Attending to customer complaints is a serious business. Handling complaints in the right way, leads to customer satisfaction, which in turn results in repeat or increased sales. If you miss the mark, it can destroy your brand. There is, however, a lighter side to this undertaking.

Since the introduction of the CPA, I have come across numerous customer complaints. Some are legitimate, but some are totally ill-conceived – where the customer’s expectations go way beyond the intentions of the Act.

There's a rat in my car...

The incident that always comes first to mind is the story about the rat that took up residence in a vehicle, four months after the vehicle was delivered to the customer. The customer was adamant that he was covered for such an occurrence under the perceived guarantee of the CPA.

The dealership initially declined to assist the customer with his rat problem, but after the customer – who was a community leader – threatened to ensure that the dealership would never sell cars in his particular area again, the dealership decided to look into the rat problem. He asked the customer to drop off the said vehicle at the earliest convenience.

Chicken bones

On arrival, the dealership owner noticed some chicken bones lying inside the car – in the footwell and behind the passenger seat. He then explained to the customer that the unkempt state of the vehicle would naturally attract mice and rats.

The customer, in turn, responded with the explanation that the chicken bones were inside the car, because the rat picked them up in his yard and carried it into the car. Now, how could one argue with that?

In another case, the following complaints were lodged by a customer two days before his “six-month guarantee” under the CPA was due to expire (bear in mind that the customer had already been driving the vehicle for six months)…

1.  Please check if the vehicle has a spare wheel and necessary tools.
2.  Please adjust the wiper motor speed, as they are too slow on all three settings.
3.  Check the heat gauge, as I am sure it under-registers the actual heat.
4.  Please find out how far I can drive within ten minutes after the reserve fuel light comes on.
5.  Please fit an aerial that would enhance the reception of RSG in town.

Like I said, complaint resolution definitely has a lighter side.

We share the best used car sellers for August.

The top 5 used passenger vehicle sales per manufacturer

FORD
VOLKSWAGEN
TOYOTA
BMW
NISSAN

The top three used commercial vehicle sales per manufacturer

RANGER 2.2TDCI XL P/U D/C
RANGER 2.2TDCI XL P/U SUP/CAB
NP200 1.6 P/U S/C

Top 10 derivatives sales

RANGER 2.2TDCI XL P/U D/C
FIGO 1.4 AMBIENTE
FIESTA 1.4 AMBIENTE 5 DR
POLO VIVO 1.4 5DR
POLO 1.4 COMFORTLINE 5DR
RANGER 2.2TDCI XL P/U SUP/CAB
POLO VIVO GP 1.4 TRENDLINE 5DR
POLO VIVO 1.4 TRENDLINE 5DR
POLO 1.6 COMFORTLINE 5DR
RANGER 2.2TDCI XL P/U D/C
POLO GP 1.2 TSI TRENDLINE (66KW)

The average age of used vehicles sold in August was 3.83 years.