DOHA: In its ongoing crackdown on erring vehicle dealers, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce shuttered yet another popular car showroom yesterday. The Ministry closed down the Range Rover showroom of Al Fardan Premier Motors in Al Sadd area for allegedly trying to dupe customers by selling ‘dented and painted’ vehicles as new.
This is the fourth showroom to be closed down in less than two months on similar charges. The news has evoked angry reaction among people who have called for curtailing monopolies in the automobile market who they said are taking the customers for a ride.
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce announced the Al Fardan showroom will be closed for one month from yesterday, for trying to dupe customers. “The reason for the closure is that the car dealers tried to cheat buyers for trying to sell repaired vehicles as new. The closure decision is in line with Article 18 of Law No 8, 2008”, the Ministry said yesterday.
In December 2014, the ministry closed down three popular car showrooms for allegedly trying sell damaged cars as new. During the second week of December, the Consumer Protection Department under the Ministry sealed showrooms of two popular car dealers for allegedly cheating customers. According to the Ministry, the cars the company tried to sell as new were actually damaged in road accidents. Both the showrooms were closed for a month.
In the last week of December, the ministry slapped closure notice on another showroom that sells a popular brand on a similar charge. This showroom was also ordered to close for a month for violating the consumer law.
Angry customers are venting their ire against the erring companies on social media: “When you go for buying a new car, the dealers never disclose the details of a pre-registered car to the customer until it is registered in a customer’s name. How does the customer know whether it is new or a used one? The ministry can open a website for allowing customers to check car chassis and engine number so that they can identify whether a car is new or a used one and when it was imported into Qatar. If required, the ministry can charge a nominal fee.”
“It is surprising to see such a giant auto dealer doing the nasty things to their customer”, read a post on a popular social media site. On the decision to close down the showroom, a customer said: “The closure of Range Rover showroom means that no one is above the law”.
Another customer said: “It’s shocking to know that major car dealers are law-breakers. In fact, Qatar should throw open its automobile market and let the customers enjoy the benefits of a competitive market rather than allowing monopolists to take people for a ride”. The Peninsula
