Christmas cheer for many readers
Consumer Line recovers R7.4m over the year
Consumer Line was able to bring a smile and money back to the pockets of our readers for the 11th year in a row.
The total amount recovered over these years is more than R156-million, and the service is free!
This year, we had unfair deals cancelled and were able to help our readers get title deeds after they had been waiting for many years.
Second-hand car problems continue to flood our lines.
Wesbank has been a darling as it intervened in the best interest of its clients when Consumer Line approached it to do so. Keep up the good work.
The Mineworkers Provident Fund was also cooperative and resolved long-standing pension fund claims. It has paid almost R3-million to our readers who have approached us for help this year.
McDonald Twala is one of our readers who was refunded R300 000 for a second-hand car deal he cancelled within the cooling-off period.
Twala did not know the terms and conditions of his agreement and had no receipts to show that the dealer received payment from him except a bank statement showing transfers to Freeway Equity Holding in August, September and October last year.
Mandlenkosi Tshabangu, of Evaton, was also paid his Road Accident Fund (RAF) compensation after waiting eight years. He was paid R254 889 in August.
We also exposed a JW Bothma who allegedly duped a mother into signing a R2-million loan agreement.
Thembi Ndzimande of Rosettenville said she signed a loan agreement under false pretences.
He is now being investigated by the Law Society of the Northern Provinces.
Hilda Rantso was paid her R303 230 for the pension payout of her late husband.
There were also complaints about debt review companies who allegedly abused garnishee order processes.
Emily Mthombeni was one such victim.
Miranda le Roux, of Money Market Credit Provider Group, insisted Mthombeni had taken more than one loan and undertook to supply the loan agreements, but had not done so by yesterday.
Mthombeni said she has repaid more than R40 000 for a R5 000 debt.
Precious Ramutha and Cynthia Dlamini were also victims of debt counselling, whose debt counsellor Nyanisi Shuma Debt Management al- legedly took more than R65 000 from their accounts, but never repaid their debts.
The amount recovered this year is R7.4-million.
■ Consumer Line will be closed from December 15.
The first Consumer Line column will run on January 22.