Complaint of Poor Customer Service and Unfairness by King Price

I made a call to King Price to claim for a courtesy car in line with my insurance. My Nissan Magnite was involved in an accident in 2024 and repaired by Bruce Penal Beaters in Pietermaritzburg. Bruce Panel Beaters were approved by King Price as a trusted panel beater. My vehicle was kept by Bruce Panel Beaters from September 2024 to January 2025. I trusted the Panel Beater to be doing quality repair works on my car as they were also approved by my Insurance, King Price.

- The delayed completion of repair works at Bruce Panel Beaters caused a serious inconvenience on me as a costumer and my family in general.

- I did not have a Curtesy Car Cover at the time. However, even with that, a period of around 5 months of not having a car and having to pay from the pocket to have an alternative vehicle to maintain way of life was too much and unfair.

Nevertheless, I received my vehicle in January 2025. I immediately amended my insurance policy with King Price to include the following covers: shortfall and courtesy car to avoid the challenges I experienced during the repairs.

On 13 June 2025, I took my vehicle in for car service at Nissa Gezina Service Centre for the 15,000 km service under the Nissan Service Plan. However, only three months later I had to return the vehicle to the Nissan Service Centre in Gezina, Gauteng, South Africa, on 30 September 2025, after experiencing:

· A liquid substance (oily and yellowish) was leaking on the driver’s side of the bonnet. · The car was releasing smoke from the bonnet with a burning smell. · There were rattling sounds in the bonnet and the vehicle sounded like a heavy machine – akin to a diesel engine.

On 30 September 2025, I received feedback from Nissan Gezina Service Centre indicating that **** parts were found in my car. Nissan Gezina Service Centre has provided me with a repair quote of ~R22,000 to restore the engine to a safe operating condition, ensure engine protection, and prevent secondary damage.

I am deeply disappointed by this turn of events, especially after entrusting the fixing of my vehicle to King Price and its service providers to provide quality of customer support and handle the repairs professional with high levels of ethic and integrity.

On 30 September 2025, after receiving feedback and report from Nissan Gezina Service Centre, I made a call to inform King Price of developments and request courtesy car. I had engagements with King Price Agent Mr Ronald Botes.

I indicated to the King Price consultant, Mr Ronalds Botes, that I received feedback from Nissan Gezina Service Centre indicating that **** parts were found in my car and that it was indicated in the report that this was as a result of repairs that were done on the vehicle after it had an impact/accident.

I informed Mr Ronalds Botes of the situation and requested the following from him: 1. King Price to contact Bruces Penal Beaters and inform them of a report received from Nissan Gezina Service Centre; and 2. King Price to arrange for a courtesy car as per my Courtesy Vehicle Cover to maintain my way of life while other processes are unfolding.

As a King Price agent, Mr Ronalds Botes did not show empathy or understanding of my situation. He dismissed my request of courtesy car while rudely shouting at me to drive his own view of the matter that I brought to King price. He did not even bother to reflect the problem I was presenting to him back to me. Instead, he was hostile and did not bother to confirm that he understood my predicament. He did not provide me with a call reference, despite my request – this was important to me for my query to be logged so that I do not explain myself over and over again to every agent that I talk to under this stressful event.

I explained to Mr Ronalds Botes that I am currently inconvenienced, without transport to cater for my needs and family needs resultant from the doing of external parties, particularly Bruce’s Penal Beaters who was appointed by King Price and this did not matter to him. He simply did not want to understand, he threw a book at me and simply dismissed my points or proposals. He was only interested in pushing his own approach for me to drive the car to the Penal Beater which I found to be absurdity, rigid and not considerate of the inconvenience caused to me let alone address my immediate emergency. I made a point to indicate that the car is not drivable and would pose a risk to me if I were to drive it to the Penal Beaters especially because they are in Pietermaritzburg and I am in Pretoria. Not to mention that I am covered for towing anyways.

Even when I told him that this matter will be escalated to my lawyers, he simply brushed me off indicating that my own lawyers will tell me exactly what he was telling me, effectively meaning you are on your own the whole system is against you.

Mr Botes did not focus on helping me to get this issue of getting a courtesy car resolved, he did not bother to identify the inconvenience caused (and potential liability) to King Price and its trusted Bruce Panel Beater. He failed to outline to me defined timelines of when my problem can be resolved but rather focussed on winning the conversation. Instead of guiding the conversation he wanted to control it at my expense as a client of King Price leaving me in limbo and detriment.

Mr Botes told me that Bruce’s Penal Beaters must investigate and provide a report to King Price. When I raise a point of conflict of interest and potential biasness on Bruce’s Penal Beaters investigating themselves and the need for an independent investigation to avoid cover-up especially with the issue of **** parts, Mr Botes did not entertain my point.

While Mr Botes acceded to my request for King Price to contact Bruce’s Penal Beaters and inform them of these developments so that they can take accountability and Carbon Copy me on the email for transparency the man was abrasive, rude, and inconsiderate. He did not demonstrate emotional intelligence, raised his voice towards me and undermined me as a client of King Price while I spoke more slowly and with a lower tone to demonstrate to him that I am being respectful, matured and understanding and maintaining control over my emotions even when I felt undermined, talked down to. King Price through Mr Botes behaviour and attitude makes me believe that King Price is not on my side and introduced in me doubt that King Price cares for its clients.

Eventually I proceeded to request recordings of the telephonic conversation and Mr Botes said that it was not possible to get it on the same day, 30 September 2025, but the following day 1 October 2025. I am still waiting for the recording and there has been no feedback or follow-up from Mr Botes to me in this regard.

I am in the middle of entities and none of them seems to be wanting to take accountability on my suffering. I need a vehicle to maintain my way of life but can’t seem to be helped. Why?

The lack of a vehicle has placed me in an unfair position where I am expected to pay out of pocket to have a car to maintain my way of life. I have no idea of how the counterfeit components were installed in my vehicle. I am not the cause of this problem, and I did not appoint Bruce Penal Beaters let alone approve the parts used on my car. It is unacceptable that my finances must be disrupted by an event that was wholly not of my own doing, especially when the same problem placed my family at risk of further accidents that may have led to serious injuries or even worse, death.

The burning smell and fumes from the bonnet on 29 September 2025 caused significant distress and safety concerns to me and my family. The ongoing issues have disrupted my ability to work and my children’s ability to attend school, severely impacting our daily lives and well-being. King Price is not willing to help me with a vehicle to maintain my way of life while waiting for the problem on my car to be resolved.

This experience has eroded my trust in King Price. The brand’s promise of quality service, reliability, and customer care has not been upheld in this instance. I was humiliated on the call; treated like a non-paying client; concerns I raised were not entertained; my proposals were dismissed; and I was shouted at like I was a child. I am aggrieved with this treatment and demand a satisfactory resolution to restore my faith in King Price as an insurance brand that values its customers and is on their clients’ side instead of seeing clients only as cash ***s.

The following is the recourse that I am requesting:

1. Accountability: Mr Botes needs to be held accountable of his actions and attitude. He is in my view not fit for customer service role. 2. Immediate mobility solution: King Price must provide means of mobility while my vehicle’s issues are being resolved. This should be arranged promptly to maintain my family’s way of life, my work routine and my children’s school commitments.

It is my strong position that I should be provided with a courtesy car because the costly inconvenience I am faced with, is not a doing on my part but results from a relationship between King Price and Bruce Panel Beaters; resultant from the poor-quality work and counterfeit parts installed in my car.

My understanding of qualifying to receive a courtesy car, is that such a cover must be in place with the insurer and covers accident and non-accident-related claims that renders the car unavailable or not fit for use.

In my case, my vehicle is pending major repairs at Nissan Service Centre, it is undrivable due to a mechanical breakdown – it is not routine service; it is upon this basis that I am invoking a courtesy car request from King Price.

The following are next steps that I want King Price to take: 1. A formal investigation should be instituted with transparency to establish who approved use of **** parts in my Nissan Magnite. 2. If established, King Price must hold their service provider, Bruce’s Penal Beaters, accountable for use of incorrect/counterfeit parts immediately and make provision for legitimate OEM parts replacement plan, verification of the parts, and their correct installation. 3. I am demanding a time-bound plan for repairs and restoration of my car to safe operating condition by 6 October 2025. 4. King Price must make provision of a courtesy vehicle by 6 October 2025 to ensure uninterrupted mobility for my family during the repair period. 5. King Price must demand that Bruce’s Penal Beaters keep direct communication from one of their senior executive or appointed liaisons to ensure accountability and timely updates to me as a client.

I request a prompt response and a detailed plan outlining how King Price will address these concerns including a timeline and point of contact to demonstrate King Price’s commitment to its customers and brand integrity.