GB
Guy B
Active since Mar 2009
21
Reviews
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Reviews
21 reviews3 months ago
Yet again, thanks for nothing
As usual this is the only way to get someone from this company to actually help you. I requested to speak to a manager due to lack of understanding, lack of compassion and just a general lack of wanting to help their customer.
168 replies
21 months ago
Get stuck without your money and a car that doesn't work.
Update to previous. Please see letter sent to Ombudsman. Good day Miosa, Thank you very much for your assistance. I bought a used car from a dealership called Quality Cheapies at the end of March this year. I paid R37000 cash with the last R5k to be settled over three months with the total cost of the car being R42k. When purchasing the vehicle the only request I had is that it be reliable and not require any major repairs. They told me the Mercedes A160 auto they had was the most reliable for the money I had. I couldn't afford any more so I took it. They told me the car will need a service after I paid R37k which was disappointing but said that's why they took the price down from R47k to R42k. Which I was happy with the discount at the time as any saving would help. I live and work as a sales rep in the Lowveld area of Mpumalanga. I had been scouring the internet for weeks looking for a new car after my previous one was written off after an accident. I found Quality Cheapies online and they seemed to have good reviews as well as be one of the few car dealerships approved by Capitec, my bank, for vehicle loans. Although Capitec declined my loan so I had to borrow money from friends to buy cash. I caught a shuttle and went to Johannesburg after speaking to Pash, the manager, at Quality Cheapies who seemed very helpful and sure that they could assist me with a reliable 2nd hand vehicle. At the dealership I spoke to Sizwe, who was very helpful. He showed me to quite a few cars but after I told him that reliability is my only concern he said he would speak to his manager and get back to me. When he came back he said his manager was concerned that the cars I was looking at were not reliable enough and that they would help me out by allowing me to sign an acknowledgement of debt and allow me to buy for more than the R35k I had on me. They then said if I can put down R37k instead of R35k then they will sell me a Mercedes A160 2000 year model for R47k. The car had some physical bodywork damage as well as some dents and scratches. I took the car for a test drive and she seemed to behave the way I would have expected it to. I am not a mechanic and have very limited knowledge on cars and how they work. The radio didn't work, there was no jack. The tyres seemed new but were all different brands. The inside of the car showing considerable wear and tear. However, I was not phased by the physical look as I needed the car to be more reliable than pretty. To make the additional two grand on the deposit I used my monthly food budget fully knowing that I would have to not eat for a couple weeks but I needed a car to keep my job so I did it. I thought they were really trying to help me out this point. I paid the R37k and while doing the paperwork Sizwe then organized me an additional R5k discount and told me it was because the car probably needs a service very soon which I was appreciative of the additional discount I just wish I was told before as I didn't have money to pay for a service. I signed an Acknowledgement of Debt (AOD) to pay the remaining R5k over three months. The AOD gave me a little relief that if anything went wrong with the car they would still assist me as I still owed them. I drove the car back from Germiston to Pretoria, my mother's house where I stayed the previous night and then back to White River but I never made it out of Pretoria. Before leaving Pretoria I checked fluids and tyre pressure and the right back tyre was 0.8 bar. Pumped it up to 2.2 and carried on to the next petrol station 30km on to see if I had a leak and how fast it was leaking. At the next petrol station it was on 0.8 again so I drove back to my mother's house. The next day, a Monday public holiday, I discovered that the valve was leaking. Luckily I found someone who could remove the tyre and replace the valve on a public holiday as most places were closed. I was relieved but I didn't realize this was going to be the first and the least of the many issues that were to come very soon. I finally drove back to White River that afternoon. This cost me R250. I also had to buy a jack which cost R900. The second problem I had was when applying for a fleet card at the company I work for, who would not issue the card as my license plates did not match the registration disc. I had to pay cash for my petrol and claim back adding financial stress. I called the salesman to ask what they can do to fix this and he said the manager would get back to me. They never did. Within the first week on the road the car broke down, engine light came on and went into limp mode. I took it to the nearest mechanic who managed to got it out of limp mode but said that I would need to take the car to someone who knows these