The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Where's my refund?

Good day Richard. I really need your assistance with a company. In 2024 I got into an agreement with them to finish my house, I paid them 70k in advance so they can buy the materials needed and do the job, that also included labour. l realise that was my mistake because this man has been giving me the run around since.. I even at some point involved the police and he plain told them he has no dealings with them, the police told me they were doing me a favor trying to engage with him but the issue is for the courts not them. I was dealing directly with him but after trying to get him to at least pay me back so I can engage someone else and him refusing I called the company itself and they told me they'd pay me in June and never got back to me.

I'm very sorry to hear about this. Unfortunately, while there are some builders who operate honestly and reliably, the industry has a significant minority who are the opposite. They're unreliable and uncommunicative.

However, the Police were correct. This almost certainly isn't a criminal matter, it's a civil one between you and the company. But that doesn't mean they can behave like this. It doesn't mean they can take your money, not complete the work and then take their time refunding you.

Also, there's a little-known part of the Consumer Protection Act that applies. Section 14 says that a consumer has a right to:

"timely performance and completion" of services

and:

"timely notice of any unavoidable delay". 

It's not unreasonable. Companies must keep us up-to-date, and if there are delays, they need to be open about them.

I'll contact them and see if I can explain this to them. I'll use very simple words.

Update: They responded and sent me details about some payments they've already made to you. They promised the balance next month. Please let me know what happens.

Do I owe them?

Hello Richard, can you help me? I have been paying my car insurance from 2021 paying from P800 monthly. As the car depreciated I'm now paying P697 and the contract is being reviewed and signed yearly. So in 2023 I didn't manage to pay 1 month.

In 2024 we signed a new contract and I did not miss a single payment to date. Now they refuse to repair my windscreen saying I need to pay the 2023 money first. It's not fair to me. I paid them more than P30k and they can't fix something for P1,800. It really hurts.

The insurance company are probably correct. They gave you insurance cover under your previous policy for the month you missed and you still owe them for it.

I know it sounds inconsiderate, but if you check your policy you'll probably find a section that says you're only entitled to a payout if you're fully up-to-date with your instalments.

I contacted the insurance company and they're looking into the situation. My prediction is they'll still demand that payment. I think it's worth paying then that missing instalment to get the much larger payout, don't you?

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Can they force me to pay?

I need your help here. Last year I was involved in an accident with another car, and I damaged the car rear bumper. The lady her car was insured and mine not, and I just received a bill from the insurance company to pay the bill and I wasn't consulted in choosing in the decision making. I don't have a problem paying the bill but the fact that all the decisions were made without my consent, I don't feel right. I need to lodge a complaint to the insurance broker.

Yet again, this is a very good example of how useful a vehicle insurance policy can be. If you'd had what they call a "third-party" insurance policy, almost all of the costs you're now facing would have been paid for by your insurance company. You would only have been asked to pay a relatively small "excess" amount.

Without such a policy, the entire cost is paid by you. Often people ask why the insurance company isn't taking on the cost, aren't they there to pay for the repairs? Yes, that's true, but they only protect the person who pays their premiums, in this case the person whose car you damaged. Not you. They are entitled to recover the price they paid from the person who caused the collision. You.

Meanwhile, I think it's fair for the insurance company to justify the amount they want you to pay, so you can check you're not being asked to pay more than necessary. If they don't cooperate, let me know.

Can't they replace it?

Hello Richard, i am kindly asking for help. I bought a phone on credit and the phone gave me problem. I cannot operate it. Its a new Huawei Nova 12i. On the day I paid P1,500, and then it was delivered to me on Tuesday, then Wednesday I went to them explaining that the phone is giving me problem because apparently it does not support Google Playstore. I did not know this so I could not download any apps, popular apps like Facebook, WhatsApp nor TikTok. I went to the shop and I explained everything to them the sales people tried to assist but they failed.

They asked me to come back again the following day so they could try but when I got home I thought to myself why pay for something that I will not use freely and it will give me problem all the time because I do not know how to operate it. Why not ask for something that I can use without any problems?

