Unified car contract on trial from March

An unified car contract will be implemented this year in order to protect rights of consumers and unify activities of various dealers, distributors and agencies across the UAE.

Dr Hachim Al Nuaimi, Director of the Department of Consumer Protection in the Ministry of Economy, said the contract will go on trial for six months beginning March and finally implemented in September. Car dealers have already signed an experimental deal with the ministry, reported Arabic newspapers.

Ministry representatives met with delears and agents including Al  Rostamani, Juma Al Majid , Al Futtaim, Gargash, Al Naboodah and Arabian Automobiles - last week where they expressed commitment to implement the unified contract.

The unified contract will include sales deals, maintenance and spare parts sale.  According to which, car dealers will determine if spare parts should be replaced in case of damage and also if they should be replaced with new or old ones.

While car owners will bear the labour costs, buyers have the right to decide if the damaged car nees to be repaired or replaced after considering the time  required for repair without charge, he added.

"The new contract is binding on all dealers and distributors in the UAE,"  said Al Nuaimi. It aims to protect rights of consumers and offer them world-class services. 

According to the unified contract, dealers must provide spare parts for five years from the date of signing the maintenance contract and offer validity of those spare parts for six months from the date of carrying out maintenance, said Al Nuaimi.

Also consumers need to be given phone numbers of agencies for prompt services in the future and to build customer loyalty.

The ministry plans to carry out field visits to ensure the contract is implemented correctly.

Any dealer, agency or distributor not complying with the unified code will face penalties include warnings, fines and even closure of operations.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.