Al-Haj Automotive — the producer and seller of Proton cars in Pakistan — has raised the ire of its customers due to lengthy delivery delays.
A customer who requested anonymity has sent a letter to the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Industries and Production (MoIP), complaining about the company’s alleged Ponzi scheme.
The customer claimed that he booked a Proton X70 for Rs. 4.97 million on 10th January 2022. The tentative delivery date at the time was September 2022. He further stated:
In September, the vehicle was not delivered and there was no communication from the dealership made as to when the vehicle would be delivered. On 7th October 2022, I received a letter from the dealership. In this letter, it was stated that the vehicle will be delivered within 30 days but the price was increased to Rs. 7.17 million (an increase of Rs. 2.2 Million).
The customer added that, despite the delay in delivery and an unforeseen price hike, he paid the complete outstanding amount by December 2022.
“The company provided a ‘zero balance’ receipt showing no outstanding balance on my part. However, no delivery has been made since then,” the letter added.
The customer said that he received a letter from the company stating that there are difficulties in the procurement of vehicle assembly kits due to import restrictions. However, the company promised a tentative delivery in May 2023.
It has now been a year and 7 months since the car was booked and, even now, the company hasn’t offered any relief. The customer claimed that others have also been affected by the delivery delays.
The letter stated:
It has become clear that Al-Haj Automotive is committing fraud and putting peoples’ money at risk. Their business practices and not transparent, and it seems like this group is dealing as a Ponzi scheme.
The customer requested that the MoIP launch a formal inquiry and criminal proceedings against the company. He added that Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) must conduct a thorough inquiry against the company and hold its owners and dealers accountable for causing customers mental and financial stress.
The customer has also filed a lawsuit against Proton’s official dealership. He claimed that the dealership is not offering any affirmative response to any of the customers who booked new vehicles from that dealership.
The plaintiff also claimed that the refund cheques that the dealership issued to multiple customers have bounced. In his discussion with this scribe, he stated that numerous customers are currently going through severe mental anguish due to the automaker’s criminal negligence.
ProPakistani has reached out to Al-Haj Proton with this development and is currently awaiting an official comment.
