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Al-Marsad Newspaper: In addition to the statement issued by the Ministry of Commerce regarding the ministry’s investigation into what is raised regarding granting car agencies the preference to sell new cars to car dealers and showrooms, and delaying the delivery of cars to consumers.

After monitoring and analyzing consumer complaints, it became clear that there were large lists of reservations, in addition to the high prices of some types of cars and the delay in the delivery of some orders to consumers; The Ministry has taken a number of measures as follows:

10 Urgent Actions

Or not: The Ministry of Commerce communicates with the manufacturers to increase the share allocated to the Kingdom of the most demanded cars in the Saudi market.

Secondly: Car dealerships give individual consumers priority in providing the most demanded cars, and reduce the percentage of cars allocated to distributors and showrooms.

Third: Supervising distributors and showrooms to ensure that there are no violating and harmful practices for the consumer in selling cars, raising their prices, and imposing penalties on violators.

Fourthly: Governance of reservation lists at car agencies, and enhancing transparency by giving consumers reservation numbers linked to the identification number and setting accurate priority in car reservation lists, and for each agent to provide the Ministry with a “weekly” report on the prices of cars in high demand, their quantities, the date of arrival, and the number of reservation requests.

Fifthly: Requiring car dealerships to publish prices, policies, instructions and procedures for mechanisms (purchasing, car reservation, listing on reservation lists, car delivery, periodic maintenance, communication channels dedicated to receiving inquiries and complaints) on their websites; And obligating the agents to state the obligations entrusted to them and the obligations entrusted to the consumer, starting from the stage of reservation and purchase until the completion of the sale process and delivery of the car.

Sixthly: Enabling the consumer to reserve one car of the same type during the current year for the most popular cars until the end of the reservation lists.

Seventh: Stopping car rental companies from selling new cars, taking advantage of the high prices, and ensuring that only customers purchase cars for the purpose of renting them.

Eighth: Expedite the implementation of the electronic link between the Ministry, the Zakat, Tax, Customs Authority, the General Traffic Department and all car agencies and showrooms, to track the movement of car sales and monitor any violating transactions or practices.

Ninth: Forming a working group with the membership of specialized representatives from each of: (The Ministry of Interior represented by the General Traffic Department, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority) to follow up the violating transactions and practices and take the necessary measures in this regard.

Tenth: Intensifying inspection and control work, and continuing follow-up on car dealerships, distributors, and showrooms, in coordination with the competent authorities, and imposing penalties on establishments that do not adhere to the regulations and instructions in force in the Kingdom, in a manner that ensures that any practices harmful to consumer rights are addressed.

The Ministry stresses the importance of the consumer’s role and awareness of his rights and duties, and the importance of his contribution to monitoring any commercial practices or violations, and informing the Ministry through the unified call center on the number (1900) or through the application of a “commercial notification” on smart devices.