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OVERJOYED: Noxolo Mnukwa urges first-time car buyers to be wary of using the internet to negotiate the sale. PHOTO: SIBUSISO MSIBI

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Mnukwa will also be refunded the R52000 she paid to Nedbank to service her loan for a car she never received. Nedbank said they wanted to protect the interests of their client, Mnukwa, in line with the Consumer Protection Act.

Nedbank financed her minibus, which was damaged before the car was registered in its name as the best title-holder.

It was after Consumer Line had enlisted Nedbank's intervention that Velocity Cars agreed to refund her the whole purchase amount.

For the past three weeks Consumer Line has been carrying articles about how first-time car buyer Mnukwa has been battling to recoup the R95000 she paid to Velocity Cars for a Toyota Hi-Ace minibus she bought from them in May last year.

Velocity Cars gave Mnukwa and her attorney the run-around and even dared her to take them to court.

Initially, Velocity Cars offered her a R50000 refund.

They then increased it to R65000 after Consumer Line discovered that they had sold the minibus as scrap for R20000.

But with Nedbank's intervention they have now paid the whole amount.

Mnukwa, 33, who is a single parent of two, said she wanted to use the minibus as a taxi to augment her salary. But her dreams never materialised because the vehicle was never delivered.

For the past 15 months she has paid R3531 in monthly instalments, translating into a total of R52965.

Mnukwa says she was surfing the Internet when she came across a Hi-Ace minibus advertised by Velocity Cars. She called them and offered to buy the vehicle.

"I signed the necessary documents and faxed them to Velocity so they could facilitate the sale," Mnukwa says.

A Velocity Cars agent assisted her with applying for a loan from Nedbank. Nedbank approved a loan for R64110 and she then got R31000 from Capitec Bank to cover extra hire purchase charges.

Unbeknown to Mnukwa, Velocity Cars had helped her get an unsecured loan from Nedbank instead of car financing. Unsecured loans are not guaranteed by any type of property, they are bigger risks for lenders and have higher interest rates than secured loans.

Nonzwakazi Mqolombeni of Nedbank confirmed that Mnukwa got an unsecured loan from their personal loan division.

During the process of buying the minibus, Nedbank Personal Loans received information from the merchant that the vehicle was damaged en route to Johannesburg for delivery to Mnukwa.

"The registration of the vehicle was not yet finalised pending the delivery of the vehicle.

"As a result, the merchant will settle the personal loan account and the deposit paid by Mnukwa," Mqolombeni said.

A grateful Mnukwa has warned other first-time car buyers not to follow her mistakes. "Next time I will be wiser and deal with reputable car dealers than those on the internet."

• This article was first published in the printed newspaper and eEdition on 12 September 2012. Click on this link to view the eEdition

Comments

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Wed Jun 19 06:22:06 SAST 2013 ::

Sep 18, 2012

madamx

"UNWISE"
Tjo sowetan e kgona go roga batho.
Just because you lack information does not mean your foolish...
Even the person a kwadile article e does not know everything.
Aowa bathong!
Report Abuse

Sep 18, 2012

Publc2

madamx
"UNWISE"
Tjo sowetan e kgona go roga batho.
Just because you lack information does not mean your foolish...
Even the person a kwadile article e does not know everything.
Aowa bathong!
=================================================

True that madam! some unwise journalists even fail to translate some currencies into Rands for us to understand.They end up writing something like 50 000 Baht instead of R19 000
Report Abuse

Oct 3, 2012

Mbeva

Unwise? Dear journalist FYI. This is not professional.Be sensitive ok !
Report Abuse

Oct 9, 2012

CHIEFKHONZAPHI2nd

UNWISE, sue them Mnukwa thats the standard in SA 1 foot wrong you sue, sue sue!!!!
Report Abuse

Oct 22, 2012

Serene

unwise editor
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Oct 31, 2012

Buka

rude journalist,
to call someone 'unwise'
Why didnt you just called her 'stupid' then.
Be sensitive
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