AllAir Randburg Branch - Refund confirmed in writing, then reneged!

BAD REVIEW!!!

I purchased 6x axial fans from AllAir Randburg branch on 4 September 2025. When the technician installed them, the fans did not operate correctly. Despite wiring according to industry-standard colour codes (brown = live, blue = neutral, green/yellow = earth), all 5 × 500mm fans failed to work, while the single 400mm fan did.

On site, the technician even attempted to swap live and neutral, which is the normal method for correcting fan rotation if designed that way. This also did not work. No wiring diagram or guidance was ever supp****, so there was no way to know that these fans required some non-standard configuration.

On 5 September 2025, I spoke to their Sales Manager, Louan Fogwell. He said he and his bosses were unsure of the problem, confirmed that AllAir has no technicians and can only refer customers to “preferred installers,” and advised me that the only option was to return the fans for a refund. I even offered them the opportunity to come to site to prove me wrong. Louan Fogwell confirmed that AllAir had no technicians to send, and when I offered him personally the chance to come to site, he declined. He then advised me that his bosses had said the fans must be returned.

On 10 September 2025, I returned the fans to the Randburg branch. Louan Fogwell apologised and confirmed there were no issues with the return.

On 12 September 2025 at 08:51, Louan Fogwell emailed me directly stating, “Morning David, head office is busy with it will send it asap” in response to my refund query. That is black-and-white proof that the refund was agreed and being processed. Yet now, instead of honouring what he said and wrote, Louan Fogwell hides behind a “policy” email saying no refunds on electrical goods, a complete contradiction of what he had already told me and confirmed in writing.

Only later, two days after the fans were already returned, I was told that the “brown wire was never live” and something about “switching the capacitor.” This excuse after the fact is meaningless. AllAir themselves only figured it out 2 days later.

Because the AllAir fans failed, I had to immediately purchase replacement fans from Kovco, which were installed in the exact same setup and worked correctly on the first attempt. This proves the installation was done properly and the problem lay with the AllAir fans.

Despite all of this, AllAir Randburg is now hiding behind a “policy” that says no refunds on electrical items. That policy cannot override the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), which entitles a consumer to a refund, replacement, or repair if goods are not fit for purpose.

The facts are simple: • I returned the fans as advised by Louan Fogwell. • They were accepted without issue. • Louan Fogwell confirmed in writing that the refund was being processed. • AllAir Randburg is now reneging and contradicting their own written commitments. • The Director of AllAir, Ruan Pretorius, has not even attempted to contact me or offer any kind of resolution.

This conduct is dishonest, unprofessional and unacceptable. It cost me lost time, labour and additional expense. I acted in good faith, but AllAir Randburg did not. It also says a lot that they may be able to get the fans spinning on a bench in their shop, but in the real world, installed on site in an actual system, they failed. Because of their dodge behaviour, I will now also be seeking consequential damages for lost time and labour if they do not honour the refund in full.

I will be escalating this to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud and the National Consumer Commission.