Unprofessional, Dishonest and Childlike Behavior.

<p> The back bumper of my car was damaged about a month ago. Seeing as I live quite far in the north in Pretoria, Progress Panelbeater North is fairly close to me. After getting the go ahead by my insurance company, I sent my car in and received a hired car. I was supposed to receive my car two weeks after placing it in, however, I only received word from my insurance company and the hire car company that it would be delayed for two more weeks. </p> <p>Yesterday, 21 October 2016, I receive a phone call from the panel beaters that my car is ready to collect. And I had excess to pay and thus, I asked the receptionist to email me the invoice. And a message from the car hire that I would have to return the car to by today, 22 October 2016. I left my home at around 10:30 and arrived at the panel beater before 11am and had made arrangements for the car hire company to retrieve the car at the panel beaters. When I arrived, I was given a detailed description of what was done to the car and handed the keys once it was driven out for me to the parking. After the receptionist, informed me that I had to pay the amount of excess to them before I could receive my car. I was never informed of this beforehand and when I had told them this, they pulled out documents I had signed that stated I would need to pay the full amount before receiving my car, they did not have a working card payment terminal and I would either have to bring cash or send the payment by EFT two days before hand.</p> <p>The panel beaters called the insurance company and told that my car was ready before I was told. Hence, the insurance ending the car hire service. </p> <p>However, they did not inform them the payment was not made and that I could not collect the car until it was. </p> <p>Here are the undermining problems I had with this:</p> <p>1. I was never verbally informed about this.</p> <p>2. I was never given a copy of the agreement to be aware of this. </p> <p>3. After arguing and sitting at the panel beaters for over three hours, I had only then received an email with the invoice. </p> <p>4. I was not informed of the amount of excess needed to be made before hand.</p> <p>5. Why did they not have a functioning card payment terminal? All businesses nowadays have at least one. </p> <p>6. How could they expect me, in the current state the country is theft-wise, to carry a large sum of cash that I was not even aware of.</p> <p> </p> <p>Even after making an EFT payment in front of the staff and sending a proof of payment and already having my hire car taken back to the hire car company, they refused to acknowledge the payment. One of the staff who is in charge of the restoration of the cars, asked me for the keys to the car, as "he wanted to check something". This later turned to be false, and a ruse just to ensure I would not have the car keys and leave. The head manager, who behaved in a rude manner, Threatened that I would only receive the keys to my car when the money was in the company's account. As it was a bank accounts from two different banks, the money clearly would not be in their account tomorrow, even with special clearance. What I could not understand, is even after receiving a proof of payment, that to them, this was not proof. Then why I it called a Proof of payment? When I later explained that I needed my car for tonight and tomorrow, as I work in a state hospital as a doctor, and had a night shift and work shift this morning, he refused to acknowledge this and even accused me of being dishonest and claiming I had deleted the email of the invoice, before I had received it, in order to get away with not knowing to pay the full amount. In later inspecting the car fully, they had not even done a proper job. The boot of the car, on the right side, did not close properly, where they had to fix, and they had left paint markings on the rim of my car. Not only did they act childish, rudely and unprofessionally, they did not even do a proper job and had the audacity to demand the money be paid in full before I left. Contacting my insurance company, I informed them of the poor job and their behaviour. Even after communicating with the insurance company, they refused to act professionally, even though now the insurance company will withdraw any business with them. After spending more than four hours trying to reason with them, they would not be professional nor competent to understand the circumstance they had put me in. They now had to ensure all was done correctly and I I informed them I would collect my car on Monday. I had to leave and ask my husband to leave his work and to fetch me. I have now missed my work shift and have never experienced such ***********, unprofessional and dishonest service in my entire life. I will never take my service to them and would advise many other not to either. </p>