AV
Andre V
Active since Jul 2012
3
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3 reviews20 months ago
DO NOT BUY FROM PEACH ZONE
I was looking for a stove and saw on a trustworthy FB page the good reviews PeachZone got from followers of this specific page. I made a purchase of R7099 on June 20, 2024 and since then it was the one excuse on another. After numerous communication and email and whatsapp follow ups, I received an email on July 17th, 2024 that they have seized all trading permanently. Since then I have not received any response on my follow ups from them and their website is "under maintenance" I can understand that there is so much to do when closing down a business, but now I wonder how many people out there are suffering from money losses due to this. Will my money ever be paid back. I have used money from a credit facility and now I am paying for something I don't have!!!!
53 replies
82 months ago
GWM / HAVAL Failure in South Africa
On July 8, 2016 I became the proud owner of a second hand 2012 GWM H5 VGT2.0. I joined the family, and I quote: “One that takes great pride in seeing happy, satisfied customers on the roads in South Africa!” I have put my trust in a Global Giant. I was so impressed with GWM Motorama, Goodwood's excellent service provided. The vehicle was serviced and delivered in excellent condition. I got a lot of negative comments and with this excellent service I received from GWM Motorama, I decided that critics would not prove me otherwise, I thought. Please note that the vehicle’s warranty has already expired. The vehicle was taken on the prescribed kilometer readings for services to registered GWM dealerships as stipulated for the Western Cape area, and not just for services but for any needs of the vehicle. Below is what I have gone through with GWM thus far. My wife works in Piketberg and she drives the vehicle most of the time. It is a 302km ride return over weekends and some weekends she stayed in Piketberg to save on kilometers. In most cases my wife corresponded with GWM because of bad reception on the farm. 1. October 29, 2016 - Car starting problems arise. The alternator and battery were tested and it was not faulty. I had a maintenance plan in place, and I asked my wife to contact GWM Malmesbury (salesman then, Herman) for a quote on a starter. The quotation for the starter was R4500 but there was no stock and we had to wait. Only on November 7, 2016 an appointment for November 25, 2016 was confirmed due to no stock in South Africa. November 16, 2017 my wife was contacted by Herman and she was informed that there was a problem with delivery but the appointment was still confirmed for November 25, 2016. Early morning hours on November 25, 2016 Herman phoned my wife to inform her that the wrong starter had been sent, but it had been rectified and that the appointment was still for 14:00pm. When my wife got to GWM Malmesbury, Herman assured my wife that the replacement of the starter would be a quick job, but according to my wife they (workshop personnel) had been standing around for nearly an hour and no attention was paid to the job. When she insisted on knowing what the problem was Herman informed her that the starter was not delivered but that he would take a starter from a demo bakkie. My wife was not happy at all but accepted it as it was our only means of transport. The bill was fully paid by Motorite. On February 9, 2017, my wife received a phone call from a woman, Engela whom informed my wife that there was an outstanding amount. My wife responded with an email stating that the quote was R4500 and fully paid by Motorite and that the starter was in all respects a second hand and not a new starter. We never heard of Engela and / or GWM Malmesbury again. 2. My wife took the vehicle to GWM Malmesbury for the 90000 kilometre service on January, 5 2017. She had to take a 210km trip back home. All the way back she heard a noise at the engine. She phoned me on the way back home and as soon as she got home, I investigated and found that one of the engine mountings was not tightened and locked. She reported it to the branch manager, that time, and just got an “apology for the inconvenience” feedback. On the recommendation of friends and by word of mouth we decided to take our vehicle for services to GWM Services Paarl because it was said that Francois is the best mechanic and knows all about the brand and its problems. As from June 03, 2017 the services for the 100 000, 110 000, 120 000 and 130 000 kilometres were done at GWM Services Paarl. 3. 100 000KM (101 411KM) Service done on June 03, 2017. Quick and friendly with no problems afterwards. 4. 110 000KM (109 959KM) Service done on November 09, 2017. My wife took the car for its service. They discovered that the rear shock mounting was broken and had it repaired. Excellent service. That following Saturday we took a family trip and I checked the water and oil levels and noticed that the brake fluid cap was missing. I replaced the brake fluid cap with a spare I had at home. My wife did call GWM and notified them. It's something small, simple but the fact remains it's a part of the vehicle that wasn't put back. With the next service, Francois replaced the brake fluid cap with the Hover 5's cap. 5. 120 000KM (119 534KM) Service done on March 24, 2018. From the aforementioned service up to this service I noticed that the heat gauge needle was above normal heat level. (I am a petrol and diesel mechanic myself). The vehicle did not use any oil or lose water. This was worrying for me and discussed it with Francois. He took the vehicle for a test drive after the service. I asked him about the heat gauge indicating that the vehicle is overheating and he said where the needle was located at that time, it was normal. It's a general problem with the H5. I found it funny but believed that he was the GWM expert. 