Lemon law was incepted on 1st September 2012 as part of an effort to protect consumers against defective goods. Here are 4 relevant Lemon Laws explained if you are ever stuck in a sticky situation.
1: 6-month timeframe
Buyer can make a claim under the lemon law:
- Within the 6 months' period — Defect(s) is presumed to have existed at the time of delivery, unless the dealer can prove otherwise.
- After the 6 months' period —Buyer has to show that the defect(s) existed at the time of delivery.
2: Lemon law is invalid when:
- Defects were caused by buyer through misuse or unauthorized repair.
- The fault was caused by wear and tear, and not an inherent defect.
- Buyer knew about the fault before purchase.
- The car is not defective; buyer simply changed his or her mind.
- Transaction is done between a direct buyer and seller
3: Pros and cons of an evaluation report
Before purchase, buyer can add a clause to the Sales Agreement to have the car evaluated by a third party, such as STA or VICOM. These expenses are usually borne by the buyer, unless the dealer claim that the car is damage-free but excluding the effect of wear and tear.
With the evaluation report, the buyer can request a dealer to correct the faults, less wear and tear. However, if another problem pop ups within 6 months of delivery, he or she is unable to make a claim under lemon law.
4: Seeking remedies
Stage 1
The dealer may first offer to repair or replace the defective car within a reasonable period of time, without causing as much inconvenience to the buyer.
Stage 2
The buyer may
1.Keep the defective car and request a reduction in price
2.Return the defective car for a refund if:
Unable to repair or replacement
Reasonable to the dealer
The dealer did not provide repair or replacement within a reasonable period and causing much inconvenience to the buyer.