Double payment glitch - unaccountable branch

I made a purchase at Dis-Chem Linksfield North on Wednesday. After I entered my PIN, the till jammed and the cashier switched the machine off.

I immediately checked my Capitec app and showed the staff that the payment had gone through. I then waited approximately 15 minutes while senior staff members were called. Despite showing proof that the transaction had been successful, I was instructed to pay again and was assured that, if I had been charged twice, the duplicate transaction would reverse immediately.

Unfortunately, that has not happened.

Since then:

1. I called later that day and was told the amount might reflect back in my account the following morning. 2. I called the next morning and was told Dis-Chem’s systems were offline and that someone would call me back. Nobody did. 3. I called again yesterday and was told to call back today. 4. I called today and was now told that the refund/reversal can take up to seven days.

My concern is: why was I instructed to make a second payment when I had already shown proof that the first payment had gone through? If Dis-Chem required me to pay twice because of an issue with its till, why must I now wait seven days to get my own money back?

I would also like to know why I have not been offered the option of an immediate cash refund once the duplicate payment was confirmed.

What makes this experience even more disappointing is that I have repeatedly been promised that someone would call me back, yet not one person has done so. Instead, I have had to continually follow up myself, only to receive a different answer each time.

This has been extremely frustrating and disappointing. I would appreciate an urgent resolution, a clear explanation of why I was required to pay twice, and the immediate refund of the duplicate payment.