DOHA: Car dealers say tongue-in-cheek that while a state agency is there to safeguard consumers’ interests, where they should take their cup of woes for redress.
According to some dealers, they have been battling problems in the form of soaring operation costs, with no solution in sight.
Expensive land for warehousing needs and rising rentals of showrooms and labour lodgings (to house staff) are some of the woes dealers say they have been facing. Then, the costs of imports have been going up undeterred and one must pay fines for delayed collection of shipments from the seaport. They say the Consumer Protection Department (CPD) helps redress consumers’ woes, so it should help solve their problems as well. They told Al Sharq that the CPD convened a meeting of their representatives recently and issues like after-sale service, repair and providing spare parts were discussed.
Issues like a dealer not providing an alternative car to a customer if servicing of a car or providing spare parts is not done within 15 days (within three years after the sale of a new car) were also discussed.
“The issue of rising spare part and car prices was also discussed,” Al Sharq quoted some representatives as saying in remarks published yesterday. The dealers said they are coordinating with the CPD to help it set up its units at their service centres as planned by the department.
“But to be honest, opening such units is a tough call,” said the dealers of the plans of the CPD, which is part of the Ministry of Economy and Commerce.
“Although customers are unaware of the woes we face, we have been providing after-sale service and spare parts as per CPD rules.”
The dealers said providing efficient after-sale service and spare parts is the key to their survival because that’s the only way they can have an edge over rivals in an industry known for fierce competition.
“By offering timely after-sale service and spare parts we not only maintain good relations with our customers and retain them but also crate new ones,” said the dealers. “In our industry, the competition is stiff.”
The monitoring by the CPD of car dealers and their services are strict, they added. As for spare parts, most dealers always have up to 90 to 95 percent of them. Sometimes there is a shortage of some parts and car distributors access them within 72 hours from regional distributors in Jebel Ali in Dubai or directly from the manufacturers. As for prices, the dealers said they are always approved by the authorities concerned. The Peninsula
