False promises regarding service plan and undisclosed fees at NFC Brackenfell.

On 16 January 2026, my husband and I took delivery of a brand-new Citroën C3 from the No Finance Cars (NFC) Brackenfell branch in Cape Town. We were assisted by sales agent Adnan and branch manager Gerrit Stakenberg. We initially wanted a VW Polo, but were told there was no stock. Gerrit explicitly persuaded us to take the Citroën instead, stating: "It's brand new and comes with a service plan, you won't get better." Based entirely on this verbal agreement and assurance—witnessed by both my husband and Adnan—we agreed to the Citroën. Our vehicle has now reached 14,000 km, and we contacted an approved Citroën dealership to book its first service. To our shock, we were informed that no active service plan exists on the system and that NFC needs to activate it. When I contacted NFC Johannesburg, I was told these cars do not come with service plans. Furthermore, when I confronted Gerrit and Adnan, both denied ever making this statement, completely going back on their word. Because we trusted the management team's word, we are now being asked for written proof. We are facing an urgent crisis: if this vehicle is not serviced before it hits 15,000 km, the 5-year Citroën factory warranty will be voided. We did not budget for out-of-pocket service costs because we were assured it was covered. To make matters worse, our license disc is expiring, and we have suddenly been hit with an undisclosed R600 fee plus courier costs, which was never communicated to us at signing. This is gross misrepresentation and dishonest sales conduct. I demand that NFC management reviews this matter urgently, honors the verbal agreement made by their branch manager, and activates the service plan before our factory warranty is permanently ruined. If this is not resolved immediately, I will be escalating this as a formal complaint to the relevant consumer protection bodies.