Concern over ‘high charges’ levied by auto repair workshops

A number of citizens have expressed concern over the ‘high charges’ levied by some automobile workshops for repair and maintenance works, arguing that customers are often made to pay hefty sums for low-quality jobs, Gulf Times reported.

Speaking to local Arabic daily Arrayah, they stressed the need for further regulation of these workshops and garages to curb such practices.

The nationals say workshops are able to exploit customers due to inadequate control measures and fix rates arbitrarily. The charges are far from fair or reasonable, they point out.

For instance, the cost of a small paint job without involving any body repair starts at QR500 and some garages charge more for the same work. The rate varies depending on the whims of the garage manager, they say, adding that the same applies to most garages that provide used automobile spare parts.

Hamad Al Nuaimi, one of the citizens whom Arrayah spoke to, said many of the garages regularly keep track of charges levied at the workshops of authorised dealers and fix their rates accordingly. This is not acceptable, he argues, as the dealers provide warranty as well as authorised and certified services.

However, most of these garages rarely provide such services and any form of warranty or guarantee on the job done.

Al Nuaimi said used spare parts sometimes cost as much as new ones as the sellers exploit customers’ need to get a replacement urgently. Also, new parts may not be readily available with the dealers.

He stressed that such practices by local garages compel many vehicle owners to buy spare parts from abroad. They place orders on the Internet and get the required items at lower prices. In fact, the price difference can sometimes exceed 50%, he adds.

Another citizen, Salim Al Nabti, reiterated the need for greater control on garages and shops that sell used spare parts. He said some of these outlets sell a used item for QR500 while a new one (of the same brand and type) will cost only QR100 more. They are able to do so as consumers are often unaware of market realities.

Al Nabti further points out repair charges “greatly vary from one workshop to another”. A job that is done for QR300 in one garage can cost QR1,000 in another, he adds.

Expressing concern over the quality of work, Nawaf Al Mazroui said the employment of “under-qualified workers and mechanics” in some garages lead to unnecessary expenses for customers.

For instance, they sometimes ask customers to get a defective component replaced — which may cost a lot — even though the problem can be fixed easily by experienced and skilled workers without having to buy a new one.

Some nationals, meanwhile, said the phenomenon of garages charging hefty sums for maintenance and repairs works was unwarranted, particularly in view of the recent drop in prices of used vehicles in the country.

Earlier, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce had issued a directive giving motorists the freedom to go to a workshop of his/her choice for regular maintenance works without affecting the car’s warranty.

Some distributors had made it mandatory for customers to have vehicles serviced at the dealers’ workshops to be eligible for manufacturer’s warranty.

As part of the ministry’s campaign in this regard, distributors were asked to review the terms and conditions of warranty documents and remove phrases and clauses that limited such options.

They were also advised to remove ambiguous wordings that could be an issue of dispute and rephrase such clauses in a way that eligibility for warranty was not linked to servicing or repairing vehicles at the workshops of the distributors.

This also included routine maintenance.

Courtesy: gulf-times.com