cars well to see what's going on as he only cleared the codes. I spoke to Mercedes and they quoted a huge amount of money just to check. As my mother has a family friend who is her trusted mechanic in Pretoria and he has experience with these cars I drove down to see him. The car broke down twice more from White River to Pretoria on the way down. Eventually I ended up driving the car in limp mode most of the way. It was extremely dangerous to drive 40 kmph on the N4 as it got dark. I also noticed many cars flash lights but assumed it was because I was driving slowly in the emergency lane. Later I would discover it is my lights that also need work. I eventually got back to Pretoria and the next day the mechanic collected the car to do repair as well as service that I had arranged. The car ended up being in repair for two weeks as my mechanic discovered that the car had major issues with the mass airflow sensor and the ECU. He said this was a big problem of this make and model of car and seems to make them practically impossible to repair without replacing the sensor. There are no second hand replacement parts in SA and Mercedes sells a new one R26150 without any warranty. He took the car to an ECU expert and they managed to get the car running again without replacing the sensor. I paid R3500 for the repair and service as it was a family friend and the car seemed to be working fine. I am still waiting for the invoice and from the ECU repair. I drove the car back to White River the next day and as I got there the check engine light turned on again. Heavily depressed by this I called my mechanic and he sent me to do a diagnostic as he was too far away at this point to check the car. The diagnostic said that it was the mass airflow sensor again but as many issues as the car has it didn't go into limp mode this time. The mechanic told me that the car should be fine as long as it doesn't go back into limp mode and to keeping checking fluid levels. This was within the first two weeks of owning the car. I then wrote an email to the dealership to make them aware as well as contact the salesman on Whatsapp who sold me the car. I told him I was not happy and want an answer from his manager regarding what had happened. I eventually gave up calling, emailing and messaging as the manager never got back to me and drove to go see them in Johannesburg. I asked them to please respond to my emails in writing so that we can resolve this issue. They said they would do so. They also told me to just go and get new plates printed as they were not going to assist me even though they sold me a car without the correct license plates. The front license plate was stuck directly onto the front bumper with mirror tape and had to be pulled off. The rear one had a bracket but ended up having to buy two new brackets as well. This cost me R900. I had also noticed that the central locking works some days and some days not but I could lock manually so I would address this at a later point. I then emailed Quality Cheapies again, via their website submission form, and asked for any feedback but nothing. After one month of owning the car, the car had been to the mechanic 5 times but this certainly wasn't the end. In the beginning of month two the brake pads went and I also had to have the discs skimmed as there was a lip. This cost me another R2040 and I hoped it would be the end. I also investigated the lights and discovered I need new bulbs as mine were really dim and that's why people have been flashing me constantly. I decided to only drive during the day so that I could replace the bulbs when I could afford it. About two weeks later while still in month two the car started to change gear more and more roughly so I took my car to several gearbox specialists only to discover that this model doesn't come with a dipstick to measure the automatic transmission fluid. Mayfair gearbox topped up the ATF and asked me to take her a test drive and she was gearing better again. They advised that I must keep it topped up until I can afford for them to look at the gearbox properly which I have been doing since then. They assisted me for free knowing I would come back to do the gearbox. At about the beginning of month three I noticed a wobble when gaining speed between 70 and 80 and took the car to Supa quick to see what could be causing it. They confirmed that the back right tyre had several bald spots and that it was actually deformed and suspected it was what was causing the wobble and that I need two new tyres. They also pointed out that wheel alignment will need to be done. They quoted R3500 then R2800 when I couldn't afford it but that was still too much. It is now payday 26 July 2024 and we are in month four. No response to any emails or requests for assistance from Quality Cheapies and I have found a shop that can assist me with two new tyres and a wheel alignment for R2150. While the car was lifted to change the tyres I took the opportunity to see if I could spot the leak for the gearbox which is costing me ATF every month and managed to spot a build up near the left wheel that I would need checked. While changing the tyres the gentleman doing it told me they won't be