Overview
Information needed to make informed purchase decisions regarding aftermarket parts and services should be provided by the businesses that sell these products.
Regulations are in place to guide businesses to provide consumers with information about the products being sold.
When businesses do not provide information consumers need or provide misleading information, there is help available to consumers.
This post addresses a product description that is deficient in the information provided and presents an opportunity for consumers to help correct the deficiency.
Background
A previous post addressed fact-checking Turbo Parts Canada claims about an IS38 turbocharger option that they sell. The business makes a number of performance claims that are not supported by adequate and proper tests. Requests to the business for information about the basis for the claims went unanswered.
The Canadian Competition Bureau provides guidelines for Canadian businesses. A selection of some guidelines is contained within this post.
The TPC IS38 ball bearing turbocharger is a candidate to replace the IHI IS38 turbocharger on the Mk7 Golf R, or to size up from the IHI IS20 on the Mk7 GTI. With the majority of claims about the product relating to performance, paragraph 74.01(1)(b) of the Competition Act is of particular relevance.
- It prohibits the making, or the permitting of the making, of a representation to the public, in any form whatever, about the performance, efficacy or length of life of a product, which is not based on an adequate and proper test.
- The onus is on the person making the representation to prove that the representation is based on an adequate and proper test.
Action
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre estimates that less than 5% of the total number of fraud victims report their experiences to law enforcement agencies. By reporting a scam, you provide law enforcement with the information they need to stop fraudsters and help prevent others from becoming victims. The information you provide is important!
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
Report instances of misleading or deceptive marketing practices to the Competition Bureau using the online complaint form or by telephone at 1-800-348-5358.
Competition Bureau Canada
Information provided by Turbo Parts Canada about the IS38 ball bearing turbocharger does not meet Canadian advertising guidelines and the business has been unresponsive to requests to address the advertising shortcomings.
Notifying the Candian Competition Bureau about the deficient advertisement will help to correct the problem and provide consumers with the information needed to make an informed purchase decision about this product.
Please take a few minutes to submit a complaint to the Candian Competition Bureau. If you don’t speak up this problem won’t be corrected.
How to report
The following link is to the Canadian Competition Bureau Complaint Form (link)
Note that not all entries for your contact information need to be provided, but more is better.
Only entries marked with an * need to be filled in.
Information about Turbo Parts Canada:
- Company name: Turbo Parts Canada Inc.
- Registered Office Address
- Street: 3300C Rideau Rd, Unit C4
- City: Ottawa
- Postal/Zip Code: K1G 3N4
- Province/State: ON
- Country: Canada
- Company phone number: 866-552-3477
- Email address: customerservice.tpc@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.turbopartscanada.ca/
- Details of complaint: The complaint I submitted is shown below
Bottom line
- Consumers are often interested in purchasing products that improve performance in exchange for their hard earned money.
- Information provided to consumers should be truthful and sufficient to allow consumers to make informed choices.
- Representations about performance need to be based on adequate and proper tests.
- The onus is on the person making the representation to prove that the representation is based on an adequate and proper test.
- Report instances of misleading or deceptive marketing practices to stop fraudsters and help prevent others from becoming victims.
Submit a complaint to help obtain useful information about the Turbo Parts Canada IS38 ball-bearing turbocharger.
Details of my complaint about Turbo Parts Canada
Turbo Parts Canada is making potentially false or misleading representations about one, and possibly more, of the products it advertises for sale to consumers.
There are comparative claims of superiority versus an automotive manufacturer’s original equipment supplier product, that this part would replace, that do not show evidence of being based upon adequate and proper tests.
There are multiple claims related to the increased performance delivered by the business’s product that lack evidence showing the claims are based on adequate and proper tests.
I contacted the business through the business website “Contact Us” form on 4-Nov-2021 to learn about what information might substantiate the claims. I tried again on 5-Nov-2021 to the business email address and 10-Nov-2021 through another contact form. No response was received from the business.
On 11-Nov-2021 I was able to contact Nick Lamoureux directly, who is identified in the Canada business registry as the business director at Turbo Parts Canada. I asked if my communications had been received. I was told they had been but the business chose not to respond.
I believe the potentially false or misleading representations made by Turbo Parts Canada might also have been made knowingly or recklessly.
The product description is available at the following link, as well as shown in the attached image.
Please contact me if you need additional information. Thank you.
Complaint submitted to Competition Bureau Canada