7 Days Without a Phone – Blacklisted Device & No Accountability from Takealot

I am posting this after exhausting all normal communication channels. Seven days ago, the cellphone I legally purchased from Takealot (Order #***) was suddenly blacklisted. The device became completely unusable — no calls, no data, no OTPs. As someone running a business, this has had a direct financial and operational impact on me. Here is what followed: • Spent an entire day with Vodacom. • Referred to MTN. • Spent over 6 hours across 8 MTN departments. • Sent to Centracom. • Eventually informed the blacklisting relates back to the retailer. When approaching Takealot for resolution, I was referred to Samsung. To be clear: I did not purchase the phone from Samsung. I purchased it from Takealot. My contract of sale is with Takealot. At this stage, the issue is not only the blacklisting — it is the complete lack of ownership and communication. For the past two days, there has been no feedback at all. Emails have gone unanswered. Social media queries have been ignored. There has been no update, no investigation feedback, and no communication regarding resolution. I have: Submitted every document requested. Cooperated fully. Followed every instruction. Exercised patience. In return, I have been passed between departments and ultimately met with silence. I am now posting publicly because private channels have failed. When something goes wrong, customers should not be left navigating networks, manufacturers, and third parties alone. The responsibility lies with the retailer who sold the device. I remain hopeful that Takealot will step in and resolve this properly