CA affirms DTI ruling on Toyota Alabang’s quality of services

The Court of Appeals (CA) has affirmed a ruling of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) that said Toyota Alabang, Inc. had misleading sales tactics that led customers to buy cars and avail of its services.

In a  two-page resolution dated March 29, the CA Former Tenth Division said the firm failed to explain its side of the complaints about its services raised to the DTI’s fair trade and enforcement bureau.

The DTI ruled that Toyota Alabang violated the Consumers Act of the Philippines over the said sales.

Under Article 50 of the law, a sales tactic is considered deceptive whenever a producer, manufacturer, supplier, or seller induces a customer to avail of a service or product through misrepresentations of the said product.

Rommel R. Gutierrez, Toyota Motor Philippines Corp.’s vice president for corporate relations, did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.

“Petitioner (Toyota Alabang) cannot conveniently claim that it was denied due process, as it was clearly granted the chance to explain its side,” according to the ruling penned by CA Associate Justice Ramon A. Cruz.

Toyota Alabang argued that the CA abused its discretion when it did not reconsider a position paper it submitted, despite the absence of bad faith.

It added that the DTI failed to support its claims of fraud and its violation of the Consumer Act of the Philippines’ provision on deceptive sales or practices.

“We find that this is a mere rehash of its previous arguments that were already judiciously considered and discussed in our decision,” the tribunal said. “To discuss them anew would serve no useful purpose, and would only be redundant and superfluous.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez