Asked by the Customer on 10-06-2014 11:21:30
Question posted in the Consumer Protection Law category relating to KwaZulu-Natal
Question posted in the Consumer Protection Law category relating to KwaZulu-Natal
Good Morning,
I’m dropping you an email to see if you are able to assist or if you can advise me on what my rights are or if I have any come back on the following:
I bought a second hand car “voetstoots” that I saw advertised on Gumtree from a couple on the Bluff. The car was advertised for R8 000 and it was said that it “needs a little tlc”.
We went round to view the car and saw that there was a little rust, which wasn’t a problem, and that the interior needed some attention. There were also a few minor body repairs that needed to be done. The husband told us that he was in the process of doing the car up, but that he found that he didn’t have the time anymore.
The husband then put a battery into the car (there wasn’t one in the car at the time) and started the engine. Everything seemed ok at the time. He then went on to tell us that he had all sorts of work on the car e.g new spark plug and leads, new cam belt and a few other things. He did say that we needed to do wheel alignment because when he did the cam belt, it caused the alignment to go out of sinc.
We explained to them that we were selling our car and that once we had the cash we would come back and take the car. My husband asked if they would accept a lower offer than R8 000 seeing that we would need to buy a new battery and the fact that there a few things that needed to be done and we were told that they would take R6 000.
After a week we were able to sell our car and we went back to get the car. We then handed over the cash and were given the papers for the car.
Once we got the car started and left, we were only a little way down the road, stopped at a stop street and the car cut out and would not start again, it was completed “dead”, which we found strange as we had put a brand new battery in. After we had pushed it off the road, I telephoned the woman and asked if they had jumper cables, thinking that maybe the battery needed a “kick” start. I telephone her and told her what had happened and her and her brother came down to us with the cables. The car would still not start and after her brother had “looked” around the engine, he said that maybe the starter button was faulty (there was a button that you had to push after you turned the key in the ignition). They then said that they would go and get a tow rope and help us tow the car to our home. They returned with a rope and then I suggested that maybe if we pushed the car and jump started it, maybe it would start if it was only the starter button. This we did manage to do.
Once we got the car home, it still wouldn’t start and we eventually got it down to our mechanic, who has subsequently informed us that the car is going to cost in the region of R6 500.00 to get it back on the road. He has told us that the car needs a new starter motor, a new water pump, a new cam belt (which we were told had been fitted) and a new wiper blade motor. None of these were mentioned to us when we went to view and when we bought the car.
What I would like to know is do we have any rights on this matter by maybe trying to return the car and ask for our money back or can we insist that they pay for the repairs. I know we bought the car voetstoots, but I have that apparently the law with buying something voetstoots has changed.
Regards Lorinne Hawkins
I’m dropping you an email to see if you are able to assist or if you can advise me on what my rights are or if I have any come back on the following:
I bought a second hand car “voetstoots” that I saw advertised on Gumtree from a couple on the Bluff. The car was advertised for R8 000 and it was said that it “needs a little tlc”.
We went round to view the car and saw that there was a little rust, which wasn’t a problem, and that the interior needed some attention. There were also a few minor body repairs that needed to be done. The husband told us that he was in the process of doing the car up, but that he found that he didn’t have the time anymore.
The husband then put a battery into the car (there wasn’t one in the car at the time) and started the engine. Everything seemed ok at the time. He then went on to tell us that he had all sorts of work on the car e.g new spark plug and leads, new cam belt and a few other things. He did say that we needed to do wheel alignment because when he did the cam belt, it caused the alignment to go out of sinc.
We explained to them that we were selling our car and that once we had the cash we would come back and take the car. My husband asked if they would accept a lower offer than R8 000 seeing that we would need to buy a new battery and the fact that there a few things that needed to be done and we were told that they would take R6 000.
After a week we were able to sell our car and we went back to get the car. We then handed over the cash and were given the papers for the car.
Once we got the car started and left, we were only a little way down the road, stopped at a stop street and the car cut out and would not start again, it was completed “dead”, which we found strange as we had put a brand new battery in. After we had pushed it off the road, I telephoned the woman and asked if they had jumper cables, thinking that maybe the battery needed a “kick” start. I telephone her and told her what had happened and her and her brother came down to us with the cables. The car would still not start and after her brother had “looked” around the engine, he said that maybe the starter button was faulty (there was a button that you had to push after you turned the key in the ignition). They then said that they would go and get a tow rope and help us tow the car to our home. They returned with a rope and then I suggested that maybe if we pushed the car and jump started it, maybe it would start if it was only the starter button. This we did manage to do.
Once we got the car home, it still wouldn’t start and we eventually got it down to our mechanic, who has subsequently informed us that the car is going to cost in the region of R6 500.00 to get it back on the road. He has told us that the car needs a new starter motor, a new water pump, a new cam belt (which we were told had been fitted) and a new wiper blade motor. None of these were mentioned to us when we went to view and when we bought the car.
What I would like to know is do we have any rights on this matter by maybe trying to return the car and ask for our money back or can we insist that they pay for the repairs. I know we bought the car voetstoots, but I have that apparently the law with buying something voetstoots has changed.
Regards Lorinne Hawkins
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