My worst nightmare

I wanted to buy my wife a car, so she searched and found a Kia Picanto at this dealership, JP Duplesis and after approval stage the told me it was sold, then convinced me to take the one I bought and it ended in tears.

I am extremely disappointed with my experience with Auto City.

I purchased a Kia Picanto from the dealership, but after taking delivery, I discovered several issues with in 2 weeks by JP the sales man, that I believe were not properly disclosed to me before the purchase. I raised my concerns and, after MFC became involved, the vehicle was collected by someone sent by the dealership.

I initially struggled to get hold of the dealership manager directly. The person who collected the vehicle eventually provided me with the contact details for the group responsible for the dealership. I was then able to speak to Fayaaz, who is part of the management team. I explained that I no longer wanted the vehicle and that I was concerned about the process of simply repairing a vehicle that I had already lost confidence in.

I was then encouraged to consider taking another vehicle instead. I was open to this solution and travelled a considerable distance with my wife and children to personally inspect and select another vehicle. We eventually agreed on a Renault Kiger that we were happy with.

However, I was then informed that there would be a shortfall of approximately R50,000 due to the trade-in/settlement position. This makes replacing the vehicle extremely difficult financially and leaves me in a position where I do not feel I have a reasonable solution.

What is most frustrating is that I approached the dealership expecting assistance in resolving a vehicle problem, but I now feel that the proposed solutions have left me carrying the financial consequences of a situation I did not create.

I am currently pursuing the matter through the appropriate channels and considering referring the dispute to the relevant ombudsman. I had hoped to resolve this directly with the dealership, but the experience has been extremely disappointing.

I would not recommend this dealership based on my experience and would strongly advise prospective buyers to thoroughly inspect and verify everything before accepting delivery of a vehicle.