Gasgoo.com (Shanghai February 16) - Beijing residents have recently been receiving an influx of Internet and SMS messages from automobile dealers promising potential buyers 'to be able to get the car of their dreams within three months,' as the government introduces stricter vehicle purchase restrictions in the capital.
A reporter from the Beijing Youth Daily contacted one such dealer, who said that after paying a 5,000 yuan ($759.72) deposit, as well as another 5,000 yuan service fee, their store would promise the buyer an available car within three months. When asked about how they would go about fulfilling this guarantee, the dealer responded, "it's a business secret."
The same reporter noted seeing quite a few auto dealers posting signs advertising 'lottery agent' services, referring of course to the passenger car lottery system put in place in the city last month. The service was remarkably similar to the aforementioned dealer's: after forking over a 5,000 yuan deposit, the customer would sign a contract promising to pay an additional fee when buying their car from the dealer. The customer would only then need to wait a matter of time for their car purchase notice to arrive.
After contacting several such dealers, the reporter concluded that there was no 'business secret' to speak of. In reality, dealers would simply enter the lottery in place of the buyer and see if they are able to win within three months. If they're unlucky, the dealer would find an unclaimed used vehicle to sell to the buyer as 'new'.
When confronted with the allegation, dealers responded that they were only trying to find a way to expand their business in the face of decreasing sales. Only 2,700 automobile were reported to be sold in the city last month, a decrease of 76% from December 2010.
Experts within the industry warn that the risk associated with buying these sorts of cars is disproportionately large, as the dealers in question are not the technical owners of the vehicle. In the event that a conflict arises with the automobile's legal owner, buyers could find themselves entangled in costly legal disputes.
