Solon refiles 'Lemon Law' before Congress

With this in mind, Tarlac Rep. Susan Yap refiled House Bill 303 or the proposed "Lemon Law of 2013", which seeks  to promote the full protection to the right of consumers on the sale of motor vehicles against sales and trade practices that are deceptive and unfair.

 

"This bill has been thoroughly deliberated on during the last three Congresses, and I hope the 16th Congress will consider it this time,"Yap said.

 

She said the bill would give the consumers the right to demand a replacement with a similar or comparable vehicle if the first vehicle is discovered to have a factory defect.

 

"Many Filipinos have been victimized by false warrantees and they cannot resort to legal remedies because of the absence of the law addressing their concern," she said.

 

She added that the warranties available for vehicle do not allow the return of a defective vehicle with recurring problems, but only continued repairs until the warranty period expires.

Under the bill, if the manufacturer is not able to correct the defects of the vehicle after four separate repair attempts, the buyer may ask for a refund.

 

The bill covers a 12-month period or the first 20,000-kilometer mileage, whichever comes first. During this period, the consumer can report any conformity with the standard and specification of the manufacturer, distributor, and authorized dealer and pursue any right provided by the proposed act.

 

In case of unsatisfied consumer with the repairs done to the vehicle, he can file a complaint before the Department of Trade and Industry.

 

The bill mandates the manufacturers or distributors to provide the consumers a reasonable daily transportation allowance to compensate for the non-usage of the vehicle while under repair.

 

Violators should be liable to pay a P100,000 minimum fine in damages to the aggrieved party without prejudice to any civil or criminal liability.