CRI听力:3R Policy on Automotive Products

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has published a new draft on the refund, repair and replacement of home-use automotive products and is soliciting opinions from the public until February 10th.

Based on the comments and suggestions collected at the hearing last October, the new draft has five major adjustments. It's the first time that all 16 participants representing customers, dealers and automakers all support the idea.

Liu Zhaobin, the bureau's director of legal affairs, says now is the time to issue the regulation on the refund, repair and replacement of home-use automotive products.

"This new regulation has set a clearer standard on automotive manufacturing, sales, quality and service. It will encourage automakers to provide better products and services."

It's easy to buy a car but hard to get a refund if something goes wrong and a defective part needs to be replaced. This is the common difficulty that most car owners have encountered. If they find their vehicle has some problems, the most common solution is to have them repaired. But the new draft specifies that owners can obtain refunds within 60 days after purchasing a car if the vehicle has serious quality problems.

Liu has this to say.

"If the car's main electrical system has problems, the owner can apply for a refund. The previous draft specifies that owners have to apply for a refund within 30 days after they buy their cars, but now we are extending the time to 60 days."

Liu also says changes were made to the quality guarantee period, which had generated a lot of debate during the hearing.

"In the 2011 draft, the period was two years or 40-thousand kilometers. During the hearing, customer representatives said it was too short a period of time and too few kilometers. So after discussing this with automakers, we adjusted it to two years within 50-thousand kilometers. This was a huge improvement."

Many auto dealers, however, say it will be difficult to refund customers the price of the car if they are not supported by manufacturers. Shen Hongliang is a manager at Shanghai Bozhong Automotive Sales Corporation.

"Although the person who sells the car is responsible for refunds, repairs and replacements, it's really difficult for us, because we are not playing the leading role in the whole refund, repair and replacement process."

Customers are also concerned about how the new policy will be carried out. They keep asking who will be responsible for inspecting problem cars and maintaining standards. Liu says the new draft provides for inspections.

"A think tank is going to be established to solve the disputes and inspect problem cars. The group will consist of auto and legal experts. It will have low operational costs but be highly efficient. Plus, it's fair for both parts."

The new draft also includes penalty provisions and highlights manufacturers' duties.

"After all, it's the automakers that refund, repair and replace the problem cars. So the manufacturer is the first person liable."

For CRI, I'm Zhongqiu.