6. 130 000KM (132203KM) Service done December 24, 2018. The heat gauge had a lot of play, then hot then cold. We drive steep mountain passes and it came to a point where the vehicle lost power. This problem was discussed thoroughly with Francois and again no oil used or water usage. Again I was told that this was a common problem. As per our discussion and manner of precaution, I requested that the thermostat be checked and the radiator flushed. According to their feedback, there was no fault, and I was invoiced for it. Both Francois and I took the car for a short test drive in Jan van Riebeeck Road Paarl, but obviously the car won’t show the same symptoms, because the road conditions is not the same. 7. It was school holidays, so after the aforementioned service we drove home (Clanwilliam) and did not drive the car again until my wife returned for work on January 8, 2019. She picked up that the heat gauge was falling around alot and was not constantly neutral. The vehicle did not use any water or oil and approximately 3litres/km heavier on fuel. It got worse by the beginning of February where the car showed symptoms of starting problems. My wife had the battery and alternator tested and it was within the readings it should be. By this time my wife hadn’t come home so often. My wife sent an e-mail to GWM Services Paarl informing them of the problem. At that time I still had the Motorite plan and it was active until the end of February 2019 and my wife made a request that Petro communicate with Motorite on behalf of me to discuss the problem to determine what they would pay for. Petro replied with an e-mail that the radiator was flushed. They had to check. She did not mention the test of the thermostat, at all in her e-mails. She indicated that it could be a cooling system problem. Petro also asked my wife by whom the policy is underwritten which my wife replied on. The last e-mail my wife sent to Petro was on February 27, 2019 asking Petro if she had any news. She received no reply and until today there was no further communication from GWM Services Paarl. Since we received no reply and at that point disappointed, my wife or I didn't trust any GWM dealer or GWM's craftsmanship. Therefore, we decided to take the vehicle for a second independent opinion to PQ Mechanics, Piketberg. I contacted Desmond van Jaarsveld and I explained the symptoms and he immediately suggested that the thermostat is faulty and that the vehicle must be brought to PQ Mechanics for a thorough diagnostics. At PQ Mechanics, Piketberg on February 28, 2019 the following was found: -Thermostat was tested and did not function at all. -1 Glow plug was broken off and 2 glow plugs seized. -Intercooler pipes were not properly fitted. -Injectors faulty -High Pressure Fuel Switch faulty In his knowledge as a diesel mechanic for 20+ years, working on vehicles as Isuzu, Toyota, Volkswagen, etc., it was his findings that all of the above was caused due to overheating due the faulty thermostat that wasn’t checked by GWM Paarl Services. How the 1 glow plug got broken is unexplainable. My wife contacted Diesel specialists in and around Cape Town and they confirmed as well that all of the above was caused by not detecting overheating because of the faulty thermostat. All the parts are GWM parts and were ordered and paid for at GWM. Bringing it to a total of R44225.27 Doing some research on the internet, HelloPeter, 4x4 Forum, carforums, gumtree, mybroadband, just to name a few, it was so observant that customers had problems with their GWM vehicles, not just GWM but HAVAL as well getting poor customer service at the branches and getting no feedback from GWM Haval SA. On HelloPeter there is not even one response to all the complaints. All of GWM vehicle owners had one thing in common, overheating, blown turbo pipes, broken intercoolers, just to name a few and problems with after sales services. GWM Haval SA is so strict about vehicles being serviced only at registered GWM workshops, but they are the ones doing the damage. And although the vehicle was not repaired at a GWM dealer because of broken trust, the vehicle was repaired at a trustworthy Mechanical workshop, highly recommended by the community in and around Piketberg who own the newest of newest vehicles (make and model). I am of the opinion and I believe that GWM Haval SA should bear partial responsibility for costs incurred. I have not even had this vehicle for a full 3 years, owing the bank R149147.32 and I have no more joy in the vehicle and R44225.27 less in my savings account. I decided on a GWM vehicle, not because it was cheap but to show other vehicle owners that this brand is a trusted brand. Yes, the brand, the vehicle is, but the aftersales and the poor workmanship is not the name GWM worth. I am sure there is a branch or two that is excellent in all categories but I am sure that would only make 1% of all branches. All of the customers complaints must be brought to the attention of the CEO/MD of GWM Haval SA and GWM Haval China. South Africa is not worthy of GWM
0 replies
134 months ago
UNFAIR BILLING
I phoned Multichoice at the beginning of March to find out more about the DSTV Explora. I took the R799 option, which includes the Premium Package and the Decoder. I received the decoder on the 16th of March 2015 and the new decoder could only be installed on the 2nd of April 2015. The old services and decoder was disconnected on the 2nd of April 2015 and the new services and decoder on the same day. About 20h00 that evening, the 2nd of April 2015, a debit order of R1605.94 went through on my account. In the mean time not one consultant could help me right, why I have been billed for 2 months. No one returns my calls, rather DSTV suspended services.
76 replies
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