Carless and given the runaround

I WRITE in support of the letter by the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) on better protection for consumers who purchase big ticket items like a car.

I would like to share my unfortunate experience of purchasing a brand new leading car brand, using it for only six months and having the car in the workshop for the last four months.

We pay a premium for a brand new car versus a cheaper used car so we can enjoy the use of the car with less disruption and peace of mind.

This premium price is also for the proven technology from certain advanced countries known for their engineering reliability.

I was an unfortunate victim when the car engine broke down but the worst part is the denial and delay in repairing and returning my car in a customer-centric manner.

Updates were also lacking unless I kept pestering and making a nuisance of myself (which I do not enjoy doing). There was no urgency to address the long period my car was in the workshop and numerous delays in the expected delivery time.

Three months of suffering forced me to forward the complaint from the domestic headquarters to the country of origin HQ and even the embassy as I was desperately in need of a car.

Only then was my initial request for a replacement car approved.

I like one of the solutions in the proposed lemon law for car manufacturers to replace the car after failing to repair it within a reasonable time frame.

Consumers should not be made to wait and suffer. A car in Malaysia is a necessity to commute to work and back and earn a living.

Not many people would have a spare car to fall back on during an emergency. At least with that solution, the owner of a faulty new car would be able to plan better.

I am now at a loss, both financially and mentally, as there is still no news as to the condition of my car and when it would be returned to me.

My anxiety about the car’s condition after being in the workshop for so long has only increased.

We need better protection for consumers (individual or company ownership). Consumers are not experts in vehicles. We rely on a carmaker’s image, manufacturer’s warranty and authorised service centres to ensure the vehicle we purchased is in good working condition.

I am disturbed by the last line in CAP’s letter, namely “The number of defective new cars that Malaysians are holding onto with no avenue for legal redress is worrying.”

New Malaysia demands better accountability and fewer empty promises.

JUST WANT A RELIABLE CAR Ampang, Selangor