Salesman takes used car buyer for a ride

By THE STAR | 24 September 2019


Abdul Hadi bought a used car but ended up being conned by the salesman who did not change the vehicle's ownership registration.


JOHOR BARU: Self-employed Abdul Hadi Murtadza swears he will never buy a used vehicle again after learning a bitter lesson when he was cheated by a salesman.

The second-hand Toyota Vios he had been using for two years was repossessed by a vehicle financing company despite Abdul Hadi faithfully paying the monthly instalments.

The claimant said that he and his father had on Jan 13, 2017, gone to a used car dealer company to buy a car.

“I chose a used Toyota Vios registered in 2015 priced at RM58,680 and paid a deposit of RM1,000 on the same day,’’ said Abdul Hadi when met at the Johor Baru Consumer Claims Tribunal in Menara Ansar here.

Father and son went back again to the outlet on Jan 18 to pay another RM9,000 as deposit before the car was handed over to Abdul Hadi that same day.

The 30-year-old said he started paying the RM810 monthly instalment from February 2017 to the salesman, without realising the latter had not changed the car’s ownership to him in the registration certificate.

Abdul Hadi continued making monthly instalment payments until May 31, 2019. Then on June 12, the car, which was parked in front of his house, went missing.

“I immediately lodged a police report fearing the car was stolen but was told by the police that it was repossessed by the financing company as the owner defaulted in paying the monthly instalments,’’ said Abdul Hadi.

The claimant informed the police that he had paid his monthly instalments without fail from February 2017, and the money had been passed to the salesman who sold the car to him.

“The salesman admitted he did not pay the instalments to the financing company and promised to settle the matter within three days,’’ he said.

However, the car remains in the possession of the financing company.

Abdul Hadi is claiming the RM10,000 deposit from the used car dealer.

When Consumer Claims Tribunal president R. Nadarajan asked him why he did not want to claim for the instalments paid, Abdul Hadi said he was willing to let the matter go as he had used the car for two years.

Nadarajan ordered the salesman to pay the claimant RM10,000 within 14 days.

 

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