Perodua conks hours after purchase: Owner wants black-and-white

 

S Nagakanni drove home a brand new Perodua Bezza 1.3X on Oct 17 last year in Segamat, Johor. Less than eight hours later, the car would not start.

The furious 31-year-old clerk is now demanding a black-and-white guarantee from the national automotive firm, which has offered to repurchase her car.

According to Nagakanni, Perodua’s solution is for her to buy a second car with another hire purchase loan.

“Is there a black-and-white guarantee that I would not have to service the loan for the first car after it has been bought back? No,” she wrote on Facebook.

“For more than two months, there is no detailed information regarding the buy-back (proposal)…

“The issue is simple. I bought the car from Perodua. The engine seized because of foreign substances like ‘sugar’. I did not get a replacement. I am still paying (the loan) every month.

“If Perodua wants to buy back the car, please do so. But where is the black and white (document)?” she asked.

Previously, Perodua’s head of sales operations Rozman Jaafar denied that the firm failed to act to resolve the matter.

He said several steps were taken, including offering Nagakanni a car to be used temporarily as well as the offer to repurchase the faulty vehicle.

“A thorough investigation is being conducted and we will share the findings when it is completed,” he added, apologising for the inconvenience.

Rozman said Perodua has also been in communication with Nagakanni since the problem surfaced.

‘Fighting for my rights’

Meanwhile, Nagakanni said when the car failed to start, she took it to the service where she was informed that the engine had seized.

When she requested for a new car, she was told to wait for a decision from the Perodua headquarters which could take up to two weeks or a month.

“On Oct 19, I received a call from the headquarters that based on preliminary checks, the engine seized due to foreign substances such as sugar.

“I did not take any food or sugar (in the car) during that period of eight hours, what more interfere with the engine,” she added.

Nagakanni also lodged a police report on the matter on the same day.

About a month later, the clerk claimed she received a call from a Perodua sales representative who suggested that she secure a fresh loan for a new car.

However, she rejected this proposal stating that she still had to service the loan for the first car.

On Dec 4, a salesperson from the Perodua dealership from which she purchased the car requested her documents to process a second loan, which she turned down.

“On Dec 8, the customer service department told me that a ‘final proposal’ has not been agreed and Perodua is still checking if there was an internal mistake (which led to the engine problem). In other words, they still cannot offer a black-and-white agreement to replace my car.

“It has been more than two months, and still nothing in black and white from Perodua. I am just fighting for my rights,” she added. - Mkini