able to do the wheel alignment as the car desperately needs tnew tie rods and rack ends before alignment can be done. As I couldn't afford the additional repair costs I put it off until the next pay day which will be August. This last weekend I drove from White River back to Pretoria as it is closer to work from Pretoria when I see customers in Witbank and the surrounding area. I topped everything up oil, water, ATF and did tyre pressure all seemed well but about half way down the car stopped gearing altogether and was stuck in the highest gear. Fearing that if I stop it would stop for good I pressed on and drove the rest of the way back in what must have been fifth gear. Once I got to Pretoria I stopped the car, put her in park and turned her off. Checked all fluids fine and topped up the ATF. When starting again the car was back to first gear. I spoke to the gearbox guys and they said to keep topping up until I can afford to have the gearbox taken out and investigated. Yesterday en route to the office in Germiston from Pretoria the car got stuck in top gear again and then after restarting then it got stuck in first gear and then after letting her rest for a couple minutes then started to gear normally again but I drove her straight back to my mother's house and starting calling all gearbox specialists. I went to seven of them only to find out that this is an extremely difficult gearbox to work on and that the whole engine needs to be removed in order to do an inspection or any repair work be done. Furthermore, every gearbox expert said due to difficulty they don't work on these cars anymore. I was eventually referred to a person who only works on these Mercedes gearboxes and has done so for the last 30 years. He quoted me R9500 to R18500 to repair the gearbox depending whether it's the seals going or the casing that's cracked. Here I am today, I have lost business not being on the road yesterday as well as going to lose out today. I could lose my job as well. Quality Cheapies is ignoring me flat out and I need the assistance of the Ombudsman and as well as the Consumer Protection Act. Please assist me to take this further as I want my money back or for the dealership to cover all paid for and new repair costs until this is a roadworthy reliable vehicle as I requested and promised. They sold me an absolutely broken non-functioning car and they knew it. They only give you service before you pay, once the money transfers you are stuck in a mess. Please see WhatsApp and emails attached. Please help me what can I do as I require urgent assistance before I lose my job. Please tell me what to do. Thank you very much. Kind regards, Guy
0 replies
25 months ago
They will make your situation much worse, stay away!
I never complain unless I have really been treated poorly. Please let me save you from a similar experience. Debtbusters SA will sign you up and take your money very quickly and that's where the service ends. I have had the worst experience of my life dealing with them and have been caused so much stress, anger and pain. You think they are here to help in a time of great need and you will get out of your financial problems with experienced help but nothing has been further from the truth for me. I signed up with Debtbusters in January this year after deciding I just couldn't make the large payments for my car and credit card as I just wasn't earning enough. I owed R100k on my credit card and R322k on my car. Total debt R422k. Debtbusters began negotiating and advised that they need me to pay R8200 after agreeing that I would pay would pay R7600 per month. I agreed even though I couldn't really afford it. They said that my creditors had waivered the interest in lieu of the increased payment so I thought I better do everything I can to pay. So total owed on my car was now R244k for which I was very grateful. I had a car accident on the 8th of February and the car was written off.Outsurance paid out R218k to MFC to whom I owed the money. I am a sales rep and I need a car to earn money. I can't get credit due to the debt counseling process and I don't have any money to buy cash. So I urgently contact Debtbusters, after about five phone calls waiting on hold for more than 45 minutes each time, sending multiple emails I finally get hold of the person handling my case. She tells me there is nothing she can do to help me. I stress that we need to allocate the payment from Outsurance so that I can get a reduced monthly payment so I can try buy a car before I lode my job. It has has been two months now and Debtbusters has not paid a single creditor, has R23500 of my money. Says I still owe the full amount without taking off the payment to MFC. MFC has acknowledged the payment already a month ago but have now decided to add the interest back. I have advised them of this via email as they don't take my calls. Everything is going wrong and I have notified and kept Debtbusters up to date. I have written many more emails to try and get help but to no avail, so I have been left to complain here. I have advised them to contact me again with the threat of canceling the debit order, I wonder if that or this will finally get their attention.
