My First Car Purchase – Completely Ruined by We Buy Cars Germiston

I went to view a vehicle at the Germiston branch on 14 July 2025. The car I originally came for was not in a sellable condition, but I found another vehicle that seemed good. I was told to return the next day (15 July) at 2 pm, as the roadworthy and service would be completed that morning.

I drove all the way from Villiers (over 100 km), but when I arrived just before 3 pm, the car was still not ready. I had to wait until almost 6 pm for it to arrive. During the checklist, I noticed the brake light was not working – this was straight after a supposed roadworthy test. When I raised my concern, I was told with attitude to “just fix it at home for R20.” I made it very clear that since I was billed for a service and roadworthy, everything should be 100% before I leave.

Later, I was informed that We Buy Cars would not be able to handle my registration and plates (even though I paid for this service). I was emailed and told to do it myself and then claim a refund. I tried countless times to contact the admin lady at the Germiston branch for assistance — via calls, WhatsApp, and email — but she ignored me completely.

On 13 August, I drove all the way back to Germiston in person, and suddenly she was able to respond. She then sent the refund request to head office and assured me I would be refunded in 72 hours. After a lot of back-and-forth, I only received a partial refund on 18 August. When I queried this the next day, I was told “it’s policy” — even though I had been promised a full refund both in person and over the phone. From the beginning nothing was explained correctly and changed constantly.

This entire experience has been extremely upsetting. Not only was I charged for services not delivered, but the staff at Germiston were consistently rude, unhelpful, and unprofessional. The only person who showed professionalism throughout was the senior sales executive KJ Machipi, who I want to acknowledge positively.

This was supposed to be one of the happiest moments of my life — buying my very first vehicle. Instead, We Buy Cars Germiston has completely ruined the experience for me. The service I received is not what a company of this size should be delivering, and I am left feeling frustrated, ignored, and deeply disappointed.