Bad customer service & misinformation without accountability

I am beyond frustrated with Takealot and the way this entire situation was handled.

I ordered a gym bench in flat pack form. After I fully assembled it, I realised a part was missing. I did not rush to complain. I invested my time, my energy, and my effort into building it properly first. Once I discovered the missing piece, I reached out to support and clearly explained that I did not want to return the entire product unnecessarily. The bench was still usable. I simply asked if the supplier could send the missing part.

I was then told that the supplier confirmed stock and I was advised to return the item for a replacement. Based on that information, I had to undo everything I had just spent time assembling. I had to disassemble the entire gym bench, pack it up, and send it back. That alone was already frustrating and completely unnecessary if the correct information had been given in the first place.

After I returned it, I was then told the truth, there is no stock available and I will only receive a refund.

This is completely unacceptable. I was given incorrect information that directly caused me extra work, wasted time, and unnecessary inconvenience. If I had been told the truth upfront, I would have kept my gym bench and continued using it as it was.

Now I have no bench, I cannot replace it at the same price, and I have been left worse off than when I started. A refund does not fix the fact that I lost a product I was already using because of misinformation.

What makes this worse is the lack of accountability throughout the process. I was passed between support responses with no real solution, only apologies and no practical resolution. This is not acceptable customer service.

Under consumer protection rights, customers should not be misled into returning goods based on incorrect confirmation from a supplier. This entire process has been handled poorly from start to finish.

I want a proper resolution, not apologies. I want my gym bench or a real equivalent replacement that puts me back in the position I was in before this mistake happened!!!!!!!