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Nhlanhla Ncaca

RETAILER House & Home Hyperama has threatened to sell a quad bike that was returned by a dissatisfied customer if the customer continues to refuse to collect it.

The store has given Machache Nthoroane an ultimatum of one month to collect the bike, but he refuses to budge.

“They can hold on to the bike for all I care,” he says. “What gesture of goodwill are they referring to if they show such an arrogant attitude to customers?

“I understand my rights as a consumer and I refuse to be dictated to.”

Nthoroane’s wrangle with House & Home Hyper over the replacement of the faulty quad bike started over a year ago.

Nthoroane bought a quad bike for his six-year-old son, Thato, on December 22 2006 and paid R2 999.

Three months later, Nthoroane returned the quad bike to the store because it was faulty.

In fact, says Nthoroane, the quad bike gave his son problems from the first time he rode it.

The quad bike was meant to be a Christmas present and Nthoroane had looked forward to seeing a smile on his son’s face on the day the surprise was unveiled.

However, the mood was ruined when the bike failed to start and he immediately contacted the store to report the matter.

A salesperson arrived at Nthoroane’s home later that day but also failed to start the bike. He promised to report the faulty machine to the store’s technical department.

The salesperson later contacted Nthoroane and informed him that someone from the technical department would be available in January but the technician only arrived at Nthoroane’s home three weeks later. The representative managed to repair the bike but the engine failed again a few days later.

Nthoarane contacted the store again and this time the salesperson promised to contact him a day later, but that did not happen.

On March 3, Nthoroane returned the quad bike to the store and demanded a refund but a manager apparently told him that he was not entitled to a refund because he had returned the bike long after the seven- day cooling period had lapsed.

Nthoroane explained that he had reported the faulty machine three days after buying it. The manager referred him to the manufacturers.

A bitter wrangle between Nthoroane and the store ensued and the last time Nthoroane spoke to the manager was in June last year.

After struggling to have the matter resolved, Nthoroane contacted Hotline and Hotline referred the complaint to Sarita van Wyk, manager for corporate communications and customer relations for the Shoprite Group.

Van Wyk referred Hotline to Aubrey Karp, the general manager for the furniture division, who promised to investigate. Investigations have since been concluded.

Karp said the store had repaired the quad bike at no cost and it was ready to be collected.

Nthoroane refused to collect the repaired bike and insisted that he wanted a new quad bike or a refund.

Karp threatened: “If Nthoroane continues to refuse to collect the bike within one month from the date hereof, we will have no choice but to sell the bike to defray expenses.

“As a gesture of goodwill, we have serviced the bike at our cost and the supplier has provided the required report,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nthoroane has lodged a complaint against House & Home Hyperama with the office of Gauteng consumer affairs.

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