Man Sues Briscoe Over Alleged Sale Of Sub-standard Vehicle

A Lagos-based media practitioner, Mr Akin Fadeyi  on Monday dragged R.T. Briscoe Nigeria Plc, an auto-dealing company,  before an Ikeja High Court for allegedly selling him a substandard vehicle.

The Tide reports that Fadeyi is seeking the replacement of the vehicle which he purchased in 2008 and a total sum of N2 million as damages.

However, when the matter came up for mention before Justice Josephine Oyefeso, the representatives of the company and its counsel were absent in court.

Fadeyi in the originating summons filed by his lawyer, Mr Baba Dennis, alleged that he purchased the vehicle, Toyota Corolla 1.8 GL (Automatic Transmission) on Sept. 24, 2008 for N3.45 million.

He claimed that only two weeks after he bought the car, it started mal-functioning and he started taking it to the company’s workshop for one repair or the other.

The claimant alleged that the company did not treat his complaints with “any modicum of seriousness” despite the fact that he visited its workshop and other sections, including customer care, for more than 50 times.

According to him, all attempts to compel the company to rectify the vehicle’s problems or replace it proved abortive.

“The bad condition of the car is a clear result of the manufacturer’s default,” he added.

Fadeyi further claimed he could not have been responsible for the faults which surfaced in the gear system, the door and the air-conditioning system of a vehicle supposed to have been purchased new.

The claimant, who said he had suffered various degree of hardship as a result of the vehicle asked the court to compel Briscoe to replace it with a brand new and faultless car of the same model and make.

He also asked for N1 million each as general and special damages as well as the cost of instituting the suit.

Reports say  that the matter was adjourned to Sept. 27.