How to kill a brand, Herm**** style

The worst service I have ever received from a car dealership is from Toyota Herm****. I paid close to R500 000 for a brand new Corolla Cross Hybrid, broke down 3 times with "Hybrid Malfunction". The last time I broke down, the car wasn't going any further under its own power and had to be towed.

Twice the dealer found no fault, I was told to collect the vehicle and monitor. The third time when they involved Toyota SA, suddenly a fix was proposed, namely the fuel pump. A known issue with Corolla Cross Hybrids then?

Never was I offered alternative transport, nor contacted by the dealer principal or manager after leaving messages. The part took more than a month to arrive, so much for local production and parts availability... Are that many other customers also waiting for fuel pumps?

A company with the reputation of reliability and looking after their customers is now barely a shadow of its former self. Only after I informed the dealer of my plans to share my experience on this and other platforms, did I receive an email from the sales manager for the very first time since my trouble started 3 months ago.

His tone was neither apologetic nor friendly. Apparently he felt threatened and said I would be prosecuted, should anything I plan to share be demeaning to them. Well, Mr de Kock, you clearly haven’t heard of the Consumer Protection Act of South Africa. Neither do you have any clue as to what can or cannot be prosecuted.

The dealer principal until this very day has remained silent and uninterested in me as a client... My best advice to Herm**** and surrounding areas is to buy from another dealer, as my experience has been shocking to say the least.