MOTOR vehicle buyers must exercise extreme caution when purchasing vehicles from unauthorised dealers.
The call from the Consumer Council of Fiji follows a string of complaints over poor after-sales service and alleged attempts to shift blame onto customers.
Council chief executive officer Seema Shandil said at least 26 consumers had complained since 2020 about one particular dealer selling brand-new vehicles across multiple makes and brands.
She said investigations found the dealer lacked the technical expertise and spare parts needed to properly service or repair vehicles it sold.
“Consumers are paying substantial amounts for vehicles under the reasonable expectation of reliability and proper after-sales service,” Ms Shandil said.
“It is entirely unacceptable for a dealer to offload defective inventory, lack the basic capacity to repair what they sell, and then blame the customer when things go wrong.”
The council found a case where a consumer paid $66,888 for a 2018 twin-cab, only for its clutch system to fail shortly afterwards.
An independent inspection reportedly found second-hand parts had been fitted.
In another case, the council found a consumer paid $87,800 for a new 2025 SUV that developed water leakage, overheating and major engine failure.
Although the vehicle was repaired under warranty, the dealer maintained the damage was caused by driver negligence. She said the dispute remained unresolved over whether the problems were caused by product defects or driver misuse.
She urged buyers to verify the availability of qualified technicians, genuine spare parts and written warranty commitments before purchasing.
