Ministry of Trade inspectors seized 40,000 substandard car oil filters in a raid on wholesale shops in South Jeddah resulting in the closing of 15 shops and warnings issued to 20 others.

Ateyya Al-Zahrani, head of the Trade Ministry Department in Jeddah, said that the shops were violating the price code by doubling the products’ prices.

Car service shops in Jeddah began raising the cost of car oil filters following the rise in engine oil prices. Customers complained of the price hike saying that the shops were offering low quality products at high costs. They also expressed annoyance at the sellers’ greediness and appealed to authorities to take action.

Khaled Al-Jahni said the car service stores are operating without a deterrent mechanism allowing them to push the prices of car essentials. “The workers agree together to raise the prices taking advantage of the lack of a mechanism to prevent them from tricking customers,” he said. He added that store owners were making 100 percent profit on poor quality goods.

Ali Khan, a salesman in one of the car service shops, said that some shops deceive customers into buying products which they claim are made in Saudi Arabia but are in fact made in China and of low quality. “Most customers don’t want to buy Chinese products, which is why they are repacked to look like national products,” Khan said.

Al-Zahrani called on customers to verify the car oil filter’s quality and type by reading the label on the package.

Hamza Radwan found engine oil in a wholesale shop being sold at SR6 a bottle whereas he usually buys them at SR 20-25 apiece. “Seeing the low price, I bought a big box of the engine oil and when I confronted the shop owner, he gave me a bill proving that the bottle cost SR25,” he said.

Al-Zahrani said of the purchase: “I don’t know if the bill is verified or if the workers have got together to agree on a price.”

At present, there are two national companies which manufacture engine oil but their supply does not meet the Saudi market’s demand. Besides, they are struggling with high production costs.