Council raises concern at consumer complaints
CERTAIN dealers are deliberately retailing shoddy parts in order to swindle thousands of dollars from consumers.
The Consumer Council of Fiji (CCoF) is urging Fijian consumers to be cautious when dealing with second-hand vehicle spare part dealers.
The council was in receipt of cases whereby consumers had been intentionally sold shoddy spare parts which ceased to function immediately or within days of purchase.
In one of the cases lodged at the council, a consumer spent almost $1700 on an ABS Accumulator Pump which stopped working just few days after purchase.
The council also stated the spare part trader simply denied any redress to the consumer, hiding behind the excuse that it was a second-hand part and they could not bear any liability for it.
Cases regarding short warranty periods being provided on spare parts have also been brought to the council’s attention.
It was revealed that in one instance, a consumer was provided only with a seven day warranty for second-hand product costing $1500.
However, the item stopped functioning on the day eight hence, without any redress being provided.
Council chief executive officer Seema Shandil said second-hand spare part retailers needed to put redress mechanisms in place which could be used by consumers in instances where parts become faulty after purchase.
“These products do not come cheap,” she said.
“As such, businesses must not use short warranty periods and no warranty conditions to push shoddy products in to the market.
“Consumers have the right to repair, replacement or refund if the goods are faulty, unsafe or do not work.
“Hence, traders must meet a level of quality and performance that would be reasonable to expect, given their price and description. They should also be free from defects that were not obvious at the time of purchase.”
Traders were also being urged to provide a clear and accurate description of the item which was for sale.