Beware of purchasing gift cards at the Sandton City Mall.

I went to buy a gift card on Friday 28 September 2018 at the Sandton City Shopping Complex. I used my bank card to swipe for a gift card worth R2,000. After performing the purchase, the Information Kiosk attendant indicated that her machine was off line and that the transaction did not go through. She directed me to another Information Kiosk/Desk where the machine doesn't have network problems. When at the next Kiosk/Desk I realised that the transaction did go through after receiving a notify-me message from my bank. The lady assisting me said I should wait at least 20 minutes for a reversal to come through from my bank. With that assurance, I then purchased another gift card of the same value and indicated that I was in a hurry to present the gift to someone going away. We both agreed that she will contact my bank to cancel the transaction whilst I was away. To cut a long story short, the lady called to indicate that she doesn't know how to perform a reversal and that she'll connect me with the first lady that I dealt with. Now back to the first lady, I was requested to forward a copy of my bank details indicating the transaction and proof that the account belonged to me. I drove back to Sandton to deliver the required documents on Monday 01 October 2018. I was then informed that the lady in charge of the Centre Management will contact me the following day when she had refunded the money. Briefly, I found myself placing calls to the mall about the status of my refund and being told that it can take anytime between 7-14 days for a refund to be performed. Honestly, the Sandton City Mall being one of the “premier” areas doesn't seem to care about its clients and the urgency to resolve matters. The effort, time and money to place calls, drive to the place to present required supporting documents is not perceived as an inconvenience. They kept blaming their electronic system and that there were other clients who had the same experience. There doesn't seem to be an apology towards the client. It’s been 10 days since I've submitted the required information and still no refund. I am at least a local. What if this experience happened to a tourist who had to fly out after shopping. Such a person would have lost their money as they wouldn't be refunded unless they provide supporting documents. To sum it all, I'm very disappointed with the management of the Sandton City Mall and urge people to think twice when purchasing gift cards.