A BMW dealership in South Africa has hired a squad of armed men equipped with a helicopter to recover a ‘missing’ courtesy car.
BMW Auto uMhlanga sent out a Netstar recovery team to retrieve the BMW 32 courtesy vehicle, which Chatsworth administrative clerk Ravindra Jainarain claimed he had been loaned in light of discovering all was not well with a brand new BMW 320d he had just purchased.
“I noted certain defects, including that the doors were not aligned properly and that the air conditioner was not working. I returned the vehicle to the dealership,” Jainarain told The Mercury.
“However, the vehicle was not fixed to my satisfaction and [BMW] did not give me any explanation as to how such defects could be present [in] a new car. I requested that they take the vehicle back and give me another new vehicle,” Jainarain explained.
Jainarain says he was loaned the replacement BMW 325 in March of this year, but ‘aggressive and arrogant’ Netstar personnel turned up at his workplace in Durban to recover the vehicle, armed with guns and a helicopter hovering above.
Dealership principal Brenton Cole said BMW Auto uMhlanga had been ‘unlawfully dispossessed’ of the courtesy car, and had asked for it to be returned when BMW South Africa decided not to replace Jainarain’s BMW 320d, knowing the legal dispute could take years to resolve.
“The matter was concluded and Jainarain was no longer entitled to keep the loaned vehicle. The applicant has three years to institute action. It may take years to be resolved, therefore it is absurd that we would give him a loan vehicle for so long,” Cole explained.
Fortunately for Jainarain, Durban High Court Judge Gregory Kruger has ordered the car to remain in his possession until both sides of the case are reviewed in September of this year.
A Netstar employee denied his team acted aggressively, and if anyone says differently then they’re cruising for a bruising.
Image: Airwolf
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