Unfair Refusal to Refund Oura Ring Activation Fee — Lack of Disclosure and Breach of Consumer Rights

I recently activated the Oura Ring benefit through Discovery Vitality and paid the R999 activation fee. After activation, I discovered that by doing so, I automatically became ineligible for the Apple Watch benefit — something that was never clearly disclosed during the activation process on the Discovery app or website.

I only learned about this restriction after the fact, via a WhatsApp message from Discovery. This is a material condition that directly affects a consumer’s decision to proceed, and therefore, it should have been disclosed clearly and prominently before any payment was taken.

Discovery has since refused to refund the “non-refundable” activation fee, even though this lack of transparency means I did not provide informed consent.

I believe this practice contravenes several provisions of South African consumer protection legislation, including:

Section 22 of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) – requiring information to be presented in a clear and understandable manner so consumers can make informed choices.

Section 16 of the CPA – which provides a cooling-off period for transactions concluded electronically or as a result of direct marketing, allowing a consumer to cancel within five business days and receive a full refund.

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

The inability to cancel this benefit or obtain a refund within a reasonable period — especially when the implications were not properly explained — is unfair and inconsistent with these consumer protections.

I respectfully request that Discovery refund the R999 activation fee and allow me to cancel the Oura Ring benefit, in line with good faith and South African consumer law.