I requested for an exchange but they are refusing. They would rather download apps for me and get everything running for me rather than swap. I called the boss and I explained everything to her and she said she will call me back which she never did. I got a message that they stand by their option of helping me down the apps rather than exchanging.

I'm not sure there's much you can do here. It's been widely discussed in the last few years that Huawei devices were (probably rather stupidly) blocked from using the Google Play Store by the US government in 2019. Any device launched by Huawei now use Huawei's own AppGallery which allows you to download the apps. It's slightly more complicated but my understanding is that you can still function normally and use the apps you need.

In this situation, I think it's best to allow the store to help you download the apps you want. They seem to understand the process better than you or me.

The lesson is always to ask some questions before you buy an expensive gadget. If necessary, ask them to demonstrate how the device operates before you pay them.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Why won't they fix it?

I purchased a laptop in January this year. In July, the battery began malfunctioning. It would drop to around 30–40% and then shut down abruptly. Attempting to restart it without connecting to the charger was futile; only when plugged in would it power on, still showing the same 30–40% battery level. Matters worsened when it eventually refused to switch on at all without being connected to the charger, despite showing battery levels as high as 60–70% once powered. At the beginning of August, I returned the laptop to the store to report the battery issue. I left it with one of the staff members for diagnosis, and their feedback was that the battery was no longer functional. I accepted that diagnosis and asked about the way forward. I was told the matter would be escalated to the manager. Unfortunately, my efforts to obtain the manager's feedback were met with ignored messages and dropped calls. I relayed this to the staff member I had initially spoken with, who later informed me that their manager was out of the country and could only assist upon his return next week. I was advised to collect my laptop in the meantime and wait until the manager was available. This has left me feeling deeply disappointed. I purchased this device in good faith and have received little to no meaningful support in resolving what I believe is a legitimate concern.

I think you 're right to be disappointed. You spent a lot of money on a laptop and you deserve better. In fact, you deserve a lot more. My first concern is that on the receipt you were given, it says "No warranty on hardware". Seriously? Do they understand nothing about consumer rights? Don't they know that Section 16 of the Consumer Protection Act clearly says that a consumer can return a faulty item within 6 months? Saying there's no warranty is ridiculous.

It gets worse. The device you bought was described on the receipt as a "MacBook Pro 2016" which was a warning. Why is a device from 2016 being sold in 2025? Clearly because it's second-hand. I checked the serial number of the device and Apple reports that this laptop was first sold in November 2018. So obviously not new. Did they disclose that to you? Apparently not. 

I contacted the store and they came up with a lengthy list of excuses, none of which matter. They are selling devices improperly and I suggest you contact the Competition and Consumer Authority and ask them to intervene. This needs to be stopped. 

Can they repair it? 

I purchased a Samsung phone on June 30th. On July 14th I returned it because the phone wouldn't charge. I walked into their shop a few times in the last couple of weeks to check. On my last visit I told the shop manager that given that the phone was bought new I think they must just replace it. My suspicion was that since it's taking the repair centre lots of time then there certainly must be a problem with it. Today, I went in again and he told me like he did last time that his boss is insisting on giving me back the repaired phone. I left it, didn't take it and told him I'm going to have to inform myself before accepting it back!! If I ever will accept it. Am I wrong in not accepting the repaired phone?

Is this another supplier who doesn't understand how they must treat consumers?

Section 16 of the Consumer Protection Act says that if a consumer returns a faulty product within 6 months of purchase, they must either repair it, replace it or refund the customer. However, it's up to the store to decide which option they choose. They CAN choose to repair it. However, what they often forget is that the Act also says that if the same problem occurs again within 3 months, they can't try to repair it again. Then they must either replace it or refund you.

Shall I explain this to them or will you?

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Can they do this?

Good day sir. I come with a very heavy heart. Last year I had a very huge family challange and so I was forced to pawn my car to get funds to help. My concern is that there is a lot of cheating when it comes to adding interest.

They don't wait for 30 days to go by before they add interest. For example: if I took the loan out on the 8th August my understanding is that after 30 days is when they can add interest but this is not the case here. If I would pay in maybe the 25th August 2025 they don't wait for my 30 days to lapse. They add immediate interest on the 25th August 2025. I have been paying since last year and my loan is just never ending because I'm receiving interest in a very unfair manner. Thus has really put a huge strain on my finance as I am trying my level best to provide for my family and repay the loan at the same time. I pray you are able to assist me.

