Two years jail for refusing after-sales commitment

The Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP) said an official at a car dealership has been sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of RO 2,000 by a court in Dhofar Governorate for lack of commitment and honesty while dealing with a customer.

As per the details available, a customer had bought an SUV under a scheme that offered free service for five years. A few days later, the vehicle developed an engine malfunction, but surprisingly the agency refused to address the issue despite the fact that the consumer was eligible for free aftersales periodical maintenance.

The consumer was forced to conduct the maintenance outside the agency because of officer’s procrastination in carrying out the repairs.

As he approached the consumer protection authority, the agency inspected the vehicle and was convinced of the fault.

Following this the official was summoned and handed over a fine of RO 2,000 and two years jail.

Meanwhile, PACP has managed to settle a dispute between consumers and one of the car agencies as part of its efforts in general to settle issues amicably between consumers and businesses.

As per the details, an SUV buyer found that his vehicle developed a technical problem within 15 days after the warranty period. It said the vehicle was reporting instability while stepping on the grass.

The consumer immediately approached the dealer to seek the benefits of free maintenance or replace the vehicle in case of reoccurrence of the problem.

In the event of continuing indifferent approach, the consumer approached PACP which ordered the vehicle to be returned to the agency and the customer be paid in excess of RO 16,000.