The market regulator in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province has ordered a Mercedes Benz 4S dealership in the city, mired in an oil leak scandal, to refund the buyer as soon as possible after conducting an investigation of the incident.
Mercedes Benz apologized on Saturday, saying a special work group will head to Xi'an to investigate and work out a solution with the customer as soon as possible.
The German car manufacturer said it deeply regrets the buyer's unpleasant experience at the dealership in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, according to a statement the company sent to the Global Times on Saturday.
"Ensuring consumers' legal rights and interests is always our first priority and is a principle all our dealerships should adhere to," the company said.
Mercedes Benz's apology came after a clip of a woman complaining about her unpleasant experience of buying a car that started leaking oil even before she drove it out of the dealership went viral on Thursday and triggered an investigation by local regulators.
The video shows the woman sitting on top of the car and crying that she bought it for 660,000 yuan ($98,213), making a down payment of 200,000 yuan, and after the leak was discovered her complaint was ignored for 15 days.
"I gave you [the dealer] 15 days, but you only told me you would change the engine. I am not satisfied with the work," the buyer said in the clip that was shot on Tuesday.
The car in question has been sealed for examination by local regulators, media reports said on Saturday.
Thepaper.cn said that the dealership reached an agreement with the buyer on Tuesday, agreeing to refund her in full before April 30, but the buyer told local regulators that she was not satisfied with the deal, and insisted on further negotiations.
A Mercedes Benz dealership in Xi'an Saturday said the shop is negotiating with the buyer. No details have been revealed.
Global times
