A car dealership is accused of defrauding Deli Malinga, an actress from Umkhokha: The Curse, of more than R32 000.
Malinga allegedly had her car booked in for a service at Hyundai Springfield in Durban, but it was not.
The multiple award-winning actress has now taken to Facebook to caution the public against making the same mistake.
When contacted for comment, Malinga confirmed the post. She is driving a Hyundai Tucson which has clocked over than 300 000 KM.
“Please be careful when you’re taking your car for a service to Hyundai Springfield in Durban,” she wrote.
“What they did to me was unacceptable; they pretended to work on my car, only to realise after spending so much [money] that nothing was done or changed.
“I then sent an e-mail to the regional manager, Mark and cc’d Ranjith, who is in charge at Hyundai Springfield in Durban, without any luck. Now my intention is for you not to fall into the same trap. Be aware.”
Malinga continued: “There’s a trusted mechanic who is used by most of my colleagues, and I had a concern, so I took the car to him.
“It was a few days after I took the car to Hyundai Springfield for a service. I got the shock of my life when he said they don’t do anything, especially if they realise that you’re clueless about cars.
“In front of me, he took out nuts or something that my service history book showed they changed, and boom, it was old and rusty.”
The Hyundai service reports have been viewed by Sunday World. According to their claims, they disassembled the car and examined the wiring and connector plugs.
Among other things, they say they replaced the exhaust.
“I paid close to R40 000, but they only changed oil. I have been trying to get hold of them, but they are ignoring me. I wrote e-mails to management, but still I did not receive any response.”
People began sharing similar experiences with this car dealership after Malinga’s post opened a can of worms.
Nontuthuko Malinga posted: “Hyundai is known for its bad service, not only in that branch. I’m sorry for your ordeal; I hope they sort it out.”
Nobantu MaRadebe Mkhize wrote: “They did the same thing to my car. They didn’t even sign my service book; at least I have an SMS proving such; it was the same branch.”
Thabang Ndumo advised Malinga to lodge a complaint with the automobile ombudsman.
Ndumo said: “You can check for automobile ombudsman in Durban and report them. You also have the option of reporting them to the consumer affairs office.”
Deon Sonnekus, Hyundai’s corporate communications manager, was unable to confirm or refute the incident.
“I need more details of the vehicle to do a follow-up. By Thursday [November 7], I will be in a position to know what happened,” said Sonnekus.
