dealer refused to fix it claiming that the warranty does not cover the gearbox because the car owner violated the warranty terms.
The dealer claimed that the car owner had replaced the gearbox oil with another kind of oil that failed to meet the technical requirements of the manufacturer.
Inspectors from the Consumer Protection and Combating Commercial Fraud Department at the Ministry investigated the complaint and found that the car owner didn’t violate the technical requirements.
The department came to the conclusion that the car dealer had violated the warranty terms and breached Article (9) of law No (8) of 2008 on consumer protection.
The law stipulates that dealers and suppliers must comply with the warranty terms offered to costumers.
The action came as part of the ministry’s ongoing efforts to protect consumers and ensure that car dealers follow up on vehicle defects and repairs.
In a recent initiative the ministry had allowed vehicle owners to get their cars serviced or repaired at workshops of their choice, within the warranty period. This has forced car dealers to slash maintenance charges to win customers.
In case of having maintenance and repair works at third-party workshops, vehicle owners have been advised to retain invoices of maintenance and repair works as well as the spare parts and materials used, to show that repair works were carried out in accordance with the manufacturer’s requirements.
The ministry had warned that it will crack down on all violations of the Consumer Protection law and will intensify its inspection campaigns to combat fraud. It added that it will refer violators of laws and ministerial decrees to the competent authorities who will in turn take appropriate action to protect the rights of consumers.
The ministry has urged all customers to report any violations to its Consumer Protection and Anti-Commercial Fraud Department through the following channels: Call Centre: 16001; email: [email protected]; Twitter: @MEC_Qatar; Instagram: MEC_Qatar; and the ministry’s mobile app for Android and IOS: MEC_Qatar
Courtesy: thepeninsulaqatar.com
