In Panama, Acodeco will be able to decide on warranty complaints without going to court, when dealing with products worth up to $5,000 and in the case of vehicles, up to $30,000.

The Authority for Consumer Protection and Defense of Competition (Acodeco), reported that on February 22 a law came into force which is “… Law 14 of February 20, 2018, which extends the rights of consumers and increases the amount on which the Authority has competence to rule on complaints, up to B /.5,000.00 and for motor vehicles up to B /. 30,000.00. This allows a significant number of consumers, whose cases could not be resolved directly, had to take their claims to the Courts to obtain a decision.“

For the specific case of vehicles, he adds that “ …The law provides that, if on the 61st day that a car under warranty being in the workshop, and it has not yet been repaired, the economic agent has the obligation to provide a vehicle of similar characteristics to the consumer for their use, while they await for delivery of their repaired car. In the event that on the 105th day the motor vehicle under warranty has still not been repaired, the supplier will have to replace the vehicle with a new one, as long as it is damage that is preventing its safe use. “

In relation to vehicle warranty, Óscar García, administrator of Acodeco, told Prensa.com that “… ‘there are cases in which customers have waited months or years for the repair of their vehicle because the part has not been found, meanwhile these consumers are without a car and frequently paying off a loan to the bank.“