Is your i20 peeling?

The manufacturer will repair the peeling paintwork on i20s and Creta models at their cost and if you paid for your own paint repair because a dealership refused to take responsibility, you are due a refund.

To arrange to have your car assessed, or to apply for a refund, contact Hyundai Automotive SA’s customer service department at [email protected].

2. What are your rights if you get sent the wrong product?

Shadrach bought a steering wheel from an auto parts company, online.

“When I received it, my mechanic informed me it was not the right one,” he said.

“And when I tried to return it, the company said I would be refunded what I paid for it, minus 20%. Is that legal?”

That depends. If it was the store’s fault, in that they were given the correct car model but supplied the wrong part - then no, a full refund must be paid. 

However, if Shadrach gave the wrong spec, the store doesn’t have to take the steering wheel back at all. If they choose to, they can impose whatever penalty they see fit.

It’s a case of take it or leave it.

This is why it’s very important to have a record of exactly what you order from a company.

3. Garage cards - when last did you use yours?

There was a time when South Africans could only buy fuel on credit if they had a “supplementary”, dedicated credit card.

Many people stopped using theirs decades ago but didn’t cancel them, and have been unwittingly paying card fees on them every month.

In Standard Bank’s case, their Garage Card fee is currently R100 per month.

And tellingly, it isn’t identifiable as a Garage Card fee on the statement of the primary or regular credit card.

Only the words “service fee” appear next to that R100.

So if you once had a special fuel card, scrutinise your statement!

4. Not sure what to do with your tired old laptop, cellphone and cellphone batteries?

Go to the website of Circular Energy, the producer responsibility organisation mandated to collect levies from companies which put electrical equipment, batteries, domestic appliances, cellphones, power tools and the like into the marketplace, and then use that money to deal with them responsibly when they reach the end of their useful lives.

You can request that Circular Energy collect the items from you or find out where you can drop them off. That website: https://circular-energy.org/.

5. Are you legally obliged to pay extra if you pay by card?

Bibi visited an electrical store in a Chinese mall and when she went to pay for her goodies by card, the cashier said he’d have to pay 2,5% extra.

She wanted to know: “What is the law regarding this?”

Simple. It’s not legal. Both the Consumer Protection Act and the Merchant’s Agreement the retailer has with their bank prohibit the charging of an extra fee when the customer pays by card.

Listen to more Consumer Hacks below:

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