The National Consumer Tribunal orders a Pretoria-based engine supplier to refund a customer and faces a fine after installing the wrong engine in the customer’s Ford Focus and withholding the vehicle for an extended period. The tribunal also orders the supplier to release the car to the owner.
According to the tribunal’s ruling, the dispute involves an incorrect engine fit and the customer’s attempt to recover the vehicle and funds paid. The supplier is ordered to refund a R5,000 deposit with interest, reflecting costs incurred by the customer. The tribunal also imposes a penalty of R75,000.
Outlets focus on the tribunal’s consumer-protection findings and the practical remedies ordered, including the release of the vehicle, the deposit refund with interest, and the monetary fine. The reporting emphasizes the length of the withholding and the engine mismatch as the core issues addressed by the tribunal.
