Beware of Mango online shopping

I join the growing throngs of people registering their complaints about Mango clothing, the Spanish retail brand. Their SA site looks and feels like you are buying in SA but actually you are buying from Spain and only find that out when you are contacted by a freight forwarder to fill out shipping documentation. Fortunately, Mango seems to absorb the cost of import duties for the surprise you get when you figure out you are actually importing your purchase and could be liable for additional duties.

Since the company advertises that it offers exchanges and refunds, I thought I’d exchange the two items I bought which totalled R2000..

But, Mango does not offer an exchange option even though they advertise that they do. They only offer a refund, and I went through the process online to be informed that my refund went through and that Mango would collect the item and send it back (to Spain!!).

I just wanted another size but if refunds are all they do so be it. Mango then sent me a separate document to attach to the parcel indicating that the refund was R1 200 and not the R2000 that I paid. They just decided to subtract R800 from the price I paid and keep the R800 as well as collect the two garments worth R2000. And from what other reviewers say, Mango will not give you your money back. They must have known I would never agree to lose R800 on the transaction so when I contacted them and complained, I never heard from them again and they didn’t come to collect the parcel. So they must be doing this as a way of discouraging refunds.

I opted to keep the items and have them tailored to fit in SA rather than send them back, lose R800 in the process and then never get the R1200 they wanted to refund at.