False and deliberately misleading advertising

So, Hellopeter removed my earlier review about the WebuyCars' unfairness without having to engage with me first. That’s interesting and am wondering if they are not captured by the big corporations. Am still waiting for their explanation regarding the grounds on which they removed my review.

Nonetheless, here is another one: Bought an Audi A5 from WebuyCars Jhb South few weeks ago and needless to say that the car has problems they didn’t disclose, not on Dekra report and neither verbally when I went to check it on the floor. Merely two days after collecting the car and having driven it for less that 100km, warning lights started lighting up like a Christmas tree. I took a video of the warning lights and sent to my sales consultant so see. I was then advised to lodge a complaint which i did.

Whist waiting for the response on my complaint form the so-called head office, i took the car to the branch from which i bought and explained everything. The took the car to their workshop, in the same building and 30 minutes later the car came back with all the warning lights erased/muted/hidden (They are magicians aren’t they?) and they showed me what engine part I needed to buy, the part they didn’t mention on Dekra report that it is faulty and needed changing. WOW.

The problem is, few weeks before I bought the car, it was advertised on their website at R 5000 cheaper than the price I eventually paid, and no one was interested in buying it apparently. So, they removed the car from the website and took it to their workshop ( the same workshop they took it again this time around) to work on it so it is sellable and hence to increase the markup. They clearly muted/killed/hid the warning lights to make sure of it, that is why they reappeared just hours after taking possession of it. The proof is their stamp on the service booklet dated just few days before I bought it at the higher price, R 5000 higher, than they originally advertised and prior to erasing/muting/hiding warning lights.

My problem with this whole thing is the misleading adverti*****t and the sneakiness with which they hide faults to effect higher revenue. Dekra report didn’t mention any of the things they are now admitting are wrong with the car, so please don’t take Dekra report on face value. It is a highly manipulated and misleading report that they are now admitting to me it is not comprehensive and was never meant to be, surprise! My issue is the engine light they erased prior to my buying the car, which could have influence my buying or not buying decision, and again removing it when I took the car to the workshop after I lodged a complaint.

My advise: Do not buy cars from webuycars, they sell lemons advertised as good cars to intentionally mislead. Secondly, Dekra reports they use to try and increase sales is not worth the paper it is written on and should not be believed. There are other reviews on this very same platform that would attest to this fact, namely —> review by Seida M titled ’Sales and profit NOTHING ELSE, —> review by Lehlohonolo M titled ‘Bad product’, —> review by Vic G titled ‘ We buy cars Dekra report a ****. Do yourself a favour and check the out and hence stay away from this dealership, their ‘cheap’ cars will end up costing you a lot more that you want after you uncover deliberately hidden faults.

Their complaints process is so flawed and packed with not so intelligent people too, it would be useless to lodge any complaint with them. By the way, am still waiting to hear from them as to what their excuse is for publishing a misleading information about their cars, false adverti*****t i.o.w, which is in effect in contravention with the consumer protection act. I won’t be surprise if Hello Peter would rather remove this review like they did the first one. Are they on webuycars’ payroll? It begs the question doesn’t it? Am giving them the benefit of a doubt this time around, let see.