Jude Idoko (not real name), a car dealer based in Idi-Iroko, Ogun State, has accused Afialink International, an auto company, of increasing the cost of a car he ordered from them to N1.7 million from N1.4 million.

Jude told FIJ that he ordered the car, a 2004 Toyota Corolla, from Afialink on March 3 and paid for it in full after it was advertised on their Facebook page.

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He said he contacted the agent immediately and was asked to pay within an hour if the car would be his. Jude said he forwarded N500,000 first, and then N900,000.

“After the payment, I was assured I would get my car within three days, but then it didn’t happen and I made several calls to the GM of the offices in Lagos and the US, only to be asked if I would handle the clearing myself. All the while, I thought the car was in Nigeria because its status when I ordered it was ‘shipped”’, he told FIJ.

“Afialink then sent me a dock receipt on April 29, and I cleared the car through my agent with N500,000. Afterwards, my agent called me on May 12, informing me that the estimated demurrage for the car was N290,000.”

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“Same day, I got a message from Afialink requesting that I add an extra N300,000 to the initial N1.4 million I had paid in order to get the car released. This implies that I will be spending about N2.5 million to get a car that was initially priced at N1.4 million.”

When Afialink customer care was contacted, they directed our reporter to the company’s manager. FIJ made several calls to the manager, but they were not answered. A text message sent to him had also not been responded to at press time.

FIJ had reported how one Ilo Della Thompson Maduabuchi paid about N4 million to Afialink for a Sonata car and some laptops but the company failed to deliver the car or respond to his inquiries after receiving the money.