In what appears to be brazen and elaborate acts of fraud and theft, dozens of complainants have altogether lost millions of rands after being taken for a ride by a local golf cart business that has so far managed to escape repercussions.
Helderberg Golf Carts (HGC), which was situated along Main Road in Strand, but has since allegedly relocated to other premises under a new name in the Gants Centre, has become synonymous with false promises, theft of golf carts, suppliers of fraudulent products and according to complainants have expertly spun their way into building a web of lies to avoid confrontations all the while they hide behind their lawyer when legal action is presented.
When approached for comment, a lawyer representing Jeanne Moss (Brink) intervened.
“It is our instruction that all further correspondence should be directed to our offices,” stated David van der Merwe of Leon Frank & Partners attorneys. “Please refrain from contacting our client or any of its employees directly.”
In a separate email he stated: “Please note that Golf Cart Traders is not the same entity as Helderberg Golf Carts, nor is it associated with Helderberg Golf Carts. Should any insinuation or allegation be made that the two entities are associated, our client will be left with no choice but to consider its legal options.
“Helderberg Golf Carts was ultimately run by Mr Anthony Moss, who absconded from the business in late January 2023,” stated Van der Merwe, who also confirmed his client was Jeanne Moss (Brink). “As our client became aware of issues at Helderberg Golf Carts, due to the manner in which Antony Moss was running Helderberg Golf Carts, our client attempted to assist in finding a solution to the issues.”
Several attempts to contact Anthony Moss for comment were unsuccessful. He could not be reached on his cellphone and his whereabouts could not be established.
One of the more common complaints from several victims allege that inverters with batteries purchased from Helderberg Golf Carts don’t work properly, are disguised with stickers to look like different brands, have serial numbers rubbed off and actually pose a serious fire risk.
“The HGC-supplied batteries also have no warranty as the serial numbers have been removed so they cannot be tracked/traced and are homebuilt fire hazards,” said Chris Steyn, himself a victim who lost tens of thousands.
“These guys are known for painting over cart serial numbers to hide the true year of manufacture and will sell you a 2015 cart whilst it is actually a 2009 cart and then simply blame it on administrative errors when you find out you have been scammed. The refurbished carts are accidents waiting to happen as they have just painted over the severe chassis rust.
“I know of a person whose cart split in half while driving with his kids, which could have caused them serious injuries. I know of only about 20 people who were scammed by HGC, but there must be hundreds more out there who do not even know they have been scammed and are driving around in ticking time bombs.”
Another victim of HGC, Marco da Silva, said he signed a written agreement with HGC to restore two Yamaha G29 golf carts, find a buyer and sell it, but after hearing nothing for several weeks he enquired what the progress was, but was told the buyer did not pay for the golf carts.
“I contacted the buyer myself, and was shown proof that the buyer had in fact paid in full for the golf cart he had purchased, and yet HGC refused to acknowledge this to me, became aggressive towards me and now, several months later, I am still waiting for my money,” he said.
The list of complaints go on, with many complainants opening civil cases and some opening criminal cases. Strand police confirmed cases of theft were being investigated and are ongoing.
One of the complainants successfully obtained a court order in January this year for the payment of R51 570 from HGC in respect of a claim for the replacement value of a four-seater golf cart, and other civil cases are ongoing.
HGC was run by well–known Helderberg couple Anthony and Jeanne Moss. The business closed down and signage removed from their premises in Main Road, Strand last month.
But on investigation it was discovered that the business had in fact moved to another premises and is now located in Newtown Street in the Gants Centre under the name Golf Cart Traders – and is run by Jeanne Moss. Several carts at this premises are allegedly also fraudulently being sold. According to a complainant his cart was just resprayed and now being sold at Golf Cart Traders, and similarly many of the allegations against HGC have simply spilled over to the new business, Golf Cart Traders.
In the meantime golf carts belonging to complainants continue to be advertised under the banner of Golf Cart Traders.
“Jeanne Moss knew exactly what was going on and was fully aware of the complaints,” a complainant said. “Many customers were billed by HGC, but had to pay into Jeanne’s account.”
Steyn added: “Collectively, we have spent a fortune on legal fees against them and they promise people that they will pay them back if they do not post anything on social media.
“Many people are staying quiet in hope of payback but this is not going to happen unless they scam another Peter to pay Paul. We want this ‘scam’ to be known as this may prevent future fraud and chances of a home or golf club burning down.”
