Abu Dhabi court orders Dh55,000 refund over concealed jet ski defects

The Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court has ordered a seller to refund Dh55,000 to a buyer, along with a fine of Dh3,000, after a dispute over a jet ski purchase revealed hidden defects.

The buyer claimed he had purchased a jet ski for Dh55,000, paying the full amount after the seller assured him that it had been used for only 14 hours and was in near-new condition. However, during his first trial run in the sea, the buyer noticed the watercraft overheating without apparent cause.

He then took the jet ski to a private repair workshop, where it was discovered that the vehicle had travelled 6,987 miles—far more than indicated by the 14 hours claimed—and suffered from faulty sensors. Its computer, responsible for tracking usage hours, had been replaced, resetting the hours to zero. Investigators determined that the jet ski had logged 320 hours of use prior to purchase.

The court found that the seller had concealed defects from the buyer and ruled in favour of the plaintiff, highlighting the responsibility of sellers to disclose the true condition of their products.