Unfair Refusal to Refund Oura Ring Activation Fee – Lack of Disclosure and No Cooling-Off Option

I’m extremely disappointed with how Discovery Vitality has handled my recent Oura Ring benefit activation. I paid the R999 activation fee through the Discovery app, but at no point during the activation process was it clearly explained that activating the Oura Ring benefit would automatically make me ineligible for the Apple Watch benefit.

The first time I saw this restriction (“only one fully funded benefit active at a time”) was after activation — in a WhatsApp message from Discovery. This is a material term that directly affects a consumer’s choice and should have been disclosed clearly and prominently before payment.

Discovery has since refused to refund the “non-refundable” activation fee, even though this was based on incomplete and unclear information. I was also asked to provide an order number to log a query, but no such number was ever sent to me — further showing that some of Discovery’s processes are not functioning properly.

I believe this approach goes against the spirit and provisions of South African consumer law, including:

Section 22 of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) – requiring clear, understandable information so consumers can make informed decisions.

Section 16 of the CPA – granting consumers a five-day cooling-off period for electronic or direct marketing transactions.

Section 44 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECTA) – allowing consumers to cancel an online transaction within seven days of receiving goods or activating a service.

The fact that Discovery refuses to allow any form of cancellation or refund, even immediately after activation, is unreasonable and inconsistent with these consumer protections.

I’m requesting that Discovery refund the R999 activation fee and cancel the Oura Ring benefit in good faith. The lack of clear disclosure and the absence of a fair cancellation process make this an unfair consumer experience.