Ottawa sued over car import rules
Two vehicle leasing companies have launched a class-action lawsuit on cross-border vehicle shopping with a new twist, alleging Transport Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency were participants in a conspiracy to keep vehicle prices high.
The two arms of the government have been named along with BMW Canada Inc., Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. and Mercedes-Benz USA LLC in a lawsuit that alleges actions they required of people or companies trying to import U.S. vehicles into Canada reduced competition and enabled prices of vehicles sold here to be 20 per cent to 35 per cent higher than similar U.S. models.
Read the rest of the article: Ottawa sued over car import rules
9 comments:
I only wish that Volvo Canada were also being sued, as they have followed BMW and Mercedes lead with the same anti NAFTA, Dictatorial arrogance!
Where do I sign to get restitution for having been forced to pay for a "Letter of Compliance",never mind being forced to wait forever for the stupid letter to arrive by snail mail?
Grow up you misguided Stalinesque Jerks!!!
We are looking for a BC resident who has recently imported a Volvo and who has had to comply with the new rules imposed by Volvo. There is a class-action suit being contemplated, and a BC plaintiff is required. No costs will be borne by the plaintiff as there is a lead plaintiff who is covering legal expenses.
Contact us at info@ucanimport.com and we will have the law firm follow up with you.
Thank you in advance. We can all work together to bring attention to these practices.
I support this lawsuit, where do I sign?
I have imported a 2007 BMW X5 and was forced to pay $1,500 for the instrument cluster + $350 for the admissibility letter + $500 for the compliance letter. I had a recall letter from the US BMW dealer, but RIV didn't accept it. It took BMW Canada 4 weeks to send the letter to me, and the letter was dated Feb.4 but released to me on Feb. 25. I went to RIV the same day, and they told me to come back later because they have to wait for the confirmation form BMW that my letter is authentic.
I was furious and I didn't want to leave without my form 2. They let me wait for 1/2hour but gave me the form at the end.
I have sent several complaints to BMW Germany and every time I would receive a written response from BMW Canada, how they had to follow the requirements of Transport Canada etc... BMW Canada even called me to explain that they had to charge for the letter, because it was to cover some cost of my car being in the dealership... I was barely controlling myself but I told them nicely, that what BMW Canada is doing is a very bad customer service and that I am going to be vocal about that.
I am glad this lawsuit has been filed, they all deserve it.
this is a complete money grab, and same on th Canadian goverment to conspire with BMW & Mercades now that the truth about the fraud that was going on, with the higher prices Canadaians were paying for the same product as their us counter parts , that was only exposed by the high canadian dollar, and this is a double wammy to discourage canadians from buying us cars these car makers create these road blocks, and once you do get over those road blocks these car makers basically extort money. where do i sign up too
If you are a resident of BC or Alberta and are interested in adding your name to a new BC-based lawsuit, please send an e-mail with your name and telephone number to info@ucanimport.com
Your name will be forwarded to the law firm who will then contact you to learn about your importing experience.
Thank you all for your support.
Sure I want to join the party for the lawsuits.
I wanted to import a 2007 BMW 550i and BMW Canada never reply me for letter of admissibility. I am stuck with the car I purchased and laid in the states waiting for that stupid letter.
If anyone is seeking more information on the lawsuit please see:
http://www.ucanimport.com/lawsuit.aspx
For those who have not heard about this lawsuit, it was filed on February 26, 2008, at Victoria, British Columbia, and alleges that BMW Canada Inc., Hyundai Auto Canada Corp., Hyundai Canada Inc., Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc., Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada Inc., Subaru Canada Inc., Toyota Canada Inc., Volvo Cars of Canada and Volvo Group Canada Inc., have, contrary to the federally-regulated Competition Act, implemented unlawful policies designed to curtail imports from the United States into Canada.
I am glad to see a lawsuit against Mercedes and BMW. These are ridicules rules simply designed to discourage imports from the US, disrupt our lives and keep the car dealership in business.
I am a Canadian and lived in the USA for a number of years. I owned and babied a 2001 Mercedes E320 4Matic, beautiful car, immaculate shape, well serviced with all service records etc...
