A Kimberley car dealership, Lambons Kimberley, has been decisively penalized by the High Court for its handling of a consumer complaint dating back to 2012. The court ordered the GWM franchise to pay an administrative penalty of R200,000 and slapped it with a punitive costs order.
The ruling comes after the dealership unsuccessfully tried to review a National Consumer Commission compliance notice related to a vehicle purchased by Wilhelmina Bernardo. The court found the dealership’s 18-month delay in filing its review, its refusal to release the customer’s vehicle, and its overall “contemptuous” conduct towards regulatory bodies justified the severe sanctions. The judge stated this was necessary to mark the court’s disapproval of the company’s actions.
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