In a disheartening twist of fate, Tumisang and Manasa Qholosha, a couple from Weltevreden Park in Roodepoort, are grappling with unexpected financial burdens that have turned their festive season into a nightmare.
What started as a hopeful venture into the transport business has spiralled into a somber reality, with the couple facing over R500,000 debt for two faulty Renault Tribers.
The Absa-financed cars cost R250,000 each and the wife's details were used during the purchase as she is employed.
The couple purchased their vehicles on November 18, 2024, from Auto City Heidelberg — two brand-new cars, a maroon and a white, intended to kick-start their transport service.
After a decade of unemployment, Tumisang saw this as a viable business opportunity, offering services such as e-hailing, school transportation, and long-distance and airport shuttles.
“As a self-employed individual, I constantly seek new business ideas to support my family,” Tumisang explained.
“I believed a transport business would give us the chance to improve our circumstances.”
Upon purchasing the cars, the couple specifically requested brand-new vehicles, believing these would mitigate the risk of mechanical issues that could compromise their fledgling business.
However, upon collection of both cars, only the maroon car was available, and they were notified that the second car would be delivered later as it was at another dealership.
Happy with the news, they took the maroon car and left.
When driving home, Tumisang noticed an alarming detail, the odometer read over 800km.
Upon further inspection, he said he discovered scratches across the car's body.
"I found that it had scratches on the door, the ignition, steering cover, below the petrol tank cover, and on the crescents of the seats, especially the front seats. Also, the roof plastic cover didn't cover properly."
His concerns escalated, and he reported these findings to the salesperson who assisted him.
The salesperson promised to escalate the matter to his superiors.
When asked why they didn't inspect the car when they were still at the dealership, Tumisang said he didn't think there was a reason to worry.
“We trusted the dealership because of its reputation; we never thought we’d be mistreated,” he said, sounding disappointed.
“I mean, we bought the car from a reputable dealership; we had no reason to suspect that they would do us dirty.”
The white Triber arrived a few days later and appeared to be in better shape until it, too, exhibited problems, particularly with the brakes.
He called the salesperson, and the car was booked in for repairs.
He said when taking the car for repairs, he had to get papers for both cars, however, to his surprise, he was given the papers for the white car and when he asked for papers for the maroon car, the sales guy told him the papers were delayed because it was a demo car.
"I was livid, because it means the dealership had been using the car and we were never informed about this. We were told we were buying a new car, not a used car," he said.
"When I confronted the manager about this, he insisted that as long as the car was under 1,000km and has never been registered on the national traffic information system (eNaTIS), then the car is new."
Tumisang claims the manager offered him a R6,000 refund for the used car and he refused.
“A R6,000 refund for a faulty vehicle? That’s nothing compared to the interests we owe on the loans,” he said.
In a desperate attempt to resolve the situation, his wife contacted Absa.
In an email dated December 9, 2024, the wife wrote, "On November 18, I took in my possession and signed for a demo car while I was led to believe that the car was a brand-new car. I have complained to the dealership and the head office of that dealership and have not received any recourse. The problem is the financed amount is for a brand-new car and not for a demo vehicle," read the email.
The bank's representative under Absa Vehicle and Asset Finance, replied and promised to investigate the matter.
Tumisang said the representative called his wife after almost two weeks and said they didn't find any misrepresentation from the dealership because according to eNaTIS, she was the first owner of the car.
As they were still processing the disappointing news, the woes continued; both cars began exhibiting similar brake issues and attempts to reach the dealership remained ignored.
“We face a crippling financial burden, paying over R8,000 a month for cars that are not even fit for their intended purpose. We are paying a price for new cars, yet they were used and are faulty,” Tumisang stated.
“We can’t use the vehicles to their fullest capacity because we fear for our lives and those of our passengers.”
The couple has since resorted to using the cars for e-hailing services, but Tumisang said their business is limping.
“When drivers hear the brake sounds, they get scared and refuse to drive. I have to find replacements, and it’s just a never-ending cycle of stress. This was supposed to help us with our business, but it has brought nothing but misery," he said.
When Tumisang was asked why he couldn't take one of the cars to help lighten the load, he explained that financial struggles had forced them to let go of their helper.
Consequently, he has stepped up to manage the household, get the kids ready for school, and assist them with their homework when they return.
Tumisang said he knocked on several doors trying to get help over his precarious situation.
'I reached out to the National Credit Regulator they acknowledged the email, but no action has been taken.
"I sent an email to Renault Motus South Africa, and they acknowledged via phone call that they received the email but to date nothing has been done. I made numerous calls to Auto City Heidelberg office trying to reach the dealer principal, but the person was always unavailable," he said.
"I then I asked for someone in charge and was given a manager who promised to instruct the sales manager to come and fetch the cars and it didn't happen," Tumisang said.
"When I followed up, he said that I should book the cars in and bring them myself as they are under warranty. I asked him to write an email stating what he told me, and he took my email address and said he will send the email but never did."
IOL called the Absa representative who assisted Tumisang's wife, but her phone was not answered. A WhatsApp text and an email were also not replied.
A reply from the dealership had not been received by the time of going to press.
IOL