The month of August is upon us. And as in most parts of the world, things happen to slow down a step. It may be the heat or the fact that most newsmakers happen to take a holiday this month. But occasionally a tidbit of an item may crop up here or there that is worthy of mention.
One such worthy note was a statement by our Minister of Commerce. Apparently disturbed by several newspaper columns and letters regarding the unscrupulous practices and price gouging by several automobile agencies and dealers when dealing with honoring customer warranties, a press release was issued.
It contained references to how certain car agencies refuse to honor warranty claims by irate customers, turning the malfunctions instead into customer negligence. Lest we not forget the Firestone tires fiasco, the customer is always wrong! The ministry, it added, would be taking a strong interest in these newspaper columns and reports. These watchdogs of commerce may even take action against errant agencies.
All well and good, I say. But a question keeps popping up. Why does the ministry have to wait to read it in the papers before they spring into action? Even though in this case it resulted in the issuance of a press release, was it action enough?
Where indeed are the watchdog departments within the ministry? Are they on holiday as well? Why are not the consumer protection groups within the ministry monitoring fair trade and consumer rights? Should one act only if a discrepancy in fair trade becomes newsworthy? Perhaps it would be more effective if the staff was out in the market place more often and spending less time in their offices reading newspapers. Only then could they indeed realize the extent of consumer rights violations that take place on a daily basis.
Items to look for would be an overhaul and scrutiny of all agency warranties. Another area would be household products. Warranties on those items are often not worth the paper they are printed on. Price gouging and fake sales‚ events meant to take advantage of unsuspecting customers, is another item that should be severely dealt with.
A 24-hour toll-free line to the ministry for all customer complaints could be established. They could also monitor a arbitration group to settle such issues.
The list, my friends, could go on and on.
But, oh well. It is August indeed. And for some of us it is a vacation from doing the things that have to be done!
— Tariq A. Al-Maeena ([email protected])