Cape Town - A South African professor of finance and law, working on an academic assignment in Switzerland, is seeking nearly half a million rand in damages from Biddulphs International, a removal and storage company claiming they damaged her classic 2006 Porsche by driving and crashing it, and then attempting to repair it.
Professor Anele Hammond has also laid a criminal charge against Biddulphs at Rosebank police station.
According to a court summons filed, Hammond, who is an admitted advocate of the High Court of South Africa, said she had entered into an agreement with Biddulphs in February 2024 to transport her vehicle and other items from her Clifton home to St Gallen, Switzerland, where she spends time working on her research.
Hammond said that on her visit to Biddulphs to conclude the shipping transaction, Carlo Brown, the Biddulphs Cape Town branch manager, said: “Professor please drop your car off on a Friday so I can enjoy it for the weekend.”
“I froze,” she told Weekend Argus. “Seeing my shock, Carlo laughed out loud, pretending to be joking. To my utter dismay, today I am in court because, indeed, my classic 2006 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S was driven on a public road without my knowledge and/or consent and severely damaged in the process.”
Hammond said she drained all the fuel from her vehicle in preparation for its transportation.
She said that when Biddulphs used her car behind her back they did not know which fuel the Porsche used and fuelled her vehicle with diesel instead of petrol – and continued to drive it until the engine was compromised.
She said that during this time the car was involved in an accident which damaged the body of the car.
In the summons it is stated that instead of Biddulphs contacting Hammond to report the damages and/or taking the car to Porsche to be restored correctly, Biddulphs Cape Town used an unauthorised backyard panel shop in a desperate attempt to conceal the damage and escape liability.
The document reports that Biddulphs allegedly employed the services of their in-house mechanic to “fiddle” with the engine, causing irreparable harm.
It detailed how in the process a mechanic apparently snapped the front seats off to access engine components but unfortunately failed to fix the car.
“At the time that the motor vehicle was handed over to the defendant it was in pristine condition,” the court paper reads.
Professor Hammond alleged Biddulphs hastened the shipping of the vehicle to Switzerland in its damaged condition with the hope to pin the damages on international handlers.
“I make this claim boldly as Biddulphs is already under investigation for a similar transgression,’ she told the Weekend Argus, giving a blow by blow account of her discovery.
“I am grateful for this investigation as otherwise I would have never known about the damages to my Porsche had it not been for the ongoing investigation”.
“Towards the end of April 2024, I was called to a meeting in Switzerland and asked to delay my shipment to Switzerland as there was an investigation in progress and that shipping my goods at that time would compromise the investigation. I complied and ensured that Biddulphs delay shipping”.
“On 15 July 2024, I was called again and told that Biddulphs is shipping my vehicle despite my express instructions; I was then shown video footage of my Porsche driving on a public road in Cape Town, photographs of physical damages to my Porsche, and my Porsche being mishandled by unqualified personnel.
“I was also warned that the Porsche is currently being shipped in that condition. I immediately confronted Carlo telephonically, who swore on his children’s lives that my car had never left the Biddulphs yard.
“I then asked Carlo if my Porsche had ever been damaged in any manner or form then fixed at an unauthorised panel shop?
“Carlo laughed at me and said that I am dreaming as nothing like that would ever happen to my car under his watch. I told Carlo that I am on my way to South Africa to verify his claim and reiterated that he should not ship my vehicle.
“Carlo’s words were: “Professor do not waste your money by flying down to South Africa as the Porsche has already left Biddulphs and it is en-route to Switzerland.
“I booked the first available flight to South Africa and when, landed in Johannesburg I immediately laid a criminal charge against Biddulphs at Rosebank Police Station as I needed an urgent search warrant to search Biddulphs Cape Town’s premises for my Porsche.”
She said the following morning the police, a videographer and Porsche technician searched Biddulphs warehouse in Cape Town and found the Porsche hidden under blankets.
“The car was checked in the presence of the Biddulphs Management and captured on video, then uplifted to Porsche Centre Cape Town for a thorough diagnosis.”
According to police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg, Hammond registered a criminal charge against the company and the matter was still under investigation.
Hammond is claiming total costs of R181 772.96 for repairs to the Porsche, for Porsche Centre Cape Town to run diagnostic tests on the engine, for replacing the fuel tanks, fuel pumps, spark plugs and damaged seat rail covers in addition to the cost to repair the shoddy work done to the vehicle’s damaged body.
According to the court papers, in addition to the damage to the engine, the Porsche received damage to its front bumper, the front grille, the radiator grille, the front spoiler and the front protection bar and seat rail covers.
The court papers state Biddulphs Removal and Storage SA has accepted liability, but could only make a payment of R36 046 to Porsche Centre Cape Town in respect of the repairs to the engine and the replacement of the seat rail covers but failed to cover the outstanding balance of R145 725 which remained owing and payable by Biddulphs.
In addition to the damages, Professor Hammond incurred travel and accommodation costs including having to stay in South Africa for a month trying to resolve this matter with Biddulphs.
The Weekend Argus is in possession of all invoices and proof of payments through bank transfers for all her claimed costs, as stated in the documents, amounting to R255 233, with a total cost of R400 958 20 in damages, including the cost of a suit.
Professor Hammond said out of courtesy she penned communication to Biddulphs’ International’s CEO, Mr Owen Farmerey about the matter.
“Owen has since refused to restore my position advising me that I should lower my standards and accept the shoddy panel work Biddulphs commissioned behind my back to an unauthorised backyard panel shop (despite the fact that they devalued my Porsche); more that I should lower my standards and downgrade my flight to economy class. I could not entertain Owen’s insult then I approached the Cape Town High Court under case number 19456/24 to intervene,” she stated.
In a response to Weekend Argus, Biddulphs Removal & Storage SA’s lawyer, Claudette Dutilleux of CDH said that the matter was ongoing and that they had yet to file their plea and that it would be sub judice to communicate their plans.
Calls, emails and text messages were also made to Farmerey, to which we were told that he is currently out of office.