Don't use Dent Doctor Nelspruit!

I'd just like to share the experience I've had with Dent Doctor in Nelspruit recently. This is purely to tell people to stay away from them and rather use other panel beaters in the area if your insurance permits. I apologise for the long story but that's really what it is, filled with problems.

I took my vehicle in on the 12th of March 2018 and was given an estimated collection date of the 23rd of March. Judging by the delay my brothers car experienced a few weeks before I had no intention of holding them to that date. I then received a SMS stating that they are experiencing delays and the new collection date is the 30th of March. A week delay is quite a lot but one can let it slide. On the 27th of March I then receive another SMS saying the car will only be ready on the 6th of April. Another week delay. Seeing as they weren't bothering to call me and let me know why there is a 2 week delay I called them, they explained the delay and I was more than accommodating and accepting. I did not complain about the inconvenience it was causing, I think they took advantage of that. Just to state, the vehicle in for repairs is the only vehicle the family relies on.

On the day before the collection date I called them just to make sure that my car was definitely going to be ready as I had to make arrangements with the rental car company to collect the rental from Dent Doctor... I was assured that it was going to be ready, I was told that my car just needed to go into assembly, then needed to be washed and would be ready any time after 14h00 the next day. This I stupidly believed and went on to make arrangements with the rental company

On the day of collection, I'm basically ready to go and collect the vehicle as I had arranged for the rental company to pick the rental up at Dent Doc at 16h00 and I receive an SMS (the same old generated sms) from Dent Doctor at 15h07 saying the new collection date is the 9th of April. No phone call yet again, I have to phone them and find out what this is all about. They proceed to tell me exactly what they said the day before that the car needed to still go into assembly and then be washed afterwards, I told them this was a huge problem seeing as I was going to be left without transport for a whole weekend now. I also had made plans for that weekend that involved the vehicle. They said they would try their "best".

I then decided to call the manager who tells me some interesting new revelations, that not only did my car need to be assembled and washed, it also in fact still needed to go for quality checks at the Nissan dealership as well. Plus they needed to do their own quality checks. This means that they had been lying to me... Nevertheless the manager agreed to release the vehicle at 17h00 that afternoon provided I bring the vehicle back the following week to have the checks done. I got the vehicle at the agreed time, half washed...

If the story couldn't have more issues, when I get home I notice very big scratches on my rear windscreen right across the top, plain as day and not removable. Also on the left rear window I noticed what appeared to be burn marks on the window, something that had melted into the glass, it was small but noticeable. All of this wasn't there before. This I immediately alerted them about.

The following week I dropped my car off for the checks and they said they would sort the other issues out, and that I should be able to collect at the end of the day, this all costing me taxi fees back and forth. Still no apology.... I then pick my vehicle up later that day to find that the rear windscreen had been replaced but the rear window issue was not rectified, I could see they tried to sand or buff out the mark but it didn't work. Nevertheless I was not prepared to deal with them any more so I just left. Purely because I needed my vehicle and I wasn't going to leave it with them again. Fast forward a few weeks to now and I noticed that the right rear passenger window also has the same burn marks or what ever it may be, and there is also evidence that they tried to sand it out, very unprofessionally. There are clear sanding marks. In direct sunlight its very apparent and looks really bad.

All I can say is don't use them. Their customer relations are terrible, their communication is terrible, they don't keep to schedule, they lie to you and they return a vehicle to you that has new damage which they aren't prepared to fix properly. I don't expect them to reply to this as I see they don't in the other complaints but I hope this helps to deter you from them.