Makro Montague Gardens Branch PATHETIC!

I had a deeply frustrating experience with Makro Montagu Gardens that I feel compelled to share. I placed an online order for an Alcatel 32GB 1T 7" 3G Tab on October 3, 2024, and it was delivered on October 9. Upon setting it up, I quickly discovered that none of the apps I downloaded from the Play Store would open—they all simply showed “not responding.”

After struggling to initiate a return online, I contacted customer service, where a consultant informed me that the system had not been updated to reflect my order as “delivered,” so I couldn’t log the return. This is particularly frustrating given their 14-day return policy advertised on their website. Following that, another consultant suggested I email *** with photos of the device and my reason for return. I sent that email on October 14, but, 11 days later, I still have received no response.

I called multiple times and spoke with several consultants, including one from the Montagu branch, who assured me I would receive a callback—yet nothing came of it. Most recently, a consultant described my situation as “tricky” and stated that returning devices like phones is nearly impossible. To add insult to injury, I was advised to return the device in-store, which is a significant issue since I live three hours away. The cost of traveling would exceed the value of the faulty device itself—who is going to cover those expenses?

Overall, my experience with their customer service has been nothing short of abysmal. It’s evident that they lack a proper follow-up system and responsiveness. I’ve spent over an hour on the phone with various consultants, some of whom were quite arrogant.

*My strong recommendation: DO NOT ORDER ONLINE from any of their stores unless you are prepared to handle returns in person for faulty products.* This experience has left me extremely dissatisfied, and I will be thinking twice before ordering from Makro in the future.

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Update on the above matter. On Saturday, October 26th, I received a call from the Montague Branch stating that my parcel was scheduled for collection on Tuesday, October 29th, and that they were processing my refund. As of today, November 4th, the parcel has still not been collected, and there is no sign of a refund. Last week, I received multiple calls from various consultants "following up" on the matter. PATHETIC!