how can amazon be this bad

Complaint: Terrible First-Time Buyer Experience on Amazon South Africa

I attempted to make my first purchase on Amazon South Africa (amazon.co.za) on Thursday morning, just after 9 AM, hoping to buy a bicycle for my nephew. After adding the item to my basket and proceeding to checkout, I selected the Capitec EFT payment method — and that’s when everything started going wrong.

The EFT option was simply unavailable. I tried multiple times, even using different browsers, but nothing worked. Thinking it might be a temporary glitch, I contacted customer support. After being placed on hold — on my own airtime — I was eventually connected to an agent who couldn’t assist at all. I called back, only to reach yet another person who was just as unhelpful.

Throughout the day, I was passed around between several agents, including someone claiming to be a manager. Not one of them could give me a clear answer or resolve the issue. Eventually, an agent admitted there was a known issue with EFT payments and advised me to try again the next morning. I made it clear that this item had a special delivery clause, but I agreed to wait and try again.

The next day, the problem still wasn't resolved. I called in again and spoke to a manager who finally told me, quite casually, that EFT is not allowed for first-time purchases. Why was this not mentioned anywhere during checkout? Why didn’t any of the previous agents tell me this from the start? The complete lack of clear communication and consistent support is shocking.

To top it off, I later checked online and found that Amazon South Africa has a rating of 1.68 out of 5 from over 200 reviews. After this experience, I fully understand why. It seems clear that customer service is not a priority for this company.

This experience was a waste of my time, money, and energy. All I wanted was to make a simple purchase — instead, I spent two days chasing broken systems and poor service.

I expect:

A clear explanation and publicly visible clarification about your EFT policy for first-time buyers.

A review of how your customer support team handles calls — and clear training where it’s lacking.

Compensation for the inconvenience and call costs I had to absorb while dealing with your support staff.

I hope this complaint leads to actual changes, not just another generic “we're sorry” message.

Sincerely, Jason Vesagie]