Sunday, 09 December 2012

DOHA: The consumer rights watchdog plans to introduce a points system arguably based on consumer complaints so it could take action against car dealers who make undue delays in delivering vehicles back to owners following after-sales service.

Exactly how the points system would work is not clear but the Consumer Protection Department (CPD) has said it would help "regulate" car dealerships with regard to maintenance and after-sales service.

The director of the CPD, Sheikh Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani, told Al Sharq that following several complaints that dealers were taking a lot of time in servicing cars, action has been initiated against several of them.

He said that his department has received several complaints about technical faults in cars so in many cases it has forced the dealers to replace the cars with new ones.

The CPD has received 3,000 consumer complaints so far this year and a large number of them were automobiles and their local dealers. "We have taken action against erring dealers," the CPD chief said. A survey has been carried out by the rights body which suggests that there is only one local poultry company which is able to meet only 70 percent of the local demand for fresh and frozen chicken. "We have contacted the company and it has agreed to fill in the demand and supply gap, yet the shortages remain to the extent of 15 percent (of the overall demand for chicken in the local market)."

The CPD has urged outlets to look for alternative markets to import frozen chicken (since Saudi Arabia has imposed a ban). These outlets might be facing problems in importing stocks so the hurdles need to be removed, Al Thani said. He added that soon a consumer protection association is to be launched with broad-based participation of the public and it would look into consumer grievances and help raise awareness about consumer rights and duties.The official, however, hinted that the proposed association would work in close coordination with the CPD, which is a state-controlled agency working under the Ministry of Business and Trade. 

© The Peninsula 2012