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People
who wind back odometers to increase the value of the car they are
selling should be liable for a heavy fine of up to $10,000 says the
New Zealand Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux.
The Association recently submitted to the Commerce Select Committee
on the Motor Vehicle Sales Bill, which is about to be finalised in
parliament.
“Nation-wide, Citizens
Advice Bureaux deal with 250 enquiries every week about motor vehicles
and motor vehicle sales which tells us that people are having a lot
of problems in this area,” says Nick Toonen, CEO of the Association
which represents the country’s 87 Citizens Advice Bureaux.
“We are pleased the Bill proposes
stronger consumer protection and harsher penalties than those contained
in the current legislation.
“One of the enhanced protections
is a register of people who sell more than six motor vehicles a year. We support this, and the formation of a list
of people who have been banned from selling motor vehicles, that is
people who have been identified as ripping off consumers.
These measures will go some way to ending the current black
market in motor vehicles.
“The proposals will also ensure that
existing consumer legislation, namely the Consumer Guarantees and
Fair Trading Acts, will provide extra protections for consumers
who buy cars from dealers. This
fixes the current problem of dealers attempting to contract out
of their legal responsibilities.
“We are also pleased that access
to the Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal will be freed up. This means that consumers will be able to take
any dispute with a dealer over a car sale direct to the tribunal
without needing to go through an industry body first.”
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