Does the Consumer Protection Act Protect Every Tenant?
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” (attributed to Mark Twain) A married couple moved to Australia and rented out their South African family home while they tested the waters Down Under. Years later, once they had decided to remain abroad, […]
She Fell Out of a Safari Vehicle: When Disclaimers Fail
“The big print giveth and the fine print taketh away.” (Tom Waits) You have almost certainly signed a disclaimer at some point. A waiver before a trail run, an indemnity form before a bungee jump, a clause buried in a brochure. Businesses rely on these documents to limit their exposure when things go wrong. A […]
Your New Car’s a Lemon: Here’s How to Make Lemonade and Get Your Money Back
“Lemon law, noun – a law that states that you can return a motor vehicle to get it repaired or your money back if the vehicle is no good.” (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries) The car you just bought on instalment sale turns out to be a complete lemon. But when you return it to the dealership […]
Braai Chain Hauled Over the Coals for Hidden Service Charges and Fined R1m
“The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing… If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.” (Groucho Marx) We’ve all had this experience – meal over, relaxed and happy, you call for the bill and decide to reward your friendly and helpful waitron with a good tip. Only to find, on checking the […]
Brand-New Car Giving You Nightmares? CPA to the Rescue
You buy a brand-new car. “Great”, you think, “there’ll be no defects in a new car”. But you’re wrong – you notice an odd rattle, a mechanical failure, a patch of rust. The dealership refuses to replace the car or repair it. What can you do?
Two recent High Court decisions confirm that the CPA (Consumer Protection Act) will come to your rescue, but only if you follow the correct procedures and only if you can prove what you need to. Let’s see why the buyer in the first case lost but the second buyer won…
Your new house leaks like a sieve – Can you sue the seller?
You move into your new dream home, excited and happy. Until it rains, and the roof leaks. As the repair teams tramp around on your roof and the bills start piling up whilst you weave around buckets and tarpaulins and sodden carpets, you go back to the seller and demand recompense. “Sorry”, says the seller, […]