GENERAL Motors Middle East held recently a two-day seminar for teams from Kuwaiti Customs and Consumer Protection to highlight the growing problem of counterfeit vehicle parts and accessories across the Middle East and the consequences for consumers. Counterfeit parts are manufactured, packaged and represented in a way to mislead the public. Imitators often duplicate a trademark, or alter it just enough, so that the average customer does not notice the difference. The people who make and sell these fakes want consumers to think you are getting a part produced by a reputable brand such as ACDelco or GM. The manufacturers of counterfeit parts are also undertaking a criminal offense. "Counterfeit parts may be cheaper to buy, but they could cost you a lot more in the long run and, more importantly, impact the safety of you and your family," said Scott Emmer, Global Brand Protection Manager in General Motors' Global Investigations team. "Imitation parts do not have the same quality, reliability and dependability as genuine parts, making it necessary to replace them more frequently. Counterfeit parts are also not specifically built to your vehicle's specifications and can lead to other mechanical problems and system breakdowns. All this costs consumers more money in the long-run. "But the biggest concern is safety. If you buy a counterfeit luxury watch and it breaks, the worst thing that happens is you don't know the time. However, if you go in for a brake job and somebody puts counterfeit pads on your car, the result could be fatal," he added. To help tackle the issue of counterfeit parts and accessories, GM set up the Global Investigations team which is part of GM Global Security. With a worldwide team of Brand Protection investigators, GM Global Investigations works with a network of partners, ranging from law enforcers and customs, to identify and stop the activities of counterfeiters. Speakers at the seminar provided advice on how consumers can protect themselves from buying counterfeit parts: • If you're not installing the part yourself, ask the vehicle technician to show you the part and packaging. • Inspect the packaging. If it appears flimsy, lacks the name and brand or logo, or has graphics or a name that is pronounced the same but with a different spelling that the original (such as AZDelco instead of ACDelco), then it is a counterfeit. Counterfeiters often use color, artwork and type fonts on their packaging that are similar to the genuine parts.
