Whether you are buying a pair of shoes, a car or electrical appliances, the seller must give you receipt as proof of purchase in case you need a refund or exchange.

McDonald Twala bought a second-hand vehicle in August as he thought he was saving costs.

Now he regrets the decision as he has no car to show after paying R300000 .

Twala, 65, does not have a contract as he did not sign one with InspectaCar, situated on the corner of Main Reef and Crownwood roads in Crown Mines, Johannesburg.

He also does not know the terms and conditions of his agreement and has no receipt to show the dealer received payment.

Twala only has a bank statement showing transfers to Freeway Equity Holding in August, September and October.

He said he was replacing his daughter's car after her Audi A4 was written off after a crash while he was driving it.

Twala added that his daughter's car was not insured at the time and he felt duty bound to replace it.

The grandfather of three said he then visited InspectaCar with the intention of purchasing a second-hand Audi, but on arrival found a BMW selling for R490000.

He said he was not told about the cooling-off period.

Due to financial problems, he could not pay the balance of R190000 and later changed his mind and decided to cancel the contract, which the dealer found acceptable, Twala said.

"My decision to replace my daughter's car was too emotional and I did not think about the repercussions considering that I have retired," said the pensioner.

He was told that he would be liable for a cancellation fee of 10%, which he accepted as he was the withdrawing party.

He said Mohamed and Allie Bhabha, the owner and salesman at InspectaCar respectively, promised to refund him within seven days, but instead of refunding his money they became "abusive".

Consumer Line has seen a text message where Mohamed said Twala was hounding him and that he would refund his money when he had it.

It further stated that his director had instructed him to pay the R300000 once the vehicle has been sold. "I am accommodating you, so please give me a chance the same way I entertained you for three months," read Mohamed's SMS.

Mohamed conceded he did not stick to fair business practice when he sold the car as there is no contract signed between the two parties.

He denied Twala bought the car that was on his floor, but that he instructed him to source the BMW from another dealer for him, hence he offered to sell the car before he could refund him.

"I accept that I am wrong as I do not have any written contract with him.

"It was a verbal agreement and there [is] nothing to show on what we agreed on," said Mohamed.

He confirmed Twala cancelled the contract, but also could not say what were the cancellation terms or why he felt he was entitled to withhold Twala's money.

An hour after Consumer Line contacted Mohamed, he had a change of heart and offered to refund the money but was yet to confirm the payment by the time of going to print yesterday.