Good afternoon gents.

I hope this is the correct area to post my question. I need some guidance please. I trusted an old racing buddy who does solar installation for my new installation at my house in Blouberg. Naturally being a friend he offered to make minimal profit on the appliances and I have to cover labour for the installation. I was most delighted and paid his 2 quotes immediately and even mentioned that we are not moving in straight away when we get the keys on 6 August, instead he has 3 weeks, we will move in early Sept. Needless to say, we are nearly in November and I have nothing.
Everything was/is a lie. So much so that his close family contacted me behind his back to tell me that all his excuses are lies.

So here I am, what do I do, what are my rights? is that money lost? Please share some guidance.

Then, I still have to complete the half install which I think is a massive fire hazard at the moment. Are there any recommended Victron installers that can assist me in my area?
If so, please reach out to me on 082 878 0086.

Thank you in advance.

That sucks. You can try the legal route. I got swindled by a very good friend of mine (we knew each other for almost a decade) out of 30k rand. It was for a business we were doing together. I have since learnt to trust no one, even family members, when it comes to money. Always have a legally binding contract that comes with consequences to both parties.

I did not pursue it as the amount was below what the court considers large enough (30k, weirdly enough), and it was deemed a gift to him since there was no proof of services that he needed to honour to me. I don't know if I helped at all or if I just wanted to share my experience.

Don't give money to friends and family unless you are comfortable not seeing it again. And don't go into business with friends and family "out of the goodness of your heart". You will be left hanging.

2 hours ago, Tiaan Vermeulen said:

So here I am, what do I do, what are my rights? is that money lost? Please share some guidance.

What records do you have? If you have a written contract then he can be held to that, if you want to go the legal action route. In all of this evidence there has to be a promise from him that he will provide certain services. It has to show that you have paid the agreed amount, and that he made a commitment to have the work done by a specific date. Whatsapps or emails will probably stand up as well, but back them up to something like DropBox or Box.net which will prove that they existed at certain date and time.

Do that first. Then think about whether or not you want to fight him on this.

I agree with @Denns really.

Edited October 28, 2025Oct 28 by Bobster.
grammar

2 minutes ago, Bobster. said:

What records do you have? If you have a written contract then he can be held to that, if you want to go the legal action route. In all of this evidence there has to be a promise from him that he will provide certain services. It has to show that you have paid the agreed amount, and that he made a commitment to have the work done by a specific date. Whatsapps or emails will probably stand up as well, but back them up to something like DropBox or Box.net which will prove that they existed at certain date and time.

Do that first. Then think about whether or not you want to fight him on this.

I agree with @Denns really.

Thank you for this. I dont have a contract as such. but everything else I have on whats app and email. from invoices to payments, to his worker whats app, his wife's msg's. Digging a little deeper I found out that he owes just about everybody money, any and every supplier in the George area is looking for him. Someone has to try and put a stop to this.

Small claims court?

I think the amount stands at R20 000.00

Get at him!🤬

10 minutes ago, Virwat said:

Small claims court?

I think the amount stands at R20 000.00

Get at him!🤬

Im at R85k loss at the moment. basically everything accept for the inverter itself.

1 hour ago, Virwat said:

Small claims court?

I think the amount stands at R20 000.00

Get at him!🤬

Looks like it

If more than one payment was done, then Tiaan must use only amounts paid that is as close as possible to R20 000 and loose the extra amount,

Then grind him in Small claims court again for other payments done.

Otherwise, if first Small claim court case was successful, tell the bastard now you are going for the rest in civil case.

4 hours ago, Tiaan Vermeulen said:

Thank you for this. I dont have a contract as such. but everything else I have on whats app and email. from invoices to payments, to his worker whats app, his wife's msg's. Digging a little deeper I found out that he owes just about everybody money, any and every supplier in the George area is looking for him. Someone has to try and put a stop to this.

I'm not a lawyer, but in rough terms, you need to be able to demonstrate that there was an agreement in place by which you gave him certain sums of money and he promised to perform a service for that money. If there's no date mentioned he can say "well I'm GOING to do it." If you don't have proof of payment he can deny receiving the money.

But your best now is to contact a lawyer, show them what you have, and get an opinion on whether or not this will stand up in court.

Not a nice situation. I have learned the hard way to keep business and friends separate.

10 hours ago, Tiaan Vermeulen said:

Good afternoon gents.

I hope this is the correct area to post my question. I need some guidance please. I trusted an old racing buddy who does solar installation for my new installation at my house in Blouberg. Naturally being a friend he offered to make minimal profit on the appliances and I have to cover labour for the installation. I was most delighted and paid his 2 quotes immediately and even mentioned that we are not moving in straight away when we get the keys on 6 August, instead he has 3 weeks, we will move in early Sept. Needless to say, we are nearly in November and I have nothing.
Everything was/is a lie. So much so that his close family contacted me behind his back to tell me that all his excuses are lies.

So here I am, what do I do, what are my rights? is that money lost? Please share some guidance.

Then, I still have to complete the half install which I think is a massive fire hazard at the moment. Are there any recommended Victron installers that can assist me in my area?
If so, please reach out to me on 082 878 0086.

Thank you in advance.

You’re protected under South African consumer and contract law, depending on how the transaction was structured. If you have Quotes / invoices / payment proof: those form a binding agreement under contract law. WhatsApp messages, emails, or SMSes showing what was promised that’s evidence of intention and misrepresentation. No physical delivery or installation after payment that’s non-performance or breach of contract. Even if you didn’t sign a formal contract, payment + accepted quote = enforceable agreement.

Before going legal, send a registered letter or email (and WhatsApp copy) that: States what was agreed.Note that he has not delivered. Give him 7 working days to either complete the installation or refund the payment in full. State that you will escalate to SAPS and/or Small Claims / civil court if ignored.

Report to HelloPeter, SA Consumer Goods & Services Ombud, or CIDB (if he’s registered) to warn others. If he’d spent it or is insolvent, getting your money back may take time. But a legal paper trail puts pressure on him. A SAPS case number often prompts repayment (people fear criminal records). If he’s trading under a registered company, you can pursue it even if he goes underground.

On 2025/10/28 at 11:31 PM, TaliaB said:

You’re protected under South African consumer and contract law, depending on how the transaction was structured. If you have Quotes / invoices / payment proof: those form a binding agreement under contract law. WhatsApp messages, emails, or SMSes showing what was promised that’s evidence of intention and misrepresentation. No physical delivery or installation after payment that’s non-performance or breach of contract. Even if you didn’t sign a formal contract, payment + accepted quote = enforceable agreement.

Before going legal, send a registered letter or email (and WhatsApp copy) that: States what was agreed.Note that he has not delivered. Give him 7 working days to either complete the installation or refund the payment in full. State that you will escalate to SAPS and/or Small Claims / civil court if ignored.

Report to HelloPeter, SA Consumer Goods & Services Ombud, or CIDB (if he’s registered) to warn others. If he’d spent it or is insolvent, getting your money back may take time. But a legal paper trail puts pressure on him. A SAPS case number often prompts repayment (people fear criminal records). If he’s trading under a registered company, you can pursue it even if he goes underground.

Thanks @TaliaB It is always great to read your factual assistance in all matters PV.

You are a real shining star for all the members.