Consumer Survey to examine attitudes to fake car parts conducted in Saudi Arabia. (page 1 of 2)

The survey of car owners aimed to get the facts on the attitudes towards fake parts and the size of the problem within the Kingdom.

"The idea behind the survey was to obtain a better understanding of what exactly consumers know about fake car parts and what are the motivators for purchasing them. The reason we chose Saudi Arabia is that, for many of our members, it is a huge market with one of the highest number of car owners in the region. Unfortunately, we all know that fake parts are readily available throughout the region, not just in Saudi. Our members are constantly working with various government agencies to stop these goods coming in to the country and being sold.

However, we also need to look at why, after all the campaigns and seizures, fake car parts are present in such high levels in the market. With these questions in mind the survey had several aims; to identify who is more likely to use fake parts, to examine attitudes towards fake parts' to understand why people continue to buy fake parts, and to look at consumer awareness of car maintenance options.

We hope that the survey will also help governments in their fight against the scourge of fakes in general." said ABPC spokesperson Alyson Coady "The results are fascinating. While many of our suspicions were borne out, there were a few surprises. The Coalition and its members will use these results to tailor our activities so that they are more effective and hopefully affect consumer attitudes." she concluded.

Methodology

AC Nielsen conducted the survey on behalf of the Coalition. Using face to face interviews in three cities Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah the interviewers spoke to

Nationals, Ex-pat Arabs & Asian males who are owners of cars made in or before 2002 and are the decision maker with regards to the cars maintenance.

The survey highlighted the following key issues:
1. Who is more likely to use fake parts?
Awareness of fake car parts and their availability was high, 92% of those asked knew about fake parts and 64% claimed they had never knowingly used fake part. Of the 64% who had not knowingly used a fake part reasons given included; need changing more often 35%, damages car 30%, poor quality 16%

While respondents showed a high awareness of the disadvantages of using fake parts; 36% admitted to knowingly using a fake part.

63% of those who had used fake parts where ex pats in lower income groups. Although on a smaller income, the respondents more likely to buy fake parts were educated professionals such as teachers/civil servants/owners of small businesses etc.

Usage of fake parts was higher in Jeddah and Dammam (49%) than Riyadh (11%).

66% of those who had used a fake part will use one again.

2. Attitudes
Attitudes toward fake parts and the other options available (aftermarket and 2nd hand) in the market place was mixed.

While people know fakes are of poor quality, many still seem unaware of the damage fake parts can do. 86% of respondents feel fakes are poor quality and more worryingly 49% who used fake parts admitted they were poor quality. However awareness of the dangers - substandard performance; damaged car systems; reduce value of car - was generally low.

Second hand parts
Second hand parts where generally perceived to be good quality - a third of those surveyed stated that second hand parts where a good alternative to genuine parts.