A KwaZulu-Natal man who took his new VW Amarok to a dealership for dashboard light repairs was shocked to learn that his R1 million vehicle had been stolen from the premises on the same day he went to collect it.
Darrel Shanmugam, of Phoenix, had taken his Amarok Aventura 3.0 TDI to the Edwin Swales branch of Barons VW in Durban on 20 September 2024, just a month after purchasing it.
The 32-year-old said he went to the dealership unannounced on 28 October 2024, as he hadn’t received updates on the repair progress. Upon arrival, he was told his vehicle wasn’t ready as a new battery still needed to be installed, and that he would be called once all work was complete.
“I wanted to wait for the car, but I was told they were still busy with other vehicles and would call me when done. I left the dealership just after midday,” Shanmugam said.
“They called me back a few hours later, after 3 p.m., to collect my car. When I arrived and waited at reception, I was told the car was in the wash bay. After what felt like 45 minutes of waiting, I was informed that my car had been stolen.”
Shanmugam was then taken to an office and shown security footage of two men entering the premises. “The men walked past everything and everyone, including the security guard. They went straight to the service department and directly to my van parked at the wash bay,” he said.
According to Shanmugam, the keys were in the ignition, allowing the men to enter and drive off past security without question. “These were strangers, yet they came in broad daylight and left without anyone saying anything. This was an inside job—how did they know my car was ready?” he asked in frustration.
Shanmugam says he was left shocked and traumatised after learning that his R1 million VW Amarok was stolen from a Durban dealership. Shanmugam reported that when he demanded action, including a courtesy car, he was initially assured of assistance. However, he claims the dealership later backtracked.
“The manager told me they would handle the matter and provide a courtesy car the next day,” Shanmugam said. “But when I returned, they handed me a letter denying responsibility for the theft and refused me a courtesy car. They were dismissive and showed no empathy; I left the dealership shattered.”
Shanmugam provided IOL with a letter from NMI Insurance, signed by Insurance and Claims Manager Charl Greef.
In it, Greef confirms the theft and notes that the incident was reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS).
The letter states that Barons VW in Durban “is investigating the matter” and does “not accept liability for the vehicle loss at this stage,” recommending Shanmugam submit an insurance claim.
Unfortunately, Shanmugam’s car was uninsured and not fitted with a tracking device.
“I hadn’t insured it or installed a tracker because I was waiting for the dashboard lights to be fixed. I had already arranged with Matrix Vehicle Tracking to install a tracker and assist me with insurance quotes once repairs were complete,” he explained.
According to the NMI letter, the dealership was aware of the absence of a tracking device.
“Barons confirm that at the time of the theft, the vehicle was not fitted with registration plates and there was no tracking device to assist in the recovery,” the letter reads.
When Shanmugam attempted to obtain CCTV footage of the theft to share on social media, the dealership refused.
In a recorded phone conversation with a manager named Iqbal, Shanmugam asked for the footage, hoping public circulation might aid in locating his vehicle. The manager responded, “I’m sorry, I won’t be able to give it to you because it’s our company property.”
“So you’re refusing me footage of people stealing my vehicle?” Shanmugam asked.
The manager replied, “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t,” but advised him to engage a lawyer to obtain the footage.
Shanmugam said he has since hired a lawyer, who has struggled to obtain the footage despite sending two emails, both of which have gone unanswered.
Shanmugam, who works as a Transportation Manager, said he has been unable to work for two weeks due to the stress and now relies on medication to sleep.
“It’s been incredibly difficult. I can’t sleep, I can’t function—I’m devastated, especially by how VW has distanced itself from this situation, even though the vehicle was stolen on their premises.”
IOL contacted VW Barons and spoke to the manager in question, who referred inquiries to Peter Smith at NMI Insurance. Multiple attempts to reach Smith were unsuccessful, with calls redirected to a receptionist but unanswered. IOL also reached out to Greef and Smith via email, but as of publication, no reply had been received.
Tebogo Losaba, VW’s Media and Public Relations Manager, confirmed the matter was under investigation and said a response would be provided. However, at the time of publication, neither VW nor NMI Insurance had replied.
sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za
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