No assistance & no parts from Nissan SA

My 2023 Nissan Magnite was involved in a motor vehicle accident on 10 April 2024. The vehicle is insured and was authorised to be repaired by Nissan approved panelbeaters.

Parts for the vehicle was put on back order on or about 24 April 2024 with an ETA of 4 to 6 weeks. Another part was ordered, which was as at 23 May 2024 still on it's way to Nissan head office from outside SA. The parts are then sent from the Nissan Warehouse to the Nissan Dealership and from there, it will only be sent to the panelbeater. During my conversations with both Rodney and Cecilia (***) from Nissan Customer Care (***), they could not tell me the exact details that I asked for and I only got basic information at hand.

Now another part must be ordered, with a further ETA of 4 – 6 weeks. From correspondence with Nissan Parts Managers, it was confirmed that there is not a single part (now a shock absorber) available in South Africa and they are all working on back-orders.

From the aforementioned, we are not close to having my vehicle back soon. I have been without a vehicle for a month and my insurance company is no longer providing a rental vehicle, which means that the RENTAL IS NOW FOR MY OWN COST AND I STILL HAVE TO PAY MY MONTHLY FINANCE INSTALLMENT UNTIL MY VEHICLE IS COMPLETELY REPAIRED.

During my discussions, and a physical visit to Nondi at Nissan Head Office, since I reported the complaint to Nissan SA, I emphasised the fact that, I AS CONSUMER CANNOT BE PREJUDICED BECAUSE MY VEHICLE RENTAL PERIOD DEPENDS ON WHAT MY INSURANCE COMPANY AFFORDS ME, BUT IS THEN BEING HAMPERED BY THE MANUFACTURER NOT KEEPING PARTS (OF BRAND-NEW VEHICLES) IN THE WHOLE OF SOUTH AFRICA.

I have requested, and subsequently demanded, that Nissan SA provide me with a courtesy vehicle until my vehicle has been repaired, as I cannot be without a vehicle and at Nissan’s problem should not be my liability. Nissan SA refuses to provide me with a courtesy vehicle, which I regard to be unprofessional and inconsiderate of service to its customers.

Despite my continuous efforts to communicate and resolve this issue through phone calls and emails, I unfortunately received zero assistance or resolution from Nissan’s side. The resistance that I met when trying to address my concerns has been frustrating and completely uncourteous. I trust this is not the way that Nissan SA wishes to conduct business with valued customers, and the kind of assistance I receive, or lack thereof, in no way contributes positively to the reputation of the company and reflects poorly, discouraging potential customer engagement. Nissan SA has only advised that a courtesy car can only be provided to a customer for warranty repairs should the components required not be available. Taking into account the extent of my complaint, my request and demand for assistance is not based on any contractual responsibility, but taking account of Nissan’s commitment towards customer care, by assuring:

1. product availability, reliable support channels, long-term customer relations and proactive customer service; 2. Nissan’s promise to customers to ‘provide our customers with the peace of mind they need’, 3. obtaining and maintaining customer goodwill by providing high-quality service and having successful customer relations. It is however, unfortunate that Nissan disregards my loyalty as a long-standing customer, having bought several new vehicles over the years. It is unfortunate that I now have no other resort than to express my concerns through client’s reviews, file complaints with the appropriate consumer agencies and consider my legal alternatives.