KZN businessman in distress as Standard Bank demands monthly R55,000 for new Range Rover damaged during repairs at dealership
A Durban businessman finds himself entangled in a financial quagmire following the purchase of a used Range Rover Vogue SDV8 Fifty Anniversary Edition.
The man who wants to remain anonymous for his safety, claims the vehicle, bought in August 2022 from Land Rover Menlyn in Pretoria, exhibited latent defects that manifested after he took delivery of the vehicle which he described as a dream car meant for his family.
Upon driving the Range Rover for the first time, he noticed a low coolant level warning light. Concerned, he contacted the salesperson at Land Rover, who advised him to take the vehicle to Land Rover Umhlanga for repairs.
This initial visit marked the beginning of a frustrating series of attempts to resolve the vehicle's problems.
'I received the car on Saturday, and I took it in on Monday to uMhlanga Land Rover, but the car was not repaired adequately, and the issue persisted,' he explained.
Multiple visits to the dealership yielded little progress, and during the last repair attempt, Land Rover technicians reportedly blew the engine. Left with a non-functional vehicle and dwindling patience, he decided to cancel the deal, fearing he would never have a reliable car again.
However, the situation escalated dramatically when both Land Rover and Standard Bank, which financed the purchase, declined to assist him.
'I was told by Standard Bank that they couldn't cancel the deal even after I reported the critical issues," he said, expressing disbelief at their inaction.
"I drove the car for less than five months and even during those months, it was always booked in for repairs. I never enjoyed the car from the day it was delivered."
Despite the bank's knowledge of the vehicle's mechanical problems, he said they insisted upon R55,000 monthly payments, leaving him increasingly frustrated and in financial turmoil.
To make matter worse, he claims after numerous times of being ignored, Land Rover eventually sent him an email from the UK stating that they do not have an engine, and they don't know if they will ever have an engine for the model he bought.
"The car was a limited edition; it was for the 50-anniversary edition and some of the parts were not available. Now I'm left with no car, but Standard Bank insists that I meet my monthly R55,000 payments despite them knowing that the car was ruined by the dealership," he said.
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