Don’t ditch that box, check your disc and watch the delivery fee

1. Update your number plates to avoid a R1000 fine 

KwaZulu-Natal’s new “ZN” number plate system requires motorists to update their number plates to match the registration number on their licence disc by November 30, 2025.

Here’s the thing: eNaTIS automatically assigns new numbers when you renew your car licence, but those renewing via their bank could easily miss the new registration number on their disc. Mismatched plates are illegal, and the fine is R1,000 - R500 per plate. Enforcement begins in April next year. By February this year, only 930 000 of 1.73 million vehicles had complied. So, check your disc and if the number there doesn’t match what’s on your plates, you need to get new ones.

2. Report those suspicious rave reviews

If you go onto HelloPeter to log a complaint about a service provider, and you see a few five-star reviews amid a host of really bad one-star ones, that could be a sign that the raves are fake. In the interest of everybody who trusts the consumer review platform contact HelloPeter’s administrators and ask them to verify those reviews.

They will contact the poster and ask them to prove, by means of documentation, that they were in fact, a genuine customer of that company. If they cannot or refuse to respond, the reviews in question are removed.

3. Compare delivery fees along with the prices

When you’re shopping for something too big to transport home yourself, don’t limit your price comparison to the retail price. Also compare the cost of having it delivered to your door. I recently investigated a case of a Jo’burg appliance retailer which put a 200% mark-up on what their third-party transport company charged them. Some appliance retailers put no mark-up on delivery fees and others do, so it’s best to check.

Special warning about TVs - they are incredibly prone to damage while being handled so it’s a really good idea to pay extra for professional delivery and installation.

4. Car finance: how to make that balloon smaller

If you have chosen a balloon car finance contract, meaning you have carved out 30% to 40% of the financed amount, to be dealt with at the end of your contract, you can make extra payments to reduce that big debt that’s waiting for you. 

Here’s the thing: you must explicitly request that these payments be used to off-set the balloon amount.  Otherwise, the additional amounts would be directed towards the principal debt and have no impact on the balloon payment.

5. To keep the box or not?

Question from Lex of Howick: Do I have to keep my new printer’s packaging?

It’s a yes and no answer. 

If the printer fails within six months of purchase, it is covered by the Consumer Protection Act warranty, which entitles you to return it for your choice of a refund, replacement or repair. In that case, the supplier cannot insist that you provide the original packaging in order to benefit from that warranty. You don’t need the box for the first six months. The supplier’s warranty kicks in from month 7, and they most definitely will insist that you provide the original packaging as a condition for the honouring of their warranty.

By throwing the box away, you take a chance of having no recourse if the product fails after the first six months.

Listen to more Consumer Hacks below:

Contact Wendy Knowler:

Get in touch with Wendy via her website or her Facebook page. Please note that Wendy is not able to personally respond to every email she receives. If she is able to take up your case, she will contact you directly. Here are other avenues for you to consider.