Do Not Buy from Bob Shop (https://www.bobshop.co.za) (Formerly BidorBuy)

I purchased a Christmas gift for my daughter on the 16th of December 2024. On the website it listed the item as "only 5 left buy now." Delivery was stated as "Will be delivered in 3 days from receipt of payment." I duly completed the transaction after registering for the site and also authorised the transaction with my bank. 2 days later I got a mysterious email stating that a refund had been authorised for this transaction and that the refund will take from 7 to 21 working days and to wait at least 7 working days before contacting my bank. The mail further stated further that If I did not request a refund I should reply to the email. What followed was a run-around between the supplier of the item and the support side of Bob Shop, with the supplier stating that they carried no stock of the item and Bob Shop blaming the supplier for the refund request. I eventually managed to get a person on a telephone call with the usual "I apologize for the inconvenience caused" and "There is nothing I can do." I explained that I am a pensioner with a very limited income and that I cannot wait between 7 and 21 working days to have my money returned to me. All I got was the sorry's and useless apologies. When I stated that I had placed the order only because the item was listed as in stock and delivery was confirmed as within 3 days, I was told it was the supplier's fault. It appears that this is a common occurrence with buyers using Bob Shop where a refund is delayed beyond the period which a claim can be made from the bank and they draw interest on the cash they now have in hand and the customer is left with nothing but useless comments and there is nothing they can do from their side. When I asked to speak to a supervisor or someone other than call-desk persons who clearly are giving you a practiced run around, I was told that was not possible. Stay away from this site. I have opened a ***** claim with the my bank and they will investigate. It has required me to suffer a hold on my account until the investigation is completed. So now I am out of pocket by more than R600 and I do not have funds to buy my daughter a Christmas gift.