Nwaenyi Victory, an Abuja-based businessman, reached out to automobile retailer Afialink to purchase a car in 2022. Despite paying N4,160,000 for his desired car model that year, the company failed to deliver and also refused to refund him.
Victory told FIJ that he only got a meagre N500,000 refund in March 2024 and Afialink has refused to pay the outstanding N3.66 million.
FIJ learnt that, out of the total sum the businessman paid in 2022, N2.5 million was for the 2009 Acura MDX model he wanted while the remaining N1.66 million was for clearing services.
Bank alerts show that Victory paid N2.5 million in four instalments between September 12 and October 8, 2022, to a GTBank account number with the name “Lordbex International Company Limited”. And he paid the clearing fee in two instalments on October 18 and 19, 2022, to Afialink’s clearing agent.
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The car he wanted.
First two instalments for car in September.
Last two instalments for car in October 2022.
“In May 2022, I inquired about a particular Acura 2009 from Afialink and he told me it’s available. And we negotiated the price and concluded at N2.5 million without clearing,” Victory told FIJ on Thursday.
“He then asked me to pay for clearance, but I told him I had someone who cleared cars for me. He said the laws of his company did not allow his customers to clear with someone else except his own clearing agent.
“After some arguments, I agreed to work with his clearing agent and he gave me his number to chat him up. I chatted him and he charged N1.660 million for the clearance, and I paid in full.”
Payment for clearing service.
READ ALSO: 9 Months After Taking Businessman’s N3m, Afialink Has Not Delivered Car
“Afialink promised that the car would be available before November 2022, but November passed, and there was no information from him. He didn’t reply my messages, and he didn’t answer phone calls. The agent he gave me his number keep telling stories, too.”
In February 2023, the businessman sent messages to Afialink on Instagram to know why he had not delivered the car he paid for the previous year.
“We apologise for this delay. We are working on it. Give me two more weeks,” Afialink told Victory.
His Instagram chat with Afialink in February 2023.
Two weeks after the conversation on Instagram, Victory was left hanging as he still did not get the car as promised. “That was my last chat with him in 2023 and, since then, there’s been no reply on Instagram,” he noted.
In February, Victory decided to send an email. He got a response from Afialink. After exchanging details of the car and evidence of payment, Afialink asked for a 60-day period to refund his money.
Then on March 15, the businessman received the meagre sum of N500,000 after much pressure from his end.
The N500,000 sent in March.
“Till now he hasn’t refund in full. I have sent several messages. Even when I was in trouble and needed money, he refused to attend to me. He kept giving me dates, only to disappear. He has given me different dates for refund since February this year,” Victory told FIJ.
“I was surprised to get just N500,000 in March. He called to confirm the payment. On June 1, he said I should expect money on Tuesday, but I did not get anything.
“After series of messages, he replied my text on August 28 and said I would receive money very soon. But till now, there’s no message from him.”
Afialink’s last response on August 28.
FIJ sent an email as well as an Instagram message to Afialink on Friday, but no response had been received at the time of publication.
The post Afialink Holds Abuja Businessman’s N3.66m Despite Failing to Deliver His Car in 2022 appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.