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Private car sale leaves woman out of pocket |
| Seller holds on to vehicle, using cash to settle debts CONSUMERS are warned to be careful when buying goods from private sellers after a 56-year-old woman had problems claiming back a R24 000 downpayment on a car. Baratang Rakgole is seething after she paid for a car the owner has now decided not to sell. When she demanded her money from Shereen Coetzee, Rakgole said the 29-year-old woman refused to refund her, citing personal problems and the fact that she had bought her two children Christmas presents with some of the money. "She told me that when I tried to buy the car from her, I should have known what kind of problems I would be getting myself into. What kind of a person is that?" Rakgole asked. Rakgole, of Mafikeng, North West, said she had seen a Toyota Corolla advertised by Coetzee for R43 000 in the Junk Mail. She had travelled from Mafikeng to Krugersdorp to view it because the advert was not accompanied by a picture. She saw the car, liked it, and the two of them entered into a verbal agreement that Rakgole would take ownership of the vehicle after she had paid R20 000, then settle the outstanding amount later. Rakgole, who is self-employed, said she had paid R10 000 in October. Then on December 1 she paid Coetzee another R20 000 and asked to be given the car. She showed The Star copies of faxes that appeared to acknowledge receipt of the money. However, she said, when she was supposed to take ownership of the car, Coetzee told her to pay the remaining R13 000 before she could get the car. "I told her to give me back my R30 000 and I will (put down a) deposit (for another) car, but she said she did not have the money. I asked her how could she tell me that she did not have my money on December 6 when I had given her R20 000 five days earlier. She said she had spent it all and my problems were of my own making. "She also told me that she has personal problems and has bought her two children Christmas presents. She suggested that she pay in instalments of R1 000 every month, but I said no because I need a car. And when will she finish paying off R30 000 (if she is paying) in R1 000 instalments?" In the end, Coetzee gave Rakgole R6 000. Yesterday, Coetzee said she had decided not to go ahead and sell her car because she did not trust Rakgole anymore. But she also said that as soon as Rakgole had deposited the money, she used to pay off her accounts. "I am under debt review and I paid my accounts because I was still under the impression that she still wanted the car. It is my car, but the decision not to sell it is not only mine but my fiancé's as well." Coetzee admitted that she did not treat Rakgole fairly, but that the latter had also behaved unfairly towards her in the past four-and-a-half months. "I don't want to sell the car anymore, I can't trust her," Coetzee said. According to Thuli Macingwana, an investigator and adviser at the Consumer Affairs Office in Joburg, there is no law that protects arrangements like the one Rakgole had entered into. Macingwana said the only way people could protect themselves was to buy from genuine stores and dealerships, because "it is tough out there". She said "a reputable garage or store would think of protecting its reputation and perform accordingly". By Botho Molosankwe The Star 29/12/09e1 Click here to respond to this article - Your responses will get vetted and printed on "Have your Say" Click here if you would like to be alerted to new Crime Awareness articles. |
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