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Toyota urged to sharpen up on Hangzhou recalls
By Xu Wenwen |
March 17, 2010, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A notice urging Toyota's recall of faulty vehicles was released last Sunday by Zhejiang government which aims to safeguard the rights of more than 7,000 Toyota RAV4 buyers in the province.
Issued jointly by Zhejiang Industry and Commerce Administration and Zhejiang Consumer Protection Committee, the notice says Toyota should nail down its recall schedule and fix faulty cars.
It also asks Toyota to compensate customers for transport expenses and meal allowances involved in them returning cars and refund deposits to those who have ordered RAV4s.
The local government has set up an online system to track maintenance of the affected vehicles and payment of compensation.
It will also serve as a monitoring point for car collection and to register complaints from Toyota owners.
Toyota recalled 75,552 RAV4 cars with faulty pedals in China in January, 10 percent of them from Zhejiang Province.
Zhejiang boasts the highest number of car ownership per capita in China, every hundred households in its cities and towns having more than 16 cars.
Last year, the province's residents purchased 1 million cars.
"Most product or service complaints made by Zhejiang people are about cars, with most complaint about Toyota," says Zheng Yumin, director of Zhejiang Industry and Commerce Administration.
So far, more than 40 percent of Zhejiang's Toyota RAV4s have been recalled and repaired, but little compensation has yet been paid.
Some who have ordered cars have received only partial refunds.
Although this month Toyota President Akio Toyoda apologized to Chinese consumers, he didn't elaborate on methods of compensation.
In the United States, however, car owners who drive to the factory for vehicle repairs have their costs subsidized and get the same type of vehicle to drive while theirs is being fixed.
Also, unlike American consumers whose cars are collected by Toyota staff, Chinese RAV4 owners have to drive to the factory or store for repair service.
"Same problem, same treatment," urges Qiu Baochang, a senior lawyer with the China Customers Association. "The customer service can't vary because of locale and country."
Last year, Toyota reaped more than US$1 billion from the China market while its global sales suffered consecutive losses in 2008 and 2009.
President Toyoda said during his apology that Toyota's 2010 sales target of 800,000 units in China remained unchanged despite the quality control problems.
Toyota has not responded to the Zhejiang government notice yet, but a public relations spokesperson said the company would need time to discuss the matter.
The car company is not alone among international brands suffering quality problems in China. HP, the world's No. 1 personal computer maker, is also experiencing a backlash over laptop defects.
Complaints about HP laptops started in 2007 and so far there have been complaints about nearly 40 HP laptop models relating to defective screens and VGA cards.
Hewlett Packard Co made apology to Chinese customers on its Website on Monday, the World Consumer Rights Day.
The apology, included in the company's "Customer Care Enhancement" profile, advised that the company will extend warranties for Chinese mainland customers on defective computers.
The advice said HP was in discussion about methods of compensation and details would be published on its official Website.
Issued jointly by Zhejiang Industry and Commerce Administration and Zhejiang Consumer Protection Committee, the notice says Toyota should nail down its recall schedule and fix faulty cars.
It also asks Toyota to compensate customers for transport expenses and meal allowances involved in them returning cars and refund deposits to those who have ordered RAV4s.
The local government has set up an online system to track maintenance of the affected vehicles and payment of compensation.
It will also serve as a monitoring point for car collection and to register complaints from Toyota owners.
Toyota recalled 75,552 RAV4 cars with faulty pedals in China in January, 10 percent of them from Zhejiang Province.
Zhejiang boasts the highest number of car ownership per capita in China, every hundred households in its cities and towns having more than 16 cars.
Last year, the province's residents purchased 1 million cars.
"Most product or service complaints made by Zhejiang people are about cars, with most complaint about Toyota," says Zheng Yumin, director of Zhejiang Industry and Commerce Administration.
So far, more than 40 percent of Zhejiang's Toyota RAV4s have been recalled and repaired, but little compensation has yet been paid.
Some who have ordered cars have received only partial refunds.
Although this month Toyota President Akio Toyoda apologized to Chinese consumers, he didn't elaborate on methods of compensation.
In the United States, however, car owners who drive to the factory for vehicle repairs have their costs subsidized and get the same type of vehicle to drive while theirs is being fixed.
Also, unlike American consumers whose cars are collected by Toyota staff, Chinese RAV4 owners have to drive to the factory or store for repair service.
"Same problem, same treatment," urges Qiu Baochang, a senior lawyer with the China Customers Association. "The customer service can't vary because of locale and country."
Last year, Toyota reaped more than US$1 billion from the China market while its global sales suffered consecutive losses in 2008 and 2009.
President Toyoda said during his apology that Toyota's 2010 sales target of 800,000 units in China remained unchanged despite the quality control problems.
Toyota has not responded to the Zhejiang government notice yet, but a public relations spokesperson said the company would need time to discuss the matter.
The car company is not alone among international brands suffering quality problems in China. HP, the world's No. 1 personal computer maker, is also experiencing a backlash over laptop defects.
Complaints about HP laptops started in 2007 and so far there have been complaints about nearly 40 HP laptop models relating to defective screens and VGA cards.
Hewlett Packard Co made apology to Chinese customers on its Website on Monday, the World Consumer Rights Day.
The apology, included in the company's "Customer Care Enhancement" profile, advised that the company will extend warranties for Chinese mainland customers on defective computers.
The advice said HP was in discussion about methods of compensation and details would be published on its official Website.
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