East Coast Radio - Catch Up Consumer Hacks with Wendy Knowler

“Show Me the Podium": the phrase that could save you thousands on car finance

Loading player...
When you apply for vehicle finance through a dealership, the finance manager submits your application to multiple banks - and gets back a "podium" showing every offer, with different rates and terms. They're not obliged to show you all of them, and have every incentive to push the one earning them the highest commission - not the cheapest deal for you.
The hack: say “Please show me the podium." This simple request signals you know your rights, and that you expect every offer on the table, not just the most profitable one for them.
23 Jul English South Africa Education · Self-Improvement

Other recent episodes

Never stop paying the whole bill

If your municipal bill is wrong, dispute it. But keep paying the part you don't dispute. That one move takes away the municipality's lawful grounds to cut off your water or electricity while the dispute drags on, and these disputes drag on for months. Do it properly. Put your dispute…
11 Sep 1 min

Shake the sand out

Back from the beach in a hired car? Get the sand out of it before you return it. Nur returned his rental car with sand in the footwells after a family trip to the Drakensberg and was charged R600 extra for a specialist valet. Rental agreements generally allow the company…
10 Sep 1 min

Your usual Uber is going away

Uber has retired its UberX option – the go-to for many South Africans, and from this month you have four options. Uber Go is a smaller car at a smaller price, for quick trips around town. Uber Comfort gets you a newer car with extra space, and you can request…
9 Sep 1 min

Paying for the privilege

Roderick asked me: "When you have an account with a retailer and it is fully paid up, why do they still debit you with account fees when you have a zero balance? I buy maybe twice a year from this retailer and always pay my account up as quick as…
8 Sep 1 min

Pay down the card that's nearest its limit first

Your credit score is not a judgment of you. It's a forecast built from behaviour, and behaviour can change. The thing lenders consider most, after whether you pay on time, is how much of your available credit you're using. TransUnion tells South Africans to worry they’ve used up more than…
7 Sep 1 min
All episodes