Avoid like the plague

Don’t ever use this dealer. We bought a car from them, we were told the car was in excellent condition. The images on their site had clearly been doctored. The sales rep sent images from an old mobile phone e but assured us the interior was “spotless”. We had the car put through a full Dekra inspection where various issues were pointed out. But because the price was good and had assurance that the car had a full service history but that the last service had been done but was not put in the book, the interior was spotless and bodywork excellent we went forward with the deal. This is where our nightmare began. Our sales rep Lucky was dealing with the sale initially. He was unavailable on Monday morning, apparently in a very long meeting. We had been trying to arrange a Dekra full technical inspection since Saturday morning so we were getting inpatient. During this time I called the 010 number and requested to speak to Luckys manager. A gentleman named Lsiba said that he was Luckys manager. He subsequently took the vehicle to Dekra but because of the storm in CT was unable to make contact with us for just under an hour. He prepared all of the paperwork and sent it to us but we still wanted to have the full inspection carried out. We were under the impression he was assisting Lucky with the sale. During this time We discussed delivery as I wanted to have that setup pending the inspection which we were confident would have been positive as everyone had assured us the car was in a great condition and we were happy with the price and spec. Lsiba recommended AMR (Stanley) and said he was a verified service provider who couriered vehicles regularly and was coming to collect two vehicles that day. At no stage did he explain how the courier service worked with regards to documentation. I reached out to Stanley who was on the road but said he was collecting a number of vehicles that day. We had WhatsApp correspondence during which the price fluctuated. Initially he committed to R6000 to our destination (Greyton which is 130km from CT). Then he offered a discount (R5500) if he shipped the car direct to CT. We considered that but then he sent further correspondence saying he could put the car on a trailer for another R1500 (R7000 in total). We confirmed this service. I called him at lunch (13:00) and said that he needed to speak to Lucky from EBK who would deal with the collection. I followed up with Luckys number and he rep**** “OK”. I have another vehicle which needs to get to Cape Town and I asked him if he would be open to taking it back for R7500 all included. He didn’t reply and was not available for the rest of the day although he was online. My connection was intermittent and he had tried to call me on arrival at EBK. A few minutes later he sent a message saying that I was lying to him, that I was not there to meet him. I wasn’t sure whether it was meant for me or Lucky but I affirmed that I was not in jhb and that he needed to deal with Lucky. Lucky sent a message just before 5 saying the transport had arrived and sent me a picture of his drivers licence. I noticed that it had expired last year. I tried to call Lucky but he was not on WhatsApp. Mobile service was down due to the storm so I could not call via mobile. Stanley was cancelling my calls during this time (I later found out he was busy loading the vehicle). During this time I sent Lucky a voice note for an update and clarity on the process as we hadn’t yet received any documentation. I also pointed out that the drivers licence had expired. Lucky got back to me at 19:45 once he was home. Prior to this I received an image of the car on a flat bed with other vehicles from Stanley. I Asked Stanley about the paperwork and he said that it was all in the car. I asked him to please send a copy via email and he said he would only do it in the morning. I asked him about payment and he said I would pay when the car was on the truck and he mentioned R7500. I said that we had agreed to R7000. He started shouting at me and said he was taking the car back. I said that the price was too high, that I would collect the car in CT for R5500 which He agreed to. He then shifted the timeline from Thursday to Friday and said the vehicle was no longer leaving that night. This was concerning as we had gone through his reviews and there were a number who had stated that parts had been ****** from their vehicles. I had highlighted this previously and sent him the full Dekra inspection so that he knew we had a clear understanding of the vehicle. Wednesday came and Stanly was not available in the morning. I eventually got through to him and he stated that now the vehicle would only be sent out on Saturday. He was very rude saying I’m only sending one vehicle, not 10, that I don’t have the right to demand a time for my vehicle to arrive in CT. The primary issue here is that the vehicle was handed over to a courier company without any documentation provided or signed. Not even an email or anything official. For 3 days we had no idea where the car was and nobody at EBK was able to verify this either. They basically gave our car to a random person without any documentation. Eventually we had confirmation that the car was en route to CT. We drove to CT on faith calling the truck driver regularly while en route. We arrived in CT and still had no idea where the car was. As we arrived in CT we were sent an invoice for the delivery service and noticed a mobile number which we called. The owner of the delivery company was helpful and arranged for the car to be driven into CT CBD. It arrived with steam coming out of the engine bay. I checked the car and found that there wasn’t a drop of water in the radiator. We later found 1) that the bumper was attached with cable ties (we were told it had been detached and just needed to be clipped in properly) 2) the car was long overdue for a service 3) The clutch was fried 4) full front suspension and stabilisers and control arms needed replacement (we k ew about this), 5) the electric seat was damaged so doesn’t adjust, 6) The front driver window didn’t work properly, 7) The boot doesn’t close properly, 8) Power steering makes a noise when turning. Since having these looked at and having the basics repaired (R28000 later) The car wouldn’t start. 9) When we had the battery assessed we were told that the wrong battery was in place (smaller battery) so had to buy a new battery R1700. 10) Then the key failed and we were told we needed a new key (R4200). 11) We have discovered that the back floor mates were removed and the boot hatch cover is the wrong cover. 12) Cherry on top when we went to change the vehicle into our name and do the roadworthy they wanted to impound the vehicle saying that the 21 Nati’s sticker they stick above the licence disc wasnt legal. As such we weren’t able to do change of ownership and are no waiting g for EBK to finalise the paperwork on their end. When dealing with management EBK were all apologies, Alisha even telling us she was crying. They committed to refunding us R5000 for our troubles and said that members of their team were running a racket trying to ship cars and have the money transferred into their personal accounts. When this went to top level management we were told that their sales person followed protocol and that no refund would be paid over. How does allowing a car to leave your forecourt without any documentation protocol? How is sending a vehicle without the Natis documents protocol? These people are parasites of the highest order and deserve the bad karma coming their way. Disgusting excuses for humanity, the lot of them. Not a shred of honour between them. Avoid them like the plague, the worst experience I have ever had.