In December 2007, my wife and I decided to move back to Canada to be closer to the rest of the family.
So I contacted Mercedes-USA, obtained a recall clearance letter required to cross the border.
Then I found out that the 2001 E class was not admissible to Canada. RIV, Transport Canada and Mercedes-Canada gave me the run-around for 6 weeks. I did not get very far, no one could tell me the real reason as to why I could not bring this vehicle to Canada. Basically all agencies said that only Mercedes can make that decision and they have nothing to do with it.
To make the story short, I had to advertise the car and sell it in a short time-frame (in the snowy, miserable, non-prime season) and lost my shirt on it. Then I thought I would buy another Mercedes that IS ADMISSIBLE.
So I located this ADMISSIBLE 2006 E350, bought it on Feb 20th, obtained a recall clearance letter from Mercedes-USA. February 26, the movers came, loaded our furniture and headed north to Canada. Feb 27, closed the sale of our home and we began our journey back home.
The NIGHTMARE begins when we got to the border on March 1st. We were not able to drive the car across the border, we needed a letter of admissibility from Mercedes-Canada indicating that this car is admissible into Canada although the Mercedes Web site clearly stated that all 2006 E-Class are admissible to Canada. WHY DO WE NEED THE LETTER ??
Never mind, we called our children to come and pick us up (they are 5.5 hrs away from the border).
We contacted Mercedes-Canada, they will only mail the letter via Canada post regular mail. Finally we obtained the letter, we had to drive again another 5.5 hrs to the border, pay parking fees for 2 weeks, import the car, pay the taxes and GST etc...
The FUN starts when I went to get the Federal inspection. The inspection can't be done unless I obtain and mail to RIV a "letter of compliance" from Mercedes-Canada.
I went to the Mercedes dealer, I was told to import an E-Class is costly and would require modifications to the vehicle that would cost between 7 and 9 thousand dollars.
To begin the process, I had to agree to pay an upfront of $1000.00 CAD ($500 for Mercedes-Canada and another $500 for the dealer). I agreed to that and said let us start the process, I need and want my car. Then I was told that I need to obtain a CARFAX report, the Clearance Letter from the USA and the Admissibility letter from Mercedes-Canada.
Then, the dealer will call Mercedes-Canada to obtain the necessary modifications, parts list etc... The Parts must be ordered from Mercedes-Canada and the modifications must be done/performed by a Mercedes-dealer. Then, after the modifications are completed, a Mercedes Representative that comes to the dealership ONLY ONCE A MONTH, have to inspect and bless the vehicle before the compliance letter can be issued.
Today is May 1st (two month after we crossed the border) my car is still parked in my garage, I am not allowed to drive it, I can not obtain a license to drive it. I can only watch it collect dust. I can only have a temporary license only for one week that allows me to drive it to the dealers and for mechanical inspections but NOT to go shopping etc... It might take another month (may be more) to complete the importation/registration.
I am glad the lawsuit has been filed and hope that Mercedes and BMW will pay the price. As for me, I am totally disgusted and sick to my stomach, this is definitely my last Mercedes. Mercedes lost a good customer and gained a reputation of robbers and thieves The car will be sold as soon as I get it on the road even at a loss. I can't drive it and enjoy it without thinking of the hassles, troubles, expense, rudeness and bluntness of Mercedes-Canada.
I am in the process of importing a 2006 BMW motorcycle. I too, was surprised to find out that RIV has conspired with BMW Canada, to allow the dealers in Canada to charge,or extort a fee of $500.00 from anyone importing a new or used vehicle. I contacted 3 or 4 US BMW dealers and they all said the same thing, that they weren't allowed to print off a recall clearance letter. They did however check my VIN # and informed me that there were no outstanding recalls on my bike.
When I contacted a local dealer, they were very snooty and advised me that I had to leave my bike at their dealership for up to 2 weeks. However another dealership said they could inspect it and have me on my way in about half an hour. I hope this lawsuit costs these manufacturers big time. I thought extortion was illegal in Canada!!!
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