Online Reporter
Prosper Dembedza
Herald Correspondent
FURNITURE company, Jena and Sons, represented by its director, Grena Mberi (54), has appeared in court on allegations of defrauding an unsuspecting client of US$9 850 in a botched fitted kitchen deal.
Mberi was charged with fraud when he appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Tapiwa Kuhudzai.
The court heard that sometime in 2022, the accused person, in connivance with his sons Rimton and Takudzwa, hatched a plan to defraud unsuspecting victims who wanted kitchen and bedroom furnishings at their houses.
It is alleged that the accused persons, in pursuance of their plan, uploaded advertisements on social media marketing their company, misrepresenting that they could offer services of kitchen and bedroom fittings.
Acting on the accused persons’ misrepresentation, Rudo Chipanga responded to the advertisement and asked Takudzwa for a quotation for a kitchen fitting for her house via Facebook.
Mberi charged Chipanga US$4 300 and indicated that if she accepted the offer, she would get a 50 percent discount.
The complainant paid US$2 150 through her employee, Peterson Mawesa and was issued with a receipt.
When Chipanga made follow-ups at the company or through Takudzwa, she was told to top up her money because the price of materials had gone up.
To convince Chipanga that they were serious about doing their work, Takudzwa sent someone known as Bright, whom he claimed to be a carpenter, to the complainant’s house, where he demolished the existing kitchen unit and removed cabinets and sink.
It is the State’s case that Chipanga made follow-up for her kitchen to be fitted, but the accused persons kept on shifting goal posts, asking her to pay more money.
As a result, the complainant ended up paying money amounting to US$ 9 850 on different occasions.
When Chipanga made follow-ups for the job to be done, she was told the same story that she should make a top-up of US$1 800.
She refused to pay the amount until the job was done and the accused persons indicated that they were no longer going to do the job, but instead, they were going to refund her.
The court heard that Chipanga engaged the accused persons for a refund, but without success until she discovered some disgruntled people who had been defrauded in the same way.
Chipanga then made a report to the police, leading to the arrest of the accused. The total value defrauded was US$9 850 and nothing was recovered.
Peter Tanyanyiwa