In the fourth such incident over the past month, Qatar authorities have ordered the temporary closure of a vehicle showroom for allegedly selling customers damaged cars as new.
On Twitter, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce said the Land Rover showroom in Al Sadd would be shut for the next month for violating provisions of the Consumer Protection Law No. 8 of 2008.
إغلاق المعرض الرئيسي لوكالة سيارات بسبب بيعها سيارات جديدة دون الابلاغ بخضوعها لعمليات إصلاح وطلاء بسبب تعرضها لحادث. pic.twitter.com/xqEABQNidg
— وزارة التجارة والصناعة (@MOCIQatar) January 17, 2015
Land Rover imports are exclusively sold in Qatar by Al Fardan Premier Motors.
The showroom had apparently been trying to “cheat buyers” by repairing dents on cars before selling them as new.
This violates Article 7 of the consumer protection law, which obligates suppliers to provide information on the type, nature and components of a product on its label.
Under the law, suppliers are also prohibited from describing, advertising or displaying products using false or deceptive information.
When reached for comment, a representative at Land Rover’s Middle East headquarters in Dubai told Doha News that the company was looking into the allegations.
Other closures
This is the fourth time officials have temporarily closed down a dealership here over similar offenses documented in the past month.
In the beginning of January, Domasco Honda’s main showroom at TV Roundabout was shut for apparently violating Qatar’s consumer protection law.
According to the MEC, the dealership had been repairing and selling cars that were damaged in accidents to customers as brand-new.
But Honda said that it had only fixed scratches and dents incurred in its stock yard on several vehicles without informing the buyers, and was now working to ensure such incidents did not happen again.
Meanwhile, in December, authorities made similar fraud allegations against the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram dealership on Al Matar Street, near the old airport, as well as the Nissan dealership on Salwa Road, near Ramada Junction.
Many residents have said these closures have rattled their trust when it comes to buying a car in Qatar. But some in the auto industry say the offenses are not so serious.
Thoughts?