■ Press: What do consumers need when buying a car?
On the day of pick-up, it was found that there were quality defects in the new car purchased, which was a bad thing that Ms. Li, the owner of Chery, encountered.
Recently, Ms. Li reported to Consumer Report that the Chery Ant Car she purchased found that the vehicle had a dented radiator and a disconnected bracket when she picked up the vehicle to inspect the vehicle. In this regard, Ms. Li questioned the sale of vehicles with quality problems in the 4S store and proposed to the other party to change the car, but did not get the consent of the other party. To this end, Ms. Li also posted a complaint on the black cat complaint platform.
In fact, the problem of finding quality defects in the vehicle when picking up the car occurs from time to time. So, if unfortunately encounter a similar problem, how should consumers defend their rights? What legal liabilities should the enterprises and merchants involved bear? Consumer Report conducted an interview on this.
▲Chery Ant Car (Source: Chery New Energy Official Website)
The vehicle was found to have quality defects when picking up the vehicle
"Spending money to buy a car was originally for the convenience of travel, and as a result, I encountered such a trouble on the day I picked up the car." Ms. Li said in an interview with Consumer Report.
At the beginning of January 2022, Ms. Li bought a Chery Ant car at a Chery New Energy official 4S store in Xiamen and agreed to pick it up at the 4S store on January 9. Unexpectedly, on the day of picking up the car, Ms. Li found that there were quality defects in the vehicle.
"On the day I picked up the car, I checked the vehicle and found that there was a groove in the radiator at the front of the car, and when I opened the front cover, I found that the bracket of the radiator was broken." Ms. Lee said.
▲Ms. Li's vehicle has a problem of damage to parts (provided by the interviewee)
The videos and photos provided by Ms. Li show that there are two obvious dents in the grille of the front of the car, and there are problems with bending and deformation of the mesh material. Open the front cover and the part where the radiator bracket of the vehicle was originally connected to other parts has been disconnected.
"When I checked the vehicle myself, I found that the vehicle had the above problems, and I had serious doubts about the quality and workmanship of the car." Ms. Lee said.
The owner's request for a change of car was rejected
After discovering the problem, Ms. Li proposed to the 4S shop to change the car, but did not get the consent of the other party. "The 4S store sold me the vehicle with quality problems, which I thought was a sales fraud, so I made a request to change the car."
However, Ms. Li said that the 4S shop only agreed to repair the vehicle for it and give away two maintenance services. "The 4S shop said it was just a 'small problem' and just had it fixed, and if it was really a 'problem car', I don't know if there were other quality problems."
Ms. Li said that the 4S store never explained the cause of the damage to the radiator, and she also called the customer service telephone of Chery New Energy Manufacturer many times to complain, but the problem was also not solved.
To this end, Consumer Report called the contact number of chery New Energy 4S store where Ms. Li bought the car, and indicated the intention of interviewing the relevant person in charge and understanding the details of the incident. A staff member who answered the phone at the 4S store said: "Ms. Li is not willing to come to the store to negotiate and solve the problem, we don't have time to help her deal with this matter, I don't know what you want to know, since you can't solve the problem, it is useless for you to come to the interview." ”
"Consumer Report" said that the relevant person in charge of the 4S store can be allowed to respond to the interview, and the staff of the 4S store said that "I will convey it" and hung up the phone immediately. As of press time, Consumer Reports had not received further responses from the 4S stores involved.
At the same time, Consumer Report sent an interview letter to Chery New Energy, but did not receive a reply as of press time.
Guo Xiaoming, a lawyer at Shanghai Zhonglian (Chengdu) Law Firm, a well-known legal blogger @ Tandian, pointed out that according to relevant laws and regulations, in this case, the Chery New Energy 4S store involved should repair the vehicle for consumers free of charge to eliminate quality defects. "If a 4S store knowingly sells a vehicle as a qualified product without informing consumers, it may constitute consumer fraud."
In this regard, Guo Xiaoming suggested that if the two sides fail to negotiate, Ms. Li can request the Consumer Association to intervene in mediation, or report to the market supervision department, or directly file a lawsuit with the people's court.
For some precautions for consumers when buying a car, Guo Xiaoming reminded consumers: "When signing a car purchase contract, we must pay attention to whether the terms of the contract are consistent with the commitment and publicity of the 4S store, pay attention to checking the relevant quality inspection report when picking up the car, and focus on checking whether there are quality defects and maintenance traces in the core components such as the car body and the engine, and once the problem is found, it should be proposed to the 4S store in time to protect its legitimate rights and interests." ”
According to official information, Chery New Energy Automobile Technology Co., Ltd. began in 1999, making Chery an early brand to carry out the production and sales of new energy vehicles. Under the wave of electrification, Chery New Energy has emerged popular models such as small ants and eQ. According to the data of the Association of Automobile Associations, the annual sales volume of eQ series models in 2021 was 76,987 units, an increase of 101.3% year-on-year. Under the soaring sales volume, Chery New Energy must continue to improve product quality and service standards in order to stand out in the domestic automobile market with strong hands.