Buyer Beware

"Guaranteed to make you smile," I think not. Takealot will use any reason as an excuse to renege on any and all responsibilities, even their own delivery errors. I ordered and received a digital clock from Takealot just before Christmas. The clock stopped working in March this year. I returned the clock on the 2nd of April. Takealot refused to refund me. They quoted their terms and conditions and sent me a copy of those terms without specifying which condition I had breached. What followed was frustration, stonewalling, and incompetence. They returned the clock to me without telling me why. The warehouse staff claimed I had not purchased the clock from their company. No staff member would supply me with a reason for the accusation, so I was completely flabbergasted. I finally worked out that I had ordered a black clock. The clock I received was white. I did not realize that I had ordered another colour, nor would I have cared as long as it worked. The evidence that I had bought a clock the same but in a different colour is there for all to see, but these arrogant people can't envisage a situation where one of their own or indeed the supplier has made a mistake and sent the wrong colour. They prefer to believe that I am lying and cheating. I can't imagine this situation happening if I had bought an appliance from a brick-and-mortar retailer, like Game or Clicks. I have spent hours on the phone being jerked around. Several emails have been ignored. For years, I have used Takealot to arrange gifts for my family across the country. Now, I will not risk putting myself or anyone else through the harrowing experience of attempting to exchange a non-functioning appliance bought from Takealot. This was not an expensive article. I probably spent more on phone calls trying to find out the reason for the declined claim. This became a matter of principle and it remains so. I regret ever using the Takealot platform.