In a first move of its kind, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) has compelled three car dealers in Doha to replace five defective vehicles with new ones after their service centres failed to repair recurring faults.
The Ministry took action after receiving complaints from several vehicle owners regarding manufacturing defects. Inspectors from the Ministry reviewed and investigated the complaints before notifying the distributors of the need to replace faulty cars with new ones in accordance with Article 10 of Law No. 8 of 2008 on consumer protection.
According to the provisions of the law consumers are entitled to choose whether to repair, return or exchange defective products.
The measures come within the framework of the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to protect consumers and ensure that car dealers follow up on vehicle defects and repairs.
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce has stressed that it would crack down on all violations of the Consumer Protection Law and would intensify its inspection campaigns to combat fraud.
The Ministry added that it would refer violators of applicable laws and ministerial decrees to the competent authorities who will in turn take appropriate action against them in a bid to protect consumer rights.
As part of this, customers have been urged to report any violations to the Ministry's Consumer Protection and Anti-Commercial Fraud Department through the following channels: Hotline: 16001, Email: info@mec.gov.qa, Social media accounts:
Twitter: @MEC_Qatar, Instagram: MEC_Qatar. Ministry of Economy and Commerce mobile app for Android and IOS: MEC_Qatar.
Earlier this week, the Ministry unveiled a nine-clause initiative to ease warranty terms by local car dealers.
The move was part of MEC's efforts to develop the automotive sector, promote competition in maintenance and repair services, and bolster a competitive environment that enables clients to avail maintenance and repair services at the workshop of their choice as well as motivate workshops to improve the efficiency and quality of their services.
After conducting a comprehensive study of the prevailing practices governing warranty, the MEC realised that the booklets issued by automobile distributors contained ambiguous phrases that could make it difficult for consumers to claim coverage.
Following this, the MEC launched a 9-clause initiative to ease warranty terms and got the written consent from 22 local car dealers who have pledged to comply with the provisions of Law number 19 of 2006, which aims to promote competition and prevent monopoly practices.
The nine clauses include elimination of restrictive clauses and ambiguous expressions in warranty booklets, allowing vehicle owners to choose the workshop of their choice for regular service as well as repairs, the freedom to use spare parts procured from outside but that meet manufacturer specifications and limiting warranty forfeiture only to spare parts that do not meet the technical requirements.