Consumers opt to expose deceit

This ad on Facebook attracted a matriculant who eagerly handed over R1500 as a deposit for a ball gown. Screengrab: Facebook

This ad on Facebook attracted a matriculant who eagerly handed over R1500 as a deposit for a ball gown. Screengrab: Facebook

Published Oct 26, 2015

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Georgina Crouth has been inundated with readers’ gripes. She shares a few cautionary tales...

Johannesburg - In recent weeks I’ve been inundated with readers’ complaints, which might sound burdensome but that’s not the case because I get a kick out of helping people.

These gripes have ranged from the expected complaints about cellular service providers, satellite television installations and banking charges issues, to dressmakers who didn’t deliver, manufacturers who delivered furniture to unwanted specifications, shady workmen who demanded upfront deposits and then absconded without doing any work, insurers who refuted claims, car dealers selling problematic “new” vehicles and heavily indebted people who took out loans when times were good but could no longer service their debts… and – as one might expect – got into big trouble.

Much as I’d like to assist, I cannot resolve every issue, but a few cautionary tales can be drawn from some of these:

Up the creek...

The first issue relates to third-party insurance. Andy, a reader from Durban, wrote to me about an accident he had. A large motor-vehicle transporter bumped into him, scratching the passenger side of his Ford Fiesta.

The driver ignored the accident and continued driving. Andy chased after him to get his particulars. No surprise, but these were false. The following day, when he called the company and spoke to the manager, Andy was cautiously optimistic he had the right on his side. He reported the incident to the police to get a case number and waited for a resolution.

Yet, despite the manager’s empathy, the company’s insurance refuted his claim because he only has third-party insurance. His insurer won’t fight his case because he’s only covered for damage to other vehicles and now it’s his baby. Adding insult to injury, the driver tried to intimidate him, calling him to ask why he had reported the incident to his boss. His only option is to pursue private litigation. Hardly seems fair, but Andy is on his own because he didn’t take out comprehensive insurance on his old car.

Not water under the bridge

The second issue relates to a plumbing service which, despite being registered with the Institute of Plumbing of SA, has legions of complaints from customers, as the reader later discovered.

Renee from northern Joburg was away in Cape Town when she was alerted to the fact that her geyser burst. It was late on a Friday afternoon, she couldn’t reach her insurer and AAA Plumbing and Electrical were the only plumbers available at that time. What she didn’t realise was that that call-out would eventually cost her.

When Renee’s husband asked for a quote, the one they provided was excessive, but “they claimed the insurance would cover it. Which they did not – our insurance only paid up to R9 600. The final price – for a 200l geyser – was R17 670, a difference of R8 000”, she told me.

I did a quick search for prices on a standard 200l geyser, which costs between R2 600 and R6 000, depending on the quality (hers isn’t the best).

A supposed refund never materialised and now the company is stone-walling her. I also called AAA and, after speaking to a few people, eventually spoke to a manager who promised to investigate the invoices but he did not revert as promised by publication.

The big reveal… or not

The matric dance is a rite of passage for so many youngsters, which is why the dress is so important. In Pretoria reader Nontobeko’s case, her “dressmaker” didn’t deliver the goods.

Her daughter saw a Facebook advert for matric dance dresses slugged “Annual Matric Ball Exhibition”. They contacted the dressmaker, whose office was in Loveday Street, Joburg, and agreed on a design. The dress would cost R3 000, and the woman wanted a 50 percent deposit. Nontobeko deposited the money and sent proof of payment.

Two weeks went by, but the dressmaker was quiet, so she contacted her. Again, a mess-around, with promises that the dress would be ready by September 22. The dance was on October 2. The final fitting was meant to be the Thursday before but still “Shirley” was quiet. When they went to her office, there was a long queue of people – some from as far as Kimberley – waiting for her since morning. None of her employees knew where she was. In the end, Nontobeko had to buy another dress.

