In less than three weeks, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce has shut down the showroom of yet another major foreign car dealer here for taking customers for a ride.

The main showroom of Domasco Honda, local dealers of Japanese Honda cars, was ordered shut for a month for violating the consumer protection law.

In a statement, the Ministry said surprise raids on the dealer's outlets revealed that they were repairing and repainting damaged cars and passing them off as new to customers.

The Ministry said its inspectors have found many such cars in the company's showrooms after customer complaints. As punitive action, the ministry said, it has shut down the agency's main showroom for a month.

The ministry put up closure notices at the entrances of the showroom. The notices have been printed and pasted at the expense of the company.

More than two weeks ago, the ministry also shut down the main showrooms of Nissan and Dodge following similar complaints.

People can register complaints about suspected breach of the provisions of the consumer protection law by calling 8005000 or by sending an email to info@mec.gov.qa  or report their observations, said the ministry. [The Peninsula]