Pawn shops strike again. I dislike pawn shops as much as I dislike hire purchase and payday lenders. The pawn shop industry is very effective at exploiting the desperate and the poorest elements of society, who find themselves urgently needing money, people who don't have the time or ability to save up for a purchase or those, like you, who don't have the cash to pay for an emergency expense.

It's very difficult for me to comment on when and how they should be charging interest but the good news is that pawn shops are regulated by NBFIRA, the Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority. NBFIRA have been quite active with pawn shops and they have the power to demand that this pawn shop explains themselves to them and to you. I suggest you contact them as soon as possible.

The bigger lesson is please, whatever you do, try to avoid pawning goods to raise money. Their terms and conditions benefit them, not us and if anything goes wrong, you can end up owing them a lot of money, a lot more than you borrowed. And you lose the goods you gave them.

When will they refund me?

I have a story with people from a tombstone company. I bought a tombstone from them for P4,500. Early last month or so I asked for refund since it came to our attention that my deceased Mom had already paid for her own tombstone but this people are playing games with me. Mr Richard they since gave me P1,000 and P500. I told them my rent is due I need my money they ain't replying to my messages. I did not pay rent as I'm currently unemployed but they owe me P3,000.

Firstly, I'm very sorry for the loss of your mother.

The problem here is that it's not the tombstone company's fault that you needed to cancel the deal. The good news is that I contacted the owner of the company and he responded. He told me that:

"the material had already been bought, so as customers come to buy, we give him something. We paid 1,000 and last week we gave him 500."

I know it's frustrating but I think you need to give the company a little time to gather the money he's offered to refund you. I'll keep in touch with him to offer some encouragement.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

How much must I pay?

Richard, assist me here please regarding micro lenders. They lend me money, I was given P3,000 and they tell me their interest is 25% and I told them ok I will pay in 3 months. To my surprise my first deduction was P1,536.89 and now they are telling me the balance will also have another 25%. I want to know is it how they should operate? It's a registered micro lender and they are telling me they are using PayM8 system. I asked them so why the first deduction so high. I thought 25% of P3,000 should be P750.

I think you've misunderstood how borrowing money works. I also think the microlender you selected completely failed to explain it to you. That was their job.

When you borrow money from a commercial lender, there are two parts of the debt. Firstly, there's the capital amount that you borrowed. You borrowed P3,000 over three months so you can expect to pay that amount back in three installments, averaging P1,000 each month.

On top of the capital there's the cost of borrowing and the biggest component will be the interest, in your case 25% of the capital amount each month. The exact details will depend on the loan agreement you signed but I think you've forgotten about the capital repayment. I did some simple calculations based on what you told me and the figure they're charging you does seem to be approximately what I would expect.

If you haven't got it already, you need to ask this microlender for a copy of your loan agreement. You then need to read it carefully and ask them to explain anything you don't understand.

Why did they reject me?

I bought a cellphone from a store at Riverwalk last year on instalments. Then it got stolen from my bag at Phakalane mall. Now I have reported it at Phakalane police station and submitted the police report. It's been 4 months and now a lady from the store called me to say that the insurance company has rejected the claim.

This is one of those situations where everything depends on the small print.

One of the very few good things about hire purchase agreements is that they usually include an insurance policy. It's rarely a good policy because it's there to support the company, not you. If you lose your job, it's there to cover the repayments that you can no longer make. However, the conditions are often quite strict. It often only covers you if you are retrenched, not if you resign and not if you're fired.

These policies also cover you against theft of the item, which sounds good, but again isn't always as good as it sounds. I've heard of situations where the claim is denied if you left a door unlocked or gate open at your house and the thieves easily gained entry. Sometimes it doesn't cover you if you are away from home, like you were. It's another reason why it's incredibly important to read the very small print in your agreements and then, to have your own household insurance policy that might cover all the events the store's policy fails to cover.

I'll contact the store and see if they can double check their insurance.