Product Not Fit for Purpose

I am writing to formally escalate a complaint regarding a Lenovo IdeaPad 1 (Intel Celeron N4500, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) purchased from Fourways Mall store in June last year for approximately R6,000.

Since purchase, the laptop has consistently performed extremely poorly. It lags significantly, takes an excessive amount of time to open basic applications, and struggles to load standard website .The device is used only for light tasks, including Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and general web browsing. There are no heavy programs installed.

I returned the laptop to the store on the 12th Feb where it was factory reset. Unfortunately, the performance issues persist. The explanation provided to me was that it is a “low-spec” or “entry-level” device. While I understand it is not a high-performance machine, entry-level does not mean unusable. A laptop with 8GB RAM and SSD storage should reasonably be able to perform basic productivity and browsing functions without freezing or taking excessive time to open applications.

Under the Consumer Protection Act, goods must be of good quality, in good working order, reasonably suitable for their intended purpose, and durable for a reasonable period. A laptop that cannot reliably perform basic functions for a school-going child raises serious concerns regarding fitness for purpose and reasonable durability. Given that the device has already been reset and the issue persists, I do not believe a further assessment period is reasonable. I am therefore formally requesting a full refund of the purchase price, as the laptop is not fit for purpose!!!