A dispute between a client and Cartrack has led to the National Consumer Commission (NCC) becoming involved. Ofentse Vinjwa, a 36-year-old man from South Africa, has taken Cartrack to the NCC after the company rejected his R150,000 warranty claim for his stolen car. Vinjwa's car was stolen in Hammanskraal, Tshwane, in June. He claims that Cartrack's reasons for rejecting his claim were unfair.
According to Vinjwa, Cartrack rejected his claim because he had failed to test his tracking device every three months and had missed a few payments. Vinjwa disputes these reasons, stating that some of the conditions of his contract were not properly explained to him. He claims that the terms and conditions were sent to him after the purchase of the contract was completed, and he agreed without knowing the contents.
Cartrack spokesperson Lauren Human explained that Vinjwa's account was in arrears at the time of the theft and therefore did not qualify for the Limited Recovery Warranty reward. Human stated that Vinjwa's last successful payment was received on March 28, 2026, and the account was in arrears when his vehicle was stolen on June 16, 2026.
The NCC has weighed in on the matter, stating that Cartrack cannot rely on contractual terms that were not disclosed to the consumer when the agreement was concluded to repudiate the consumer's claim. NCC spokesperson Phetho Ntaba explained that a term that was not brought to the consumer's attention at the time of contracting cannot subsequently be relied upon as a basis for rejecting a claim.
This is not the first time Cartrack has faced criticism for rejecting claims due to clients failing to test their tracking devices every three months. Last year, several complaints were received by Sowetan from Cartrack clients regarding rejected claims. Cartrack maintained that the practice was fair and in their customers' interest.
The NCC has previously taken action against Cartrack, slapping the company with a R5m fine in April after finding that it used unfair marketing tactics. Cartrack was also ordered to pay another R5m to settle complaints laid by 167 customers. The NCC's probe identified six contraventions of the Consumer Protection Act.
Cartrack has since revised its terms and conditions at the request of the NCC. Human stated that Cartrack continues to assess warranty cases in line with its revised terms and conditions. The NCC continues to prioritize complaints against Cartrack, and consumers are advised to read the terms and conditions of contracts they are entering into.
Key points
- Cartrack's use of contractual terms to reject claims has been disputed by the NCC.
- The company has faced criticism for rejecting claims due to clients failing to test their tracking devices every three months.
- Cartrack has revised its terms and conditions at the request of the NCC.
