A young Delft dad, who paid a R22 000 deposit on his very first set of wheels, claims a car dealership has taken him for a ride.
Yazeed Marais, 27, says he went to Mel’s Motors in Voortrekker Road, Goodwood, in March hoping to purchase a lekker family car.
He says he spotted one he liked and put down a deposit to secure the vehicle but was told days later that it was suddenly “unavailable”.
“I went to Mel’s Motors and saw a silver VW Polo sedan that was between R70 000 and R75 000,” he explains.
“I made a deposit of R22 000 but a few days later, they called me up to tell me the sedan is no longer available but they had a VW Polo hatchback for me.”
The father of two says he had his heart set on a sedan, and asked for his money back.
GATVOL: Yazeed Marais, 27, of Delft wants R22 000 back
“They told me the hatchback would cost R150 000, and I said no, I just want my money back,” complains Yazeed.
“They agreed and told me they needed to fill in a cancellation form and it would take a total of 14 working days before I could get my money back.”
He says he granted them the time, but the days turned into weeks and then months and finally he became gatvol: “I kept calling, sending SMSes and WhatsApp messages. I have been in contact with the owner, Melanie Koen, her husband Riaan and the manager Yaya.
“I took out a loan for the vehicle, now I have no car, no money and I still need to repay the loan. This is not right,” the father says angrily.
He says it’s three months later and now everyone at Mel’s is simply avoiding him.
SOLD: VW Polo sedan he secured
“I even spoke to their accountant who promised me the money would be in my account by the end of that week. But to date, nothing.
“My WhatsApp messages are now being ignored. All I want is my money back,” Yazeed adds.
In an email dated 28 March, Melanie Koen told Yazeed his money would be refunded.
“The accountants will update Yaya as to when the payout will be done as Yaya deals with our cancellation processes,” the email said.
Mel’s Motors did not respond to Daily Voice’s calls or emails.
EVIDENCE: Yazeed’s proof of payment
On four different occasions, a sales rep, who identified himself as Michael, claimed Koen was in meetings and “would get back to you”.
In February 2018, the car dealership was also in the news after they refused to refund a Blue Downs couple to whom they sold a dud car for R130 000.
The couple spent an extra R10 000 to fix the red VW Golf GTI 2007 model which they said was “falling apart”.