Awful Customer service

This is the story: 1. I bought an iPhone 17 Pro Max 256G in FNB Connect The device was delivered on the 8th of December 2025, and since I was at work I waited to unpack it at home, and when I arrived at home I well unpacked it, and upon unpacking it I noticed (Because I’d normally find a new phone covered in a plastic and this one was not though the box was sealed) so I inspected it only to see the dent which I immediately reported on my fnb secure chat and was given the reference number (CAS-***-S4Y3H6). 2. Upon receiving no contact on the 9th I then called FNB connect which I was given an email to send the images which I sent on the same day. However there was no follow up and I called in again on the 11th trying to find out what was going on and I was told that they’re still conducting their own investigation which puzzled me because they had not fetched the device from me. On the 12th a gentleman called me trying to find out if the matter was being attended to and I told him no it wasn’t and he promised that he’ll follow up every 2 days to check if I was assisted. I waited for them to pick it up till the holidays and kept following up because no one was bothering to do so all I was told is that they were conducting their investigations and I asked what was the investigation about when they were supposed to replaced the device but was told that they can’t just replace the device without investigating and I asked again what they were investigating without the device being collected which they said they’ll collect. The device was eventually collected on the 8th of January 2026 that’s after a month, after they conducted “their investigation” I received the following email: “Dear Customer,

We regret to inform you that your DOA (Dead on Arrival) claim has been rejected due to the presence of cosmetic damage on the iPhone.

Our assessment confirms the following:

Upon delivery, the Proof of Delivery (POD) was endorsed by you, confirming receipt of the device in good order.

The images you provided indicate that the external packaging was not damaged in any way.

While we cannot conclusively confirm whether the unit sustained damage upon unboxing, we can confirm that the small dent identified could not reasonably have been missed during the quality control (QC) process when the device was packaged and dispatched to you.

Based on these findings, the device does not meet the criteria for a DOA claim and this concludes our investigation.

Please confirm if we may proceed with shipping the device back to you.” 3. I responded to the email stating that I won’t be liable for the damage I didn’t cause so they can cancel the contract. After that I received yet another email: “ Good day, Please be advised that should we proceed with cancellation, this will be regarded as a cancellation outside cooling off period, therefore there will be cancellation fees applicable subject to device assessment and grading Please advise if you would like to proceed with cancellation Regards”. I then responded to the email and stated that I reported the matter on time ( on the very same day of the delivery but they didn’t take the matter urgently. And now they’re telling me about cancellation fees and cooling off period, who’s problem is that, why am I being punished for them not doing their job had their collected the device on time came up with their conclusion on time I was gonna cancel that contract on time within that “cooling off period “ which they said it was 7 days now whos fault is it?

4. Please note This was a new purchase that came with a defect (being that dent), I honestly don’t think anyone would want that on their new phone, I love my gadgets scratch free even my old phones are still intact because I don’t carry it without a protective equipment.

To say I’m disappointed is an understatement, I still can’t find the correct words, worse FNB connect has always been my go to because of their quality this was the very first time experiencing such and I’m so surprised at the level at which this matter was treated.