Poor service and attitude on faulty cellphone

On the 29th of May 2024 my husband bought a phone from Ackermans at Princess crossing. Techno for R19000. The person who assisted my husband did the deal very quickly. Not explaining all the t&cs. We have 4 children. To read the back of a slip is the last thing on my agenda.

Fast forward. Since he got the phone and started using it and using memory on the phone and installing apps, the phone began to lag. He wasn't bugged by this issue as its not an expensive phone. He carried on. This week we had the issue of trying to unlock his phone at times and it will just show the bottom 3 buttons and a black screen.

Fast forward to today, the phone stayed like this. We went back to Ackermans princess crossing, to where Sophiso Dlamini greeted us when we came to the counter. Explaining the issue and showing him what the phone has been doing he then asked what would we like to do, refund or a different phone. We said either as my husband needs his phone to generate an income, hense why we had bought it in the first place. After saying they'll refund us Sophiso then called his supervisor Nthandi, to which we were greeted with the worst attitude ever. Sophiso told her we are having issues, she then asked my husband what's the issues, he said he'd already explained it to Sophiso and started explaining to her what the issue was, mid sentence he was disrupted by Nthandi to say that we must read the slip. Only refunds within 7 days. The more we tried explaining to her what the phone does the more she just said read the back of your slip. Thank you. Which is 1st of all not the way you should treat customers. 2nd of all where is the respect for the store you're supposed to represent!?

We then further went on to explain to Nthandi that we cannot send the phone away for 4 weeks to be repaired and looked at as this is what generates his income. Explaining that the phone is faulty. To which she said with an attitude it is either you take the phone home or leave it here.

Further asked her who will supply a phone to my husband to continue his work or what will be done to compromise with the 4 weeks of his phone being gone. To which a response is given I don't know. Nothing.

Ackermans was very quick to take our money on buying a phone but not quick or willing to sort out the issue at hand. Now my husband has to live with a phone that doesn't unlock at times, jumps from one app to another and the batters sometimes doesn't even charge because nothing else can be done...

I disagree...

A solution could've been made to give a new phone or refund. Now my husband has to rather give the phone in for 4 weeks and lose out on an income of up to R6000 extra?! Who will cover those costs if a phone hs to be sent in for repairs...

Ackermans I know you can do better.. This is utterly disgusting...

The phone is not even a month old yet.