Extremely Poor Service and Questionable Business Practices

I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction and concern regarding the service and repair issues I experienced at Halfway Ford Kuils River. After bringing my Ford Ecosport in for a routine service on October 2, 2025, the car broke down just a week and a half later due to a fuel pump failure.

The service was a disaster from start to finish. The dealership allowed us to leave with a car that wasn't roadworthy, despite knowing it had issues. The service manager Clinton and service representative, Mishka, provided contradictory information, and the pricing was exorbitant and inconsistent, with quotes ranging from R8700 (telephonically) to R8000 when I had arrived there, and within the same breath it became R6000, without any explanation. After that Clinton had then said they are further trying to create a better offer. Which added to my suspicion as I had asked him for a proper cost breakdown, the service manager could not provide a proper answer, this again connects to how they had altered the pricing more than three times, and were willing to alter it a fourth time. Service pricing should not be of a negotiation, especially coming from a registered dealership. Therefore these various prices were deeply concerning.

What further concerned me about the pricing, was that a registered mechanic who services my father's company vehicles estimated the cost of a fuel pump to be around R1500. And had also added that the car's mileage is too low for the fuel pump to fail. Which we had explained, however Clinton could not properly explain how their total had gotten accumulated to R8700.

We then proceeded to ask the service manager why this issue wasn't picked up during the service that it was brought in for, he then stated that the dealership doesn't have the necessary machinery to detect electronic issues like the fuel pump problem. However, when he started the car, he immediately identified the issue within 2 seconds. This seemingly contradictory, as he was able to diagnose the problem quickly, yet earlier claimed that it couldn't be detected during a service.

The fact that our car was driving perfectly fine for seven months and then broke down two weeks after being serviced at Halfway Ford Kuils River is also suspicious.

We're even more disturbed by the fact that there was no communication from your team regarding the issue, and you allowed us to leave with a vehicle that was not in a safe or roadworthy condition. According to your team, the car drove fine for 5km, but when the mechanics started the car to reverse out of the garage, it switched off. However, they had still handed the car over to us, fully aware that the car was not roadworthy. This raises serious concerns about the safety protocols and quality control measures in place at your dealership.

The lack of communication from the dealership was appalling. After leaving the workshop, there was complete radio silence for 8 hours, and attempts to contact the service manager and Mishka were unsuccessful. When Mishka finally answered, she quoted an outrageous price for the repair, stating that our warranty had expired. However, this was later contradicted by the service manager, Clinton, who claimed that the warranty didn't cover the part that needed replacement.

The service manager's inability to provide clear answers and the significant discrepancy in pricing have eroded my trust in the dealership. A registered mechanic estimated the cost of a fuel pump to be around R1500, which raises serious doubts about the dealership's honesty.

The negative reviews on Hello Peter, all highlighting Mishka and Clinton's names, suggest a pattern of concerning behavior. It's alarming that despite these reviews, no meaningful action has been taken to address the issues.

I urge Halfway Ford Kuils River to take immediate action to address these concerns and provide fair treatment, transparency, and accountability to its customers.