03/11/2025
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03/11/2025
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KUWAIT CITY, Nov 3: Director of the Commercial Control and Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Faisal Al-Ansari revealed that an extensive meeting was held Sunday at the headquarters of the department, bringing together ministry officials and representatives of the Car Dealers Association.
Al-Ansari informed the Alseyassah & Arab Times newspapers that the meeting tackled key observations on how some car dealers deal with consumers and ways to enhance compliance with regulations governing sales contracts, warranties and technical services. He said the meeting is in line with the commitment of the ministry to protect consumer rights and regulate the relationship between consumers and car dealers in order to ascertain the accurate application of warranty terms and improve the quality of after-sales services.
He disclosed that the agenda of the meeting includes the delay of some dealers in repairing vehicles covered by warranty, as well as putting emphasis on the need to adhere to the specified repair timeframe and the failure to provide a replacement vehicle during the repair period, which violates the terms of the approved warranty. He stressed the need for dealers to provide replacements to consumers. Other issues include delays in the supply of spare parts, especially for Chinese vehicles.
The ministry will require dealers to provide precise delivery dates and keep consumers informed. The difficulty in obtaining service appointments will also be addressed, along with exploring mechanisms to regulate and facilitate online booking. The meeting also touched on other issues, such as the refusal of some dealers to accept imported vehicles, hence, the idea of obligating dealers to service all vehicles of the same brand and the termination of warranties upon transfer of vehicle ownership despite adherence to regular maintenance.
The ministry is keen on addressing these issues, in addition to the need to guarantee consumer rights, lack of cooperation on the part of the legal representatives of some agencies in attending scheduled meetings, the need to emphasize adherence to official deadlines, and agencies failing to provide consumers with technical reports after maintenance or inspection, so the ministry will require agencies to submit clear and documented reports detailing the vehicle’s condition and the procedures performed.
By Marwa Al-Bahrawi Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff
