Shocking Service and Negligence at Mercedes-Benz Centurion

I am extremely disappointed and frustrated with the service I’ve received from Mercedes-Benz Centurion and Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA).

I initially took my car in for a warning light, and my sales advisor was Tanya. When I collected my vehicle, I immediately noticed that several buttons were malfunctioning — for example, when I tried to switch on the air conditioner, the hazard lights would come on instead, and vice versa.

I immediately contacted the dealership and spoke to Ouma, who repeatedly told me that Tanya was busy with clients and would call me back. Despite numerous follow-ups, Tanya never returned my calls.

Out of frustration, I escalated the matter to Mercedes-Benz South Africa, who came back with a dismissive response — claiming the dealership denied spilling anything in the car and therefore would not take responsibility. I explained that I’m not an expert; I simply reported what I observed and requested that they inspect the car properly. Unfortunately, that was the end of their assistance.

Given the lack of accountability, I then contacted Norman (Pre-Owned Manager) to express my disappointment. I bought this vehicle in April 2024, and within less than a year, it has been back to the dealership over four times, including one major breakdown. I expressed my concern that once the service plan expires, these recurring issues will become my financial burden. Norman promised to get back to me — two months later, I have still not received any feedback.

Shortly after the button malfunction incident, my air conditioner started making strange noises. I booked the car in again and mentioned the button issue. This time, Emily (Sales Advisor) informed me that the aircon issue was fixed but that they couldn’t find any fault with the buttons — adding that it looked like “something had spilled,” and they cleaned it.

This is completely unacceptable — Mercedes-Benz previously denied any spill, yet their own workshop later admitted it. When I asked Emily to have Tanya call me, I never received that call either.

To make matters worse, when I got home, I realized that my son’s Samsung phone, which had been left in the car’s compartment, was missing. I immediately called the dealership, and once again, Ouma told me Emily would call back — she never did.

Today, I called again and asked to speak to the Dealer Principal Jean Van Dyk. Ouma said he was not in, but when I obtained his number and called, he told me he was actually at work. I explained everything from the start, and he showed no concern or willingness to assist, merely repeating that the dealership “would never spill anything in a car” and that they warn clients to remove valuables — completely avoiding accountability.

This entire experience has been beyond disappointing. The staff are unresponsive, dismissive, and dishonest, and the lack of accountability is alarming.

I am part of a group of 50 female Mercedes-Benz owners who proudly represent the brand through our charity work and community engagements — essentially promoting Mercedes-Benz for free. However, this experience has completely shattered my confidence in the brand. If this is how Mercedes-Benz treats loyal customers, perhaps we should all consider moving to BMW, where customer care and integrity still mean something.

I no longer want this car — it has a troubling history that Mercedes-Benz Centurion is clearly concealing, and I feel completely failed and disrespected by both the dealership and MBSA.

Mercedes-Benz Centurion has dragged a prestigious brand into the mud.