A very very sad day....

[aboudi]

By the way is there an official organisation in Dubai like "trading standards" in the UK, That looks after consumers rights?

[pablopet]

I feel sad hearing this about Caroline! :(

If I was you, the first call to do is to this number: 600 54 5555
If you think you have a case, Basically, that you've been cheated by the seller and by the professionals that you contracted to avoid being cheated, I will open a case immediately and ask them about what to do and how to do it.
These guys are empowered by the government to settle this kind of cases based on their judgment of the situation.

Then, the important question is... do you have a case?

1) is the car really damaged? in a considerable way that affect the normal behavior of the car? specially the Safety? yours? or even most importantly.. other's people safety? (in other words, I think the only way to have a case is to be able to demonstrate that driving this car could be dangerous for you and/or for others)

2) The previous owner advice you about a previous accident?

3) The previous owner gives you the Services book? there is no mention about a major repairing?

4) Do you have any written paper stating the car "health" provided by the previous owner?

5) Do you have a check list of things that will be included in the PPI that you have contracted? they mention structural damages check or something related to colision checks?

6) Do you have a printed report stating the outcomes for PPI that they have done?

7) You will have a printed report contradicting the previous printed report?

You are a customer, buying a product and you have the right to be informed about the condition of the product that you are buying (that's why serious companies states "Refurbish" when they sale a product that was repaired as new, but they need to properly inform the customer of what he's buying). If the seller didn't told you about a serious accident that affect the car behavior he was basically lying to you. (you can demonstrate this with a report from his previous insurance, he knows about the accident and he didn't tell you)

But your situation is even worst (or best from a legal point of view).
You can demonstrate that you were looking for a car in good conditions, you were even willing to pay for professional advice before buying the car and you went to an (assuming) authorized BMW Service (if it's authorized you can complain whit BMW also, they are subsidiary responsible for their agreements, I advise you to contact by email to BMW Group -ww- and the local distributor at the same time) and they told you: Buy the car, it's in good conditions!!!

If you think that this describe your situation, I think you could have a case and they will call all the people involved in order to solve the issue. Their service is free of charge, so why not to give them a try? http://www.consumerrights.ae
And last but not least, don’t think… and what they can do? Because they can force the seller to gives your money back and even more! But again… you need to have a case! ;)

Aboudi, I hope that you will not need anything of this sh**t! I wish you the best!!!!!

Sorry guys for this long post, I hate to see people's dreams destroyed!
Pablo

[Ayham]

Nice to have met you Aboudi...

The number Pablo posted is for the DED (Department of Economic Development) consumers rights department. I have a personal contact with the manager behind the entire campaign and she sees it as her brain child, and rightfully so. She always asks me if I know of anybody that needs to seek help and bring up a case, in this case you.

I can ask her for details once we verify the car's condition (Das and X respectively)...

[aboudi]

Hey Pablo! thank you very much for the detailed info! that was very intersesting reading. The previous owner said he took the car in PX when he sold his previous car cause he needed the cash, he said he only had it for a month, it was on an export plate and certificate issued a few weeks before i bought the car.

To be honest the car was fine when i test drove it and after the PPI i had no doughts. However like Ayham said i wil have to wait for the inspection from Shak and DAS so that if I have a case I can make it stronger.

The PPI report says the charge was for a PPI, there is also an estimate for some work to be done on the next page (bushes, suspension arms, cosmetic stuff) so the paper work is there, and as an organization that markets itself as a proffesional BMW body repair workshop i think there is no excuse. (by the way they are not officially affiliated with BMW)

There is no service history with the car but the original booklets are all there. I have nothing from the seller confirming the state of the car. The car has no visible damage whatsoever, I was told by Ayham some cars can pass the RTA test for a year or two and then be told on the third one that the car was involved in an accident (depends whos testing the car) and they will not register it. Then it becomes wortheless! this is my biggest worry for now!

[pablopet]

Get as much information (evidence) together and talk to Ayham, what he sayd in his previous post about DED is very interesting.

[aboudi]

yes for sure Pablo, Ayham seems to be very well connected in Dubai. i really appreciate everyone's concern. I am so glad to be part of this community and the support I am getting from the club (which reminds me I forgot to ask Ayham how to officially enrol!)

[Ozimandius]

On a related note, but not the same brand, I've been looking for a Jap RWD Sports sedan for quite some time and came across two:

1) US spec, seller said it was accident free, etc. I did a VIN check and it turns out to be a salvage, and it's apparent as the seller does not maintain the car properly with bits and pieces falling off here and there. When approached about this, he says he didn't know and drops the price very, very slightly

2) GCC spec, again, allegedly accident free, but not kept well. I do a VIN check with the agency here and it turns out it had 2 accidents within the first year of ownership, and almost all free services were skipped!

My point is, don't EVER trust the seller, and when it comes to PPI, only go to the person you trust, even if it's a third party garage charging less than the dealer.

I hope you find justice!

[Bruno]

glad i wasn't right...


to cut things short, it will be cheaper for you just to fix it straight up. i will be surprized and shocked if the said garage agreed to help out.

[SSense]

You've tested the car before buying, then made a deal and owned the car for sometime.. Complaining now will get you to no where my friend..

Fact: Approaching consumer rights in UAE is like wasting time here, we're not even close to UK when talking about this..

[aboudi]

Hey SSense, thanks for your input, besides being cheated from the seller, my problem is with the so called proffesional BMW body work workshop that tested the car before I made the deal.

[Ramzi]

Guys i got a question that is probably stupid but anyways here it goes : what if the car truly was involved in a big crash that goes beyond cosmetics, yet the car chasis was fixed properly (if that is possible, people here claim it is) and the car now drives just normally, would it still be dangerous to drive?

[yorky500]

Guys i got a question that is probably stupid but anyways here it goes : what if the car truly was involved in a big crash that goes beyond cosmetics, yet the car chasis was fixed properly (if that is possible, people here claim it is) and the car now drives just normally, would it still be dangerous to drive?

whoever it was that fixed it, get them over here. He obviously did such a stunning job that both the "other BMW specialist" and RTA missed it.

[Shak]

whoever it was that fixed it, get them over here. He obviously did such a stunning job that both the "other BMW specialist" and RTA missed it.

The guy that fixed the car and RTA that passed the car to the BMW SPECIALIST that checked the car all have one special gift in common!
------BLIND---------.

[eoudeh]

+1

[yorky500]

The guy that fixed the car and RTA that passed the car to the BMW SPECIALIST that checked the car all have one special gift in common!
------BLIND---------.

Blind or now have extra cash in their hands?