THE FACTS
MATHEWS Baloyi from Gezina, Tshwane a bought a second-hand Audi from a dealership in 2016.
But as he was driving home on the very first day, he heard a strange sound coming from the front of the car. He immediately contacted the dealership.
He was told to return the car for an assessment.
Mathews said he took the car back and it was returned to him after a couple of days, but the strange sound was still there.
He took the car back again and asked for the contract to be cancelled. He also wanted to be refunded the purchase price for which the car was being financed.
Instead, the dealership took the car for repairs again and he was later called to collect it. But he refused and still wanted the contract cancelled.
He complained to the Motor Industry Ombudsman and has not made any payment towards the car. He’s now blacklisted.
THE ADVICE
The Motor Industry Ombudsman dealt with Mathews’ complaint. They found that the dealership acted in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act, and they repaired the car within a reasonable amount of time.
When a consumer buys something, they have the right to return the goods within six months if there is something wrong with the product.
The seller has to either repair the problem, replace the goods or refund the full purchase price.
Readers must note that even when a product that was bought on credit is defective, payments have to be made until the matter has been resolved. The purchaser should then be entitled to a refund and the payments must be refunded.
