THE WORST EVER/DON'T EVER BUY FROM THEM

I'm writing about a recent experience I had at Mike's Place Engine Importers recently. I was aware of the positive and negative experiences many others (including in this group) have had regarding the service and products received from Mike's Place yet I still decided to give them a shot. A few months back they advertised a B18C4 motor for R17900. I called Irfaan asking for more information and everything started off well. I advised that I won't be able to pay the full amount at once and that I could put down a deposit end of R6000 at the end June and will pay the balance at the end of July (which he made a note of). When I paid the deposit I was assured by Irfaan that the motor is mine. In July things came up and I advised Irfaan that I won't be able to pay the balance but that I could pay another R3000 toward the motor and he said it was fine and I can take as long as I need. I contacted him again in August to apologise for how long I took to pay off the motor but I advised him that I made the necessary arrangements to pay the balance and collect the motor on Saturday, 26 August 2017 and he again assured me that it's all good and he looks forward to seeing me. Within the week of 20-26 August I contacted him again to ensure everything was in order to pay and collect the motor 26 August 2017 as I had the balance and initially he delayed for 1-2 days before getting back to me to tell me that the motor was sold as they could not longer keep it. However, he advised that they ordered another in a "better condition" with even "lower mileage" (I was advised this about the first motor as well) in 3/4 weeks and to make it seem as if they were doing me a favor I was told that this one goes for R19900 but they will still give it to me for R17900 as well. I then decided not to take the motor and opt for a refund as I had then changed my build plans which I informed them of. Irfaan assured me that the owner (Mike) will process the refund on Monday, 28 August 2017 because that's when he was in. That day came and went and still no refund. I contacted Irfaan via phone and they kept giving me stories for the delay. He eventually told me that the manager advised him the accountant has to do the refund and will only be in on Monday, 4 September 2017. Then to summarize the call between Billy and I on 30/31 August 2017: I was basically told indirectly that I caused them to lose business and caused them an inconvenience because they held the motor for so long and that they don't have to refund me as that was a non-refundable deposit (supposedly another "favor" they're doing me?) but throughout this entire issue (and I advised Billy of this too) is that there was no communication from their end stating that IF someone had come along with the full amount that they would sell that motor nor did they advise me that someone was there to buy the motor nor did they contact me afterward saying it was sold. Quite the opposite occured prior actually, I was assured by Irfaan that the motor was mine throughout the process for the last 2-3 months. Billy did apologise for the miscommunication during our phone call. My point is this, I don't mind that they sold the motor but I was not even notified during or after they did and what is more concerning, I doubt they would have told me at all had I not continually followed up. Bare in mind that when I paid the initial deposit I was advised by Irfaan that they were ordering more such motors in 6-8 weeks which will cost more because they are arriving with an LSD gearbox (S9B 4.26 final drive TORSEN LSD). I also asked Billy about these motors and why they couldn't then sell me one of those and he was taken back, not knowing anything about it.  This comes down to lack of communication and miscommunication from their end in my opinion as I constantly kept him up to date with what's happening on my end but sadly it was not reciprocated. At the moment I am still waiting on the refund of R9000. Based on my experience and many of those who have complained and even those who have not complained regarding their negative experience at Mike's I would strongly advise not to consider Mike's Place and their reviews are just stats which can be altered/skewed in their favor so that's not definitely not a trustworthy source. This is not my last resort and as I had advised them, I will escalate this. This does not build trust nor is it a good experience (which they clearly don't care about because they're Mike's, right) and no business can run on such poor customer service indefinitely. Regards