THE recession is hitting the motor industry so hard that a Boksburg Tata dealership has resorted to tricking unsuspecting clients into buying cars from them.
THE recession is hitting the motor industry so hard that a Boksburg Tata dealership has resorted to tricking unsuspecting clients into buying cars from them.
Kagiso Mabilane, 25, of Spruitview had not intended buying a car and claims she was hoodwinked into buying one for her mother, whose credit record did not allow her to do so.
Now she owes the Motor Finance Corporation R170000 for a defective car with an engine that could seize up any minute, she says.
The selling price of the vehicle was R78942 but the finance charges skyrocketed by R76947, she says
Mabilane says she and her mother spotted a Tata on special offer on a board outside a dealership.
She was interested in the special at R499 a month but was told that those models had run out. But there was a similar promotion with another model at R699 a month.
She said they were assisted by Donovan Pretorius, who introduced himself as a salesman.
She claims Pretorius told her that a buyer was exempted from paying the full instalment for a year.
Since her mother could not buy the car Pretorius advised her to buy the vehicle using her details instead of her mother's.
On the date of delivery, she claims, she was bullied into signing another contract with different terms.
She was allegedly told she was signing a document acknowledging delivery.
"I then noticed that the monthly installment had ballooned to R2400," she says.
The finance lady told her that the bank was not financing the special sale directly and the dealership would give the customer a R16000 cheque to pay the difference for the first year.
She says Pretorius admitted not telling her about the cash subsidy and instead of being given one she was asked to sign an indemnity form for the R16000.
"I left the dealership forgetting to get an explanation," she says.
It was only when she got home that her mother enquired about the cash subsidy.
They were promised that the process would take eight to 10 days but a few minutes later she was told she did not qualify and should return to sign a new contract.
"Their sales manager, Gerhard Wolfaardt, also rudely ordered us to sign the new contract but we did not do so since we suspected that we were being scammed," Mabilane says.
Two days later her new vehicle started leaking and this was dismissed as a temporary thing but the dealer failed to fix it.
Tata later washed their hands of the matter.
"Wolfaardt told me I could go to the consumer court or ombudsman because I didn't have a case, forcing me to raise the gender and race issue," she says.
An AA report in Consumer Lines possession shows leaks around the window washer bottle, cooling reservoir and pipes, oil leaks around the power steering and reservoir pipes.
Wolfaardt's responses were e-mailed.
One said: "You cannot get a response if I don't have all documentation."
Another said: "After reading your letter I ... considered not responding to these accusations.
Finally he said: After discussing the allegations with my workshop I will contact the customer and arrange an appointment."
Tricked into buyING her mom a car
THE recession is hitting the motor industry so hard that a Boksburg Tata dealership has resorted to tricking unsuspecting clients into buying cars from them.
THE recession is hitting the motor industry so hard that a Boksburg Tata dealership has resorted to tricking unsuspecting clients into buying cars from them.
Kagiso Mabilane, 25, of Spruitview had not intended buying a car and claims she was hoodwinked into buying one for her mother, whose credit record did not allow her to do so.
Now she owes the Motor Finance Corporation R170000 for a defective car with an engine that could seize up any minute, she says.
The selling price of the vehicle was R78942 but the finance charges skyrocketed by R76947, she says
Mabilane says she and her mother spotted a Tata on special offer on a board outside a dealership.
She was interested in the special at R499 a month but was told that those models had run out. But there was a similar promotion with another model at R699 a month.
She said they were assisted by Donovan Pretorius, who introduced himself as a salesman.
She claims Pretorius told her that a buyer was exempted from paying the full instalment for a year.
Since her mother could not buy the car Pretorius advised her to buy the vehicle using her details instead of her mother's.
On the date of delivery, she claims, she was bullied into signing another contract with different terms.
She was allegedly told she was signing a document acknowledging delivery.
"I then noticed that the monthly installment had ballooned to R2400," she says.
The finance lady told her that the bank was not financing the special sale directly and the dealership would give the customer a R16000 cheque to pay the difference for the first year.
She says Pretorius admitted not telling her about the cash subsidy and instead of being given one she was asked to sign an indemnity form for the R16000.
"I left the dealership forgetting to get an explanation," she says.
It was only when she got home that her mother enquired about the cash subsidy.
They were promised that the process would take eight to 10 days but a few minutes later she was told she did not qualify and should return to sign a new contract.
"Their sales manager, Gerhard Wolfaardt, also rudely ordered us to sign the new contract but we did not do so since we suspected that we were being scammed," Mabilane says.
Two days later her new vehicle started leaking and this was dismissed as a temporary thing but the dealer failed to fix it.
Tata later washed their hands of the matter.
"Wolfaardt told me I could go to the consumer court or ombudsman because I didn't have a case, forcing me to raise the gender and race issue," she says.
An AA report in Consumer Lines possession shows leaks around the window washer bottle, cooling reservoir and pipes, oil leaks around the power steering and reservoir pipes.
Wolfaardt's responses were e-mailed.
One said: "You cannot get a response if I don't have all documentation."
Another said: "After reading your letter I ... considered not responding to these accusations.
Finally he said: After discussing the allegations with my workshop I will contact the customer and arrange an appointment."
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