Consumer Protection Act and the vehicle sale industry...

supersunbird

supersunbird

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From http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20100818043216895C534868

You will have the right to return unsafe or defective items within six months of purchase or delivery. You will be entitled to return the item to the supplier - without any penalty, at the supplier's risk and expense - if it is defective or not what you were sold. This is especially empowering in the case of mail order purchases.

And here's the really good part. You decide whether you want a refund, a replacement or a repair - not the company.

If you opt for a repair and it fails within three months, the supplier is obliged to replace the item or refund you what you paid for it.
Click to expand...

I wonder what this will mean for the vehicle selling industry? :twisted:
 
supersunbird said:
But at least when something does wrong early with that new car you paid so much for you can get a shiny new one... I hope.
Click to expand...

True the advantages for us seem to be great atm but it really does depend on the price that we will pay for it in the long run. Im sure the motor vehicle industry will just find another way of screwing us over somehow, they always do.
 
Will this act be for cellphones as well, that becomes defective in the first few months.
 
A good idea but is open to a lot of abuse so I don't see it happening as we picture it.
 
cosidering the costs involved in enforcing these rights(lawyer's fees etc) I dont see it having much impact at the lower end of the market - big ticket items however should be interesting
 
Tricky one - I read somewhere it also states that the customer has to return the goods in the same state as it was received in. So when you've bought a new vehicle, and 3 months down the line you get unhappy, you can't return because now it's not a new vehicle any more but a used one. Just thinking, not sure about the implementation.

Dealers will just have a lot more papers for you to sign to cover themselves (and yourself, when you trade your car in). Also, when you buy someone else's trade-in, and a problem surfaces then they can trace it back to the person that traded it in in the first place.

XD
 
As MickZA said upthread, you will have to prove that it wasn't abuse, and that you used the product as instructed by the manufacturer. Have you ever tried to claim for a new clutch under a warranty? They always avoid it by claiming that it's the way you drove, and it's almost impossible to refute that. Especially as they are the only ones who can access the data from the onboard computer. They will no doubt try to put a few clauses in the instructions which limit their liability too.

I'm wondering about the six months issue - I do 60 000km a year, and it's one thing getting a brand new car as a swapout for a fault after 1 000 km or so, but getting one after 30 000km is going to cost the manufacturer a ton of money.
 
Is there going to be a body in place to deal with consumer complaints? Or will everyone have to hire a lawyer to settle a dispute?
 
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