Call Centre For Vehicle Purchase Complaints Opens

[george]

Govt to open call centre for vehicle purchase complaints

BANGKOK: -- Members of the public with complaints over vehicle purchases will be able to seek redress from next Monday, thanks to the launch of a call centre by the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI).

Announcing the launch of the office today, Mr. Pairot Sanyadechakul, the TISI's Secretary-General and the chair of the TISI’s automobile committee said that members of the public would be able to make complaints by phoning 02-2023301-4.

“The committee will decide each complaint fairly”, he promised, adding that each complaint was likely to take 30-60 days to decide.

Customers who are not satisfied with the results of the decisions will be able to take their complaints to the Office of the Consumer Protection Board, or take direct legal action against retailers.

The committee has also drawn up a set of standards for automobile warranties, based on similar regulations in the US, under which cars with mileage not exceeding 20,000 kilometres will be guaranteed for a year.

Vehicles with mileage of 50,000-100,000 kilometres, meanwhile, will receive 1-5 year warranties.

Mr. Pairote said that vehicle sellers would also be asked to give basic information to consumers, including information how to get the best use out of vehicles, in order to help avoid disputes between customers and retailers.

In addition, retailers and manufacturers will be asked to set up testing centres for their vehicles, while in the long term, the committee will draft legislation concerning vehicle sales and purchases.

The new laws will require retailers and manufacturers to take responsibility for safety issues, which will also be enshrined in regulations, currently being drafted, aimed at reducing road accident rates.

Mr. Pairote said that the new regulations would govern components such as brakes, tyres, air bags and safety belts.

In addition, there would be requirements that in the event of collision, vehicle doors should be able to open, and petrol should not leak out, he added, noting that these requirements were based on those used in the European Union (EU).

The government is heavily promoting Thailand’s automobile industry, with domestic vehicle sales and exports set to soar this year, as the nation prepares to realise its dream of becoming the ‘Detroit of Asia’.

Mr. Wallop Tiewiri, director of the Automobile Institute, said today that safety issues and the regulations designed to counter them would not have an impact on the nation’s ambitions to become a regional vehicle powerhouse, as similar problems were encountered the world over.

In the future Thailand is likely to set up a Bt6-billion vehicle testing centre, and already foreign standards certification companies, including those from Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom, have expressed an interest in the investment.

--TNA 2005-02-03

[chingy_]

the honda lady strike again