162 replies
25 months ago
Great place to buy 2nd hand cars
I needed to buy a second hand car in one day and Quality Cheapies service has been excellent. From my first phone call they were willing to assist and accommodate me. Today I am very happy with my purchase and the service was great. Keep up the great work. Thank you to the whole team.
0 replies
81 months ago
Driving happiness!
Thank you for all the great service on so many occasions. Happy, kind and courteous drivers. You have helped me, who doesn't have a car, at the times I have needed you most! Lot's of discounts, helps me save often. Prices are far below our metered taxis. The app makes it so convenient and easy to use. The only one thing that seems to get me every now and again is when I know there are Ubers nearby, some driver on a trip far away accepts my ride and I wait and wait and wait and wait while my app says 6min for the last ten twenty minutes making me miss my train and therefore late for work. This only happens every now and again though. Every time I have left an item on an Uber the driver has brought it back to me. Thank Uber for being there!
0 replies
81 months ago
Happy dreams, thanks to Dial-a-bed!
Absolutely amazing service and delivery. I ordered a bed that I desperately needed delivered on a Saturday, my first day at my new rental. Everything was easy to do online, the call center was kind, courteous and very understanding to my needs. The bed was delivered as expected at the time it was convenient to me and as a result I slept on my new bed on my first day in the new place. Delivery staff were careful and kind mannered. The price was excellent for the bed I received after comparing to various online retailers. I only wish I remember the names of the call center ladies that helped me so I could make specific references to their service. Please thank them for me! Dial-a-bed, thank you so much!
105 replies
81 months ago
The right place to rent!
So far so good. I had been dealing with numerous property rental agencies beforehand with no success and very little regard to my needs. When I showed interest in a rental that was listed by Realty1, I was assisted by Jana Radcliffe. Her service has been excellent, all appointments were kept and on time. All information as far as I can tell was given to me up front. When the lessor was concerned about my financials she managed to negotiate a term that worked for both of us. All debits have been done timeously and any additional costs were communicated before hand. Thank you Jana and Realty1!
0 replies
81 months ago
Gautrain - Moving me, daily!
Most of my experiences have been great. Always on time except when there is a communicated delay. Mostly temperature and timing is appropriate. The bus drivers are almost always friendly. One or two issues though, website and app has some four and eight cars incorrectly labelled which can be very frustrating, sometimes the temperature can be unpleasant like pumping heat in summer or cold in winter or the whole car is generally smelly. These occurrences are not often but when they happen are highly unpleasant. I support the tariff changes and always support earlier train services so the new tariffs and times from Hatfield are great. I just wish the bus service Brooklyn H1 could pick me up earlier so I could make use of the earlier trains. Thanks Gautrain, keep up the good job!
0 replies
81 months ago
Delivery what I want when I want
UberEats in Pretoria and Johannesburg are amazing, generally all the drivers are professional and courteous. I have once or twice put in wrong address and where the drivers have been able to quickly bring me my food they have. UberEats app is far better than other delivery companies as it gives accurate tracking, it's has the ability to make special instruction notes, is cheaper than the others when comparing costs for the same restaurants and has more menu items and extras than the other companies out there! Thanks UberEats you are my favourite!
0 replies
81 months ago
McDonald's Sandton does it again!
McDonald's Sandton blew me away. I ordered through Uber eats and wow. Will give Uber Eats their props on another review but McD's Sandton put all the extras I asked for. Followed my special instructions to the tee. Food was exactly as expected and everything carefully and well packaged. Thank you very much for the great experience.
0 replies
Review Distribution
5 Star
13 (61.904761904761905%)
4 Star
2 (9.523809523809524%)
3 Star
0 (0%)
2 Star
1 (4.761904761904762%)
1 Star
5 (23.80952380952381%)