THE Ford Motor Company South Africa ( Ford) agreed to pay each consumer R50 000 as compensation if their vehicle was distributed during the period 2014 to 2017 and it was one of the 56 Ford Kuga vehicles that caught fire ( and where the fire originated in the engine compartment and damaged the vehicle).
The settlement agreement was entered into between the National Consumer Commission ( NCC) and Ford, and was made an order by the National Consumer Tribunal ( NCT) in March this year.
According to the NCC, consumers were given two options: To submit a claim for the payment of the R50 000, without a claim for loss of any movables, against Ford in terms of Section 61 of the Consumer Protection Act.
Terry Motau SC was appointed to provide alternative dispute resolution services or to choose to proceed to prove damages in court at the consumer’s own expense. A total of 76 affected consumers were engaged during the mediation period and 53 claims were resolved – 47 consumers elected option one and a total of R2 509 179 was paid which included additional compensation for loss of movables; three consumers elected option two and may take their cases further through assistance of their attorneys; and three more customers’ claims were rejected as they could not prove that their loss fell within the parameters of the settlement agreement.
NCC acting commissioner Thezi Mabuza extended her appreciation to the affected consumers for their cooperation and their patience during this process. Ford said they welcomed the finalisation of compensation by the NCC to Ford customers. The company said it remained committed to putting its customers at the heart of everything it did and was available to assist customers through Ford customer service at 0800 204 688 / 012 843 5824 ( international callers) or CRC3@ ford. com
Daily News