Order no: *** - Paying the bricks-and-mortar price for inferior online retail

I always enjoy receiving books or vouchers to buy books. The only time I dread buying books is when I have to do it through Expensive Books. I'm paying at least 20% more than I would at any other South African online store, and the service is far inferior.

I ordered a book from the Mall of Africa store, which was sourced from another branch, arriving after a few days. I was disappointed to find a book which had a worn spine and looked second-hand. I rejected the copy and was advised to order a new copy online.

After a few more days' wait, the online order was delivered to my home and I noticed that it was the same book, with the IBT slip still inside it!

I've sent two emails to the "***" address, received a reference number each time and have had no feedback. I have called EVERY number listed on the website, including the Head Office number and they all seem to be out of service.

Finally, I've driven BACK to the Mall of Africa branch to return the book and am now waiting to find out what will be done about it.

I'm annoyed that my time (and petrol) were wasted after I paid the bricks-and-mortar price (at the most expensive book store), to receive the worst service from any online retailer. My experiences of Takealot and Loot have been positive - cheaper books, more functional sites, responsive customer service and easy returns which are collected by the retailer.

All I want at this point is for all of my voucher credit to be refunded, so I can get better value for money and far superior service elsewhere.