What are the consumer protection laws here in the D.R. ?
A American friend of mine purchased a moto/dune buggy from a shoppe in Cabarete , of dubious Chinese quality. The second week , the retaining bolt to the engine broke as he was driving down the streets of Cabarete . He returned it to the dealer in Cabarete who had stated that the vehicle had a 6 month warranty. Afterwards , the vehicle never worked properly , and had to be taken to the shoppe every other day for repairs ( no exaggeration ). After about 10 repairs , the dealer , an Italian , became hostile and belligerent to my friend then began to blame him for the problem " you ride too fast , it wasn't built for the road " and many other problems. I had inquired myself about them when my friend first purchased them , thinking to buy a few for my business , but after my friend told me his horror story , I backed away from the deal with the owner who was angry and threatening as I relayed to him that I was skeptical to purchase because I think he rips off tourists and ex-pats like ourselves with few legal recourses.
He refuses to repair or refund and he is out $3,000.00 almost. Aside from online consumer complaints dealing with international trade , filing with the BBB as the business has a shoppe in Florida also , what can be done here in the D.R. abut such shady business practices. It's a total ripoff and the vehicle hasn't even been driven 100 km and sits idle because of poor quality.
I know , never buy Chinese , but he needs to know the options here. He's also contacted the U.S. Embassy as the Italian owner holds a U.S. passport.
Any other suggestions ?
A American friend of mine purchased a moto/dune buggy from a shoppe in Cabarete , of dubious Chinese quality. The second week , the retaining bolt to the engine broke as he was driving down the streets of Cabarete . He returned it to the dealer in Cabarete who had stated that the vehicle had a 6 month warranty. Afterwards , the vehicle never worked properly , and had to be taken to the shoppe every other day for repairs ( no exaggeration ). After about 10 repairs , the dealer , an Italian , became hostile and belligerent to my friend then began to blame him for the problem " you ride too fast , it wasn't built for the road " and many other problems. I had inquired myself about them when my friend first purchased them , thinking to buy a few for my business , but after my friend told me his horror story , I backed away from the deal with the owner who was angry and threatening as I relayed to him that I was skeptical to purchase because I think he rips off tourists and ex-pats like ourselves with few legal recourses.
He refuses to repair or refund and he is out $3,000.00 almost. Aside from online consumer complaints dealing with international trade , filing with the BBB as the business has a shoppe in Florida also , what can be done here in the D.R. abut such shady business practices. It's a total ripoff and the vehicle hasn't even been driven 100 km and sits idle because of poor quality.
I know , never buy Chinese , but he needs to know the options here. He's also contacted the U.S. Embassy as the Italian owner holds a U.S. passport.
Any other suggestions ?
