Terrible Customer Service and Refusal to Honour Consumer Rights – H&M Nelspruit

Terrible Customer Service and Refusal to Honour Consumer Rights – H&M Nelspruit I purchased two dresses from H&M Nelspruit on Saturday, 1 November 2025, and discovered that one of them was damaged/defective when I got home. I returned to the store the next morning (2 November) to request an exchange or refund, but the staff accused me of wearing the dress — which was completely false. The employee said they couldn’t accept any defective items because they would “have to send it to the supplier,” which is not in line with the South African Consumer Protection Act (CPA). Under the CPA, customers are entitled to return defective goods within six months unless the retailer can prove that the damage was caused by the customer — which they did not. I went back on Monday, 3 November to speak to the store manager, who initially spoke to me briefly and then left for a “meeting.” I waited for an hour, only to be told later that he refused to speak to me further and said “there’s nothing good I can say to you.” This is completely unprofessional and disrespectful. The store provided no proof that the dress was sold in perfect condition and re**** on “camera checks” and an employee’s word — which is not valid evidence. The manager also ignored my explanation that the receipt and store policy say nothing about “resellable condition” or inspection by the customer at purchase. I am extremely disappointed by how this was handled. I expected H&M, as a global brand, to uphold basic customer service standards and comply with consumer rights.