Toyota/Lexus showrooms shut for commercial fraud
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce has shut down three Toyota/Lexus showrooms for not informing certain customers that their car was repaired and repainted.
The main showroom of Abdulla Abdulghani & Bros. on Airport Road will be closed for a month. Two other Toyota dealers on Salwa Road have also been ordered shut, one for two weeks while another one will be closed for at least a week, The Peninsula reported.
The two other Toyota dealers are Al Tariq Automobiles Trading Co. (near Decoration signal) and Altadamon Motors and Trading Co. (further ahead on the Salwa road).
The ministry said the dealer had repaired and painted damaged cars and sold them to buyers as new. As per the law, car dealers are supposed to inform the customers and make adjustments in the prices before selling. Customers are also supposed to sign a document to record that they are aware of the repairs.
This was in violation of Article 7 of Law No. 8 of 2008, which guarantees consumer rights' protection, said the ministry, according to Qatar News Agency.
Notices have been pasted outside the three showrooms at their expense, according to the ministry, which said this was as per the provisions of the law.
Toyota joins Nissan, Dodge/Jeep/Ram and Honda
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce has handed out the same penalties to other car dealers in Qatar in the past for the same reasons.
Nissan (Saleh Al Mana) and Dodge/Jeep/Ram (United Cars Al Mana) made the headlines for the above-mentioned violations for the first time when their main showrooms were closed for a month.
About a month later, Honda (DOMASCO) was also ordered shut by the ministry for commercial fraud.
People can register complaints about suspected breach of the provisions of the consumer protection law by calling 8005000 or by sending an email to [email protected]
hmm well for me its more commercial fraud ..... to sell spare parts, and cars consumables, triple the global market price, that if it was available in the first place.
Good job,bringing the wrongdoers to task!
Molten Metal... may be some penalty apart from shut down...
Hanter ............. No worries ............ One month will pass quickly ............. their staff can complete their vacations & come back fresh ............ ....... Sun 31.05.2015, 11.08 hrs ..
Molten Metal... I think the same...settling accounts between big fishes
"Qatar Deserves the Best"...
What about the people in Qatar? (Expats) lol
May be their competitors have done some thing out of jealousy ................ ............ Sun 31.05.2015, 10.09 hrs .. ........
FYI
http://www.realcartips.com/newcars/333-inspect-new-car-before-buying.shtml
I have handled many cars with that protective film. However, that film is just a thick layer of tough grease and nothing more. That film would just protect the new paint of the vehicles from the vagaries of the weather and from the mist of salty sea water when the ship is on high seas. It would not protect the body from and deep scratches or even a slight dent.
It is absolutely unnecessary that a new car gets scratches during transport. The cars all have a protective film, and it is unprofessional if cars get scratched through the film. I wouldn't buy a car like this!
Brit: You are right. However, companies could offer a discount of say even QR 2500 which is peanuts, while advising the buyer of the minor repairs done to the vehicle. In this way they also remain clean Companies are usually firm on their prices and am sure most buyers would go for such cars. As a buyer who could save a couple of thousand Riyals on such a purchase, I would definitely do so.
Acchabaccha: in most cases the damage is very minor. The odd scratch etc.
The repair is carried out professionally and to the highest standard .
If the customer was told that the car had been "repaired" then he/she would not buy it or demand a big discount
Manoj: All cars are shipped through sea. While much efforts are put in place to allow the vehicles reach their destinations in perfect condition, there are many factors over which one has little control, one of them being the condition of the sea and the second, handling at the ports. Usually, its the body and the paint that take the damage during shipments. I am almost sure the cars are insured at the time of shipment and damages could be claimed from the insurers which the companies must be doing. As such, there exists the possibilities of double benefits to the importers, one through claims on the damages from insurance companies; then repairing the vehicles and selling them off as brand new. The importers could have simply declared the cars that were damaged and repaired and offered them at a lower price to buyers. It would have kept them clean and such cars would sell off even faster than the others.
It's mean we should inspect the car from third party before paying money to showroom for zero Km cars.
Well why don't we have a reply to option on comments. Fix the thread for the page. Well the dealers have to inform that the car was painted and repaired which is otherwise not needed if shipped safely in the first place. The dealers have to ensure SAFE shipping at any cost and NOT resort to shrewd ways doing in-house repairing/painting when they are making millions already. This isn't USA and we are dealing with customers in Qatar. I think Porsche pretty much excels in this stuff.
I would love to know the full story. A similar thing happened in Saudi. Apparently, it is normal practice in the USA for cars that are 'mildly" damaged in transit (damage up to a certain value) to be repaired by the dealer in-house and sold as new...I'm not sure whether the dealer has to declare that he has repaired the car..
@ Wild Turkey, you are correct but remember " better late than never"
Great move by the officials ............. they should be punished hard
The law is of 2008. How come they only implement it now, seven years later?
Good move