Car dealers and direct marketers, in particular, are blamed for the trend, while property companies spark the most complaints to the Consumer Protection Board.

Between October'98 and June'99, 5,700 complaints had been made against property firms, 308 against providers of products and services, 334 about exag-gerated advertising and the rest were about other businesses.

Businesses were trying all sorts of tactics to exploit buyers, said Anuwat Dharamadhai, the board's secretary-general.

Complaints were increasing about defective vehicles and poor-quality auto services.

For example, a dealer selling a leading brand tried to avoid responsibility when a customer had an accident, Mr. Anuwat said. The driver had claimed that the antilock brake system (ABS) was not working, thereby causing the vehicle to overturn.

The request for the car to be replaced at no cost to the driver was rejected until he asked the board to intervene. The company finally agreed to provide a replacement and not hold the customer liable for the damage.

The company had told the board that the car was in good condition and the brakes were working properly. The company said that the accident had occurred when the driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, made a quick U-turn during a test drive and hit the kerb of a traffic island.

The driver was seriously injured while the technician who accompanied him, who was wearing a seat belt, escaped unharmed. The car company told the board it had relented on its stand out of sympathy for the customer who required treatment for brain damage.

Mr. Anuwat said many retailers of electric appliances and computers were allegedly cheating consumers through false advertisements about free spare parts and repairs.

The consumer board was closely watching direct marketing, a business that was mushrooming because of the recession. However, it was difficult to counter malpractices, Mr. Anuwat said.

Most complaints about property companies related to unfair contracts, he added.

Suttisak Haputpong, president of the Thai Direct Selling Association, conceded that the recession had prompted irresponsible practices by some operators, particularly small and new ones desperate to make a living.

Some had sold substandard raw materials and others had sold products that had passed their expiry dates.

Mr. Suttisak urged the authorities and consumers to work together to thwart the cheats.

"Most significantly, consumers have to protect their interests. It's up to them to complain," Mr. Suttisak said.

A seminar on consumer awareness is schedules later this month in Bangkok, organised by the Apec Consumer Education and Protection Initiative, direct sellers, the Food and Drug Administration, the Industrial Promotion Department and the Foundation of Consumers.

Busrin Treerapongpiehit
Bangkok Post : 4/8/99
(Reprinted with permission)