AN M&Z Motors customer and her partner found out that the car dealer does not only deal in cars, but can also deliver legal blows.
This comes after the Windhoek High Court on Friday issued a gagging order on Charlotte Kapose (30) and her partner, Tommy Tjaronda, who had taken to social media in accusing M&Z of ignoring their complaints.
The two had an issue with the dealer after they had taken their car for brake disc and pad replacements, barely a month after collecting the N$600 000 Mercedes-Benz in November 2014.
M&Z replaced the pads and the discs in December 2014. But after a few days, the clients took the car back again, claiming that the same problem was persisting.
After taking the car back on three occasions, they demanded a replacement, and were given one in Sepetmber 2015. Kapose also claimed that even the replacement had problems.
She returned the car to M&Z in May 2016, and was given a courtesy car. In June, she had an accident with the courtesy car, and there was a misunderstanding as to who was responsible for paying the excess amount.
Kapose refused to pay, saying that if she was driving her own car, she would not have had to pay. Nevertheless, M&Z gave her another courtesy car.
M&Z dealer principal Ekko Eisenberg offered to buy back Kapose’s car, saying it appeared that she was not happy with their products. He also told her that they had ruled out pursuing any further repair options.
“Our impression is that you are not happy with our dealings. What if the next replacement car gives you issues? Would we then have to replace that one, potentially causing you more frustrations?” Eisenberg asked.
In her response, Kapose said “your impression is 100% correct.”
“If that would be the case, then yes, you would have to replace that vehicle again. I am not happy with your dealings or attitude towards me and the problem I have brought to your attention. This does not mean I will stop buying or driving Mercedes-Benz vehicles,” she charged.
After an exchange of emails, Kapose and her boyfriend visited M&Z in the Southern Industrial area to find a solution to the problem.
A heated argument ensued, resulting in the dealer instructing their lawyers to bar the duo from the premises, and to demand the courtesy car back.
Frustrated with this, Kapose and Tjaronda took their grievances into cyberspace, where they allegedly called the dealers racists and threatened them. They also said they would defy the order to stay away from M&Z premises as long as their car was still stuck there.
Faced with these threats, M&Z sought an urgent interdict from the Windhoek High Court to stop Kapose from saying anything about the company on social media, and not to contact them or their staff.
Judge Hosea Angula, who gave the gagging order, postponed the case to 7 July.
Although M&Z refused to comment yesterday, Kapose and Tjaronda told The Namibian before the order was given that they felt cheated.
“It is very frustrating, inconvenient and a total waste of my time to be going in and out of their workshop because they sold me a faulty car.
We feel cheated, like they are trying to bully us, but we will explore any and every avenue to hold them accountable,” Tjaronda stressed.
The pair also said they took to social networks because of their frustration after two years of going back and forth to get the dealer’s attention.
“I have highlighted the fact that it is not safe for me to drive around with faulty brakes, especially when the dealer cannot even diagnose the problem,” Kapose said, adding that she loved her car.
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