Free cars with flats 'unethical': Emaar Chief

Emaar Properties chairman has criticised developers who offer free cars with apartment purchases, saying it is “unethical” and that the Dubai government should look into the practice.”

“It is about you as a person and what principles you follow in your life. Our intention is to do good work, and after we do that, to take care of it. You are not buying a car or a TV; this is a purchase of a lifetime,” Arabian Business quoted Mohamed Alabbar as saying.

“And we are making money. Or you can be like other developers who give you a lucky draw for a car, and they sell you a building and they never come back there, and I don’t even think they know where the building is. They don’t care what happened to it. We care.”

One of the developers guaranteeing every customer a new car on selected units sold during the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2013 was Damac Properties. Customers buying a penthouse during DSF were offered a Lamborghini Aventador roadster with their purchase.

Alabbar, who did not name Damac specifically, said he was more concerned about the general practice of giveaways with apartment purchases.

“I guess I want the customer, especially those overseas, to be careful who they deal with. I worry about these investors from abroad who buy an apartment and they promise them a plane or a car or whatever. In my opinion this is just so unethical.

“How can you buy an apartment and get a lucky draw for a car. Are you a buyer or coming for a draw?  I do proper business every day, I think what others do, it’s a matter for the government to look into,” he told the magazine.

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