Unacceptable bad service from iStore Talk2Us-Pre-Owned

HEADING: Beware of iStore

ATTENTION iStore Talk2Us Pre-Owned / Mr Dylan Govender,

Kindly have the decency to respond to my email of 21 January 2026.

Hans Alink

Date: Wednesday, 21 January, 2026 at 14:20
To: iStore Pre-Owned Talk2Us <***>
Subject: Non Apple charger and cable provided with R46 000.00 Apple laptop without notification by salesperson.

ATTENTION iStore Talk2Us Pre-Owned / Mr Dylan Govender,

Thank you for your prompt response. As you rightly put it in your message, the purchase of this iStore laptop has become an utterly frustrating matter.

I was intending to buy another new model Apple laptop at a cost of R39 999.00 that turned out to be “end of line”, -- including a genuine Apple charger and cable as described in”What’s in the box” of that new model laptop.

The fact that new generic charging accessories would be supp**** with a pre-owned laptop was not communicated at all prior to acceptance of the offer of sale, which led to the false expectation that the laptop, charger and cable would all be genuine Apple products. When the laptop and accessories were delivered I had this in mind and consequently opened and checked the contents of the parcel delivered to me, including the charger and cable that were delivered in the parcel. It was only then that I discovered that the charger was a generic Rohs charger and that the cable was somewhat shorter than the cable of a new genuine Apple charger. I was able to compare this to the genuine Apple charger and cable that were supp**** to my daughter, who recently also bought a new lower model Apple laptop.

In order to resolve and close this matter, I propose that iStore meets my expectations as expressed in my email to Talk2Us Pre-Owned of 16 January 2026 that iStore supplies me with a GENUINE APPLE CHARGER and cable without any further costs as result of the lack of sufficient and explicit information and therefor bad communication by the iStore Contact Centre.

Response from Dylan Govender of iStore Pre-Owned Talk2Us

Date: Wednesday, 21 January, 2026 at 12:02
To: Hans (customer)

Good day Hans,

Thank you for your detailed follow-up and for taking the time to outline your concerns. We sincerely regret the frustration this matter has caused and appreciate the opportunity to clarify and address it properly.

We acknowledge your concern that the use of a generic charger and cable was not explicitly communicated during the telephonic sales discussion. While our iStore Pre-Owned policy does state that pre-owned Mac devices are supp**** with new generic charging accessories (as outlined on our website under “What’s in the box”), we understand your position that this expectation was not clearly set prior to acceptance of the offer. Your feedback regarding this experience has been escalated internally for review. We can collect the unit and provide you with an exchange for a new unit once unit is returned and credited.

We confirm that your MacBook Pro 14-inch | Apple M4 Pro | 1TB – Silver (SKU: MX2F3PLG-A) is graded BEST condition, which represents the highest cosmetic standard in our Pre-Owned range. Devices in this category show minimal to no signs of previous use and are 100% functionally guaranteed.

All iStore Certified Pre-Owned Macs undergo extensive technical testing, including (but not limited to): battery health checks, charging functionality, thermal and fan diagnostics, storage and memory validation, display and sensor tests, Thunderbolt, Wi-Fi, and system integrity checks. The battery and charging system are confirmed to be fully functional at the time of dispatch.

Your device is covered by a 1-year iStore Pre-Owned warranty, which includes hardware-related faults in line with our warranty terms. Technical specifications would be outlined on the website of the unit.

With regard to comparative pricing, a new MacBook Pro with similar specifications would indeed retail significantly higher than the pre-owned price paid, subject to Apple’s current pricing and availability at the time.

While pre-owned devices are supp**** with generic charging accessories as standard, we understand your dissatisfaction. Should you wish to pursue further resolution, we can:

·Assist you with a return for an exchange for the brand new unit and send a PEACH payment link of the difference, in line with our online returns policy should you feel the product does not meet your expectations.

Please let us know how you would like to proceed, and we will ensure your request is handled promptly.
Kind regards,
iStore Pre-Owned

On January 20, 2026 at 1:52:09 PM UTC, Hans wrote:

ATTENTION iStore Talk2Us Pre-Owned / Dylan Govender,

Mr Govender misses the point altogether. I contacted the iStore Contact centre as I was set to purchase a NEW M4 laptop for R39 999.00, which according to Chiara, the agent at the contact centre, turned out to be “end of line.” My intention was not to buy a pre-owned laptop, but a new laptop. I therefor was not aware of the iStore rules that pre-owned devices are supp**** IF Apple chargers and cables are not available. Chiara also did not make me aware of this fact BEFORE I accepted the offer of the pre-owned laptop. Why was this fact not disclosed before the sale? This is the basis of my complaint. iStore should therefor do the honourable thing to replace the generic charger and cable with a genuine Apple product, which would have been the case had I purchased a new Apple laptop.

Also, I am still waiting for the full technical specifications and proof of the physical condition (BEST, BETTER, or GOOD) for my Pre-owned MacBook Pro 14-inch | Apple M4 Pro | 1TB – Silver (SKU: MX2F3PLG-A) as promised in the email of Mr Govender. In concluding the sales deal Chiara also informed me that a new laptop with similar specifications would cost about R56 000.00. Can iStore confirm this, or is this also one of the facts that should not be disclosed?

One disgruntled customer.

Hans Alink