Motorcar industry heads consumer complaints
The motorcar industry received the most complaints for the fifth year in a row, latest statistics from the Consumer Association of Singapore (Case) show.
Last year, there were 2,916 complaints, nine more than the 2,907 in 2015. About half of them were about car defects, which jumped to 1,477 last year from just 844 two years ago. There were 1,245 cases in 2015.
However, the number of total complaints dropped from 22,319 in 2015 to 19,102 last year.
The consumer watchdog noted that complaints about defective goods had risen over the years after the "lemon law" was introduced in 2012.
It requires retailers to repair or replace a product found to be defective within six months of purchase - or give a refund.
Case president Lim Biow Chuan said in a press release yesterday: "Approximately 50 per cent of all complaints received in 2016 involved defects in motorcars. In addition, about 60 per cent of the complaints involved pre-owned cars."
In an interview with The New Paper last month, Case's executive director Loy York Jiun explained that cases involving car defects are usually harder to resolve, especially if a second-hand car is involved.
He said: "It is difficult to prove, if the defect is discovered some time after the sale, whether it was an underlying issue that was present at the time of the sale, and the retailer knew about it and tried to hide it."
Many consumers also had gripes about the beauty and electrical/electronics sectors, with 1,537 and 1,363 complaints respectively.
Case expressed concern over the use of pressure sales tactics in the beauty industry, which has seen a spike in complaints over the past three years.
Last year, there were 367 such complaints, compared to 269 in 2015 and 215 in 2014.
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