Syahrul showing a photo comparing an original caliper brake (on the right) and a fake one (left).
A RENOVATION company proprietor was duped by a scammer into paying for a fake caliper brake for his Japanese-made car.
Claimant Mohamad Syahrul Aizat Mat Sari said that he came across an online advertisement by a seller in Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan.
“The seller claimed that the caliper brake sold by him was an original part from Japan and the price he quoted was lower than the market price,” Syahrul said when met outside the Johor Baru Consumer Claims Tribunal.
The 37-year-old made two payments of RM6,000 and RM6,800 via online banking on March 21 and March 25, 2022, respectively.
The claimant who lives in Pasir Gudang, Johor, went to the seller’s workshop in Port Dickson to have the caliper brake installed after making the final payment on March 25.
“It took me almost half a day to get the caliper brake installed,” he said.
The claimant started feeling that something was not right when the brake started making a noise every time he pressed the brake pedal.
“I began to think that I might have been duped by the seller,” said Syahrul.
He tried to discuss the issue with the respondent, asking him to return the RM12,800 paid but the seller did not entertain his request.
“I called him many times and sent WhatsApp messages to him but he blocked my number,” he said.
The claimant added that prior to communicating with the respondent, he contacted the authorised dealer of the brake in Malaysia in Bandar Sunway, Selangor.
Syahrul said he submitted photos of his caliper brake with the serial number etched on it to the authorised dealer and the latter confirmed the part was fake.
“I also went to several workshops in Johor Baru to further confirm the authorised dealer’s verdict, and all the mechanics I spoke to confirmed that the part I bought from the seller was fake,” he said.
In addition, Syahrul emailed the manufacturer in Japan and the company confirmed too that the caliper brake he bought was fake as the stamping of the serial number was unclear unlike that on an original part.
He eventually got an original brake delivered to him by the company.
Syahrul said the company also informed him that the only authorised dealer to sell the brake in Malaysia was the company in Bandar Sunway.
He then proceeded to get the original caliper brake costing RM17,500 installed in his car on Dec 9, 2022, by the authorised dealer in Bandar Sunway.
“The original caliper brake improves the brake performance of my car and I’m happy with it,” he added.
Tribunal president Abdul Rashid Daud ordered the respondent who did not attend the hearing to return RM12,800 to the claimant within two weeks and the claimant has to return the brake to the respondent within 14 days.
