A large part of the spare parts that arrive in the Táchira State are poor quality imitations, which is a decisive factor in that the Venezuelan automotive fleet constantly presents some failure and that citizens have to spend large sums on repairs.
By Anggy Polanco / Correspondent Lapatilla.com
This was announced by Freddy Sandoval, President of the Táchira State Automotive Chamber, who explained that these poor-quality spare parts enter the country through customs, for which he urged merchants to be very serious when advising consumers, and to not “sell to sell” (make a quick buck).
He demanded that importers have quality standards, with products that come with ISO9000 quality certificates and certificates of origin that must also be required by the National Executive (government).
He pointed out that the counterfeits come with the names of recognized brands and are sold at prices below that of certified products.
“The products that are entering Venezuela are 100% of poor quality. Everything can be counterfeited, everything can be cloned, and China is the country of counterfeiting,” he said.
“That dirt, garbage, products that do not guarantee anything to anyone should not continue to enter the country,” added Sandoval, who also highlighted the need for PDVSA to keep fuel tanks and transport tanker trucks clean.
He said that if importers guarantee that the parts that enter are of good quality, they can help improve the conditions of the country’s automotive fleet.
Anyone with $20,000 in Venezuela can import a container of fake parts, without any certificate of origin, Sandoval stressed.
“We cannot continue to allow products that come to deceive a society that is really struggling to work, to move, to produce,” the spokesperson said.
Venezuela used to be a reference for Colombians
The representative of the Táchira Automotive Chamber explained that years ago, Venezuela was a reference standard for Colombians who came here to buy original products, but at a point in time in the history that the country has experienced, the spare parts dealers ran out of merchandise and without resources to maintain inventories.
This caused the roles to be reversed and Venezuelans began to go down to Cúcuta to buy auto parts and spare parts. Although at this time, the dealers in Norte de Santander are once again searching for reliable sources which continue to sell original products, and some are going there to repair their vehicles, said the businessman.
“They say that things are different over there due to many factors, since there are competitive products,” he assured, which is why a rebound in sales is beginning to be noticed, also because there is a greater movement of vehicles after this commercial sector had been completely paralyzed. At the moment, they are waiting for the Ureña assembly plants and bodyshops to reactivate.