Soweto mom loses in vehicle deal
"VELOCITY CARS should refund my money and stop subjecting me to unnecessary pain and misery," Noxolo Mnukwa of Soweto says.
Last Monday, Consumer Line published an article highlighting the misery the motor dealership, which operates on the corner of First Avenue and Klipfontein Road in Cape Town, has put her through.
We reported that Mnukwa bought a Toyota Hi-Ace for R95,000 in May 2011, but it was totally damaged when the truck transporting it to Johannesburg overturned.
Velocity Cars claimed from their insurance company, Santam, which paid out R50,000.
Mnukwa rejected this amount. She wants back the R95,000 she paid. She believes that she was over-charged for the vehicle because Santam paid out so little.
But Velocity Cars' attorney, Jennifer Naidoo of J Naidoo attorneys, dismissed Mnukwa's accusation as unfounded.
She blames Mnukwa for negligence and says she should have insured the vehicle before it was transported.
The mother of two says she wanted to supplement her salary and decided to buy a minibus.
She says she was surfing the internet, spotted the vehicle and decided to buy it.
Defending her client, Naidoo says when an item is sold and paid for, the risk and benefit passes on to the buyer.
"Our client told Mnukwa about this. There was nothing stopping her from collecting the vehicle herself and driving it or transporting it to Johannesburg. This was brought to her attention, but she chose not to do this. She failed to insure the vehicle and now has to rely on our client's comprehensive insurance.
"The R50,000 is available to Mnukwa, but she refuses it. Instead of accepting responsibility for her own negligence, she blames our client," she says.
Naidoo increased the refund to R65,000 after Consumer Line asked her what happened to the R20,000 her client received after selling the mini-bus as a scrap.
She says the vehicle was sold at a market-related price.
"Our client is not obliged to insure all vehicles at the full purchase price. Your suggestion that Mnukwa was overcharged because the vehicle was insured for R50,000 is a misconception," Naidoo says.
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