Weeks later, “Shirley” finally produced the dress but it’s useless and Nontobeko wants her deposit back.

“I need your help so that I can warn other unsuspecting consumers who might find themselves in the situation I am in. Without a dress and no deposit, now she is literally running away from me. It is clear that she has no intention of paying me,” Nontobeko told me.

Driving him crazy

The final case is simply curious: Chris from Pretoria bought a new Tata 3-litre double cab in August 2012 from the Pretoria North dealership for R160 000. But within the first half hour he contacted their customer care department to inform them there was a problem with the vehicle.

The dealer assured him there was nothing wrong with it and that they would look at it. That Monday, he returned the vehicle and after three weeks, it was returned to him in an even worse condition.

Chris lists the following issues: “cab was skew; radio was repaired; rattle in dashboard; back scratched; vehicle pulling to the right; door handles scratched by screw drivers; diff making a noise while driving; vehicle cutting out and engine light coming on; and the clutch making noise when depressed”.

On August 28, 2012, he asked Tata to exchange the vehicle for one in working order. No response. After struggling for four weeks he contacted the motoring ombudsman on September 11, 2012, for help.

On March 18 the following year, the ombud ruled in his favour. He contacted Tata and informed them that he wanted to return the vehicle as per the Ombud’s ruling, but was told he needed to pay R44 000 for “wear and tear”.

My question is, how can a “new” car have so many issues? I asked Tata this but they did not respond, only saying: “Mr Van Vuuren’s vehicle is booked in for today at our approved Tata dealer in Pretoria North.

“As per Mr Van Vuuren’s request, the vehicle will be collected from an address supplied by him and all outstanding concerns on his vehicle will be attended to whilst he is away on business. The vehicle will then be delivered to Mr Van Vuuren upon his return to South Africa on the 19th of November 2015. We would also like to confirm that the repairs will be paid for by Tata South Africa.”

Chris though is unhappy with this, saying: “Thanks for the help but the problem is still the same as all the previous vehicle bookings. The vehicle gets sent in but never gets repaired as they promise. I would like to publish a story about their bad customer service and repairs that never get done as promised.

“They have promised that the chief executive will contact me but this never materialised. So I know that I will receive my vehicle back exactly the way I gave it to them.”

Wise up. Here’s how

It'll cost you: Third-party insurance might sound like an affordable option – it certainly is, if you’re rear-ending a Ferrari – but you’re on your own when it comes to repairing damage to your own vehicle. The insurer (usually) covers accident damage, theft and fire, but anything else is your baby. In Andy’s case, he had no one to fight his case for him – had he taken out comprehensive insurance, the insurer would have gone after the transporting company to recoup the costs of the damage to his car.

Let others do the work: If you’re paying for it, expect the service. Renee was desperate to sort out her burst geyser but would have saved herself huge expense and trouble by going through her insurer. She should have had an emergency number to call. They would have sent their preferred contractor out to do the work and all she would have had to pay would have been the excess. Now she’s paid a princely sum for a small geyser and doubts the plumbers will honour the warranty, if it’s ever needed.

Beware the online ad: Whether it’s the classifieds or Facebook, always tread with caution. Word of mouth is far more helpful than simply trusting someone who talks themselves up but can’t deliver. Especially when you’re on a deadline. “Shirley” eventually made the dress, but long after the horse had bolted. Nontobeko can pretty much write off her deposit and she had to incur an added expense to buy another dress.

Don't delay: Chris’s Tata issue might have been resolved sooner had he been in the country to attend to it personally. It’s not for lack of trying though – countless mails were sent between him and the company’s representatives to set up appointments to fix the problems, but nothing was ever properly resolved and his vehicle even came back with other problems. I’m still curious: Surely, when you buy a new vehicle, it’s just about in perfect condition?

*Georgina Crouth is a consumer watchdog with serious bite. Write to her at [email protected] or follow on Twitter @askgeorgie.

The Star

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