Saturday 13 August 2022

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

How much was the engine?

Please advise. We went to a certain store in Mogoditshane to buy a car engine. Upon arrival we were told that the engine costs P9,800. After a discount we paid P8,700.

So then the manager told the shop assistant that the price has changed and was not updated on the system yet. He said the price is P14,000 and expected us to top up and pay the amount. We refused and requested a refund. He then changed and said it's fine we can take it. While they were preparing to give the engine to us another man came in seems like the owner and told us they will be making a loss if we took it at P8,700. They didn't want to give back our money and we ended up negotiating with them and taking it at P10,000.

I was just wondering if they are even allowed to do that to customers. I feel frustrated.


I think this store needs to think very carefully about how they advertise their products, in particular how they display their prices. You had a reasonable right to expect that the price displayed for the engine was the correct price and my view, as someone who isn't an attorney, just an amateur, is that once you paid the price and they accepted your money the engine was your property.

So maybe the store made a mistake when they displayed the price? Yes, that might be true, everyone makes mistakes sometimes. But the time to correct the mistake was before they took your money. And if they did make a mistake and don't want to sell you the item at the lower price, how dare they refuse you a refund? That's completely unacceptable.

You were very flexible and tolerant when you agreed to negotiate a higher price and I think the best thing is to put this behind you. Yes, you paid more than you originally thought but you paid a lot less than what the owner wanted you to.

Maybe you've done ok?

Where's my refund?

I wanted to track a lost phone and I searched numbers on Facebook to find someone to help me locate it. He said I should send P400. After a few hours I managed to find the phone and I called him to refund my money.

He said they had already cashed the money so I should wait until they close and he will ask his boss to ewallet which he didn't do. The following day he said we don't have enough in the till and he said he will do it when he goes for lunch. That's it, he stopped communicating with me. He's refusing to refund me and he's not picking my calls nor replying to my messages.

He said he is from a store which was a lie because when I called them they said they don't know him.


There are two issues here. Firstly, should he refund you? I think that depends on whether he did any work in the few hours after you sent him the P400. I suppose it's possible that in that time he was very busy doing his best to track your phone. It's possible you would have been very pleased to be told where your phone was. It's possible you would have thought it was value for money. However, I think it's up to him to demonstrate that he was a busy guy in that time. But that would mean he must answer his phone and anyone who refuses to answer for so long is hiding something.

The second thing is he's a liar. He claimed to be working for the company, he made excuses about talking to his boss and getting money from the till when in fact they've never heard of him. He was lying to you and you can't trust a liar.

This guy can't be trusted. I'll contact him and try to persuade him to do the right thing but you know something about liars? They lie. They can't be trusted. If that approach doesn't work I think you need to visit your local Police Station and suggest they consider laying a charge of Obtaining By False Pretence, contrary to Section 308 of the Penal Code. That should wake him up and help you get your money back.

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