Complaint Against Takealot – Multiple Incorrect Deliveries & No Resolution

Order Reference: Replacement request - *** Return Reference: MRRN-CWQQX-68B6

CEO Contacted: Frederik Zietsman – No Response

I purchased a phone from Takealot for my wife, who urgently needs a replacement device. I saved up for this purchase, making it a necessity — not a luxury.

Timeline of Events:

First delivery: Instead of the phone, I received a TV stick. Returned immediately and raised the issue with Takealot customer service. Escalated to senior management, including CEO Frederik Zietsman — no acknowledgment or resolution from him. Second delivery: After delays and reassurances, I received another package — this time containing a tub of cream. Again, incorrect item sent despite my explicit request for urgent resolution. Takealot’s responses have been slow, repetitive, and lacking urgency. I have been told they are “waiting for warehouse confirmation” while I am left without the product I paid for. The matter has been “escalated” multiple times with no concrete action. This is now well beyond a reasonable delay — it is gross negligence. I have endured:

Two incorrect deliveries for the same order. Weeks without the item I purchased. Zero accountability from senior management. R200 compensation for the 1st instance and nothing for the 2nd and inconvenience and emotional distress caused. My demands: Immediate dispatch of the correct phone. Fair compensation for the time, frustration, and inconvenience caused.

Takealot is South Africa’s largest online retailer, yet this experience has been nothing short of appalling. If a paying customer can be treated this way — ignored by the CEO, sent random items instead of what was ordered, and made to wait endlessly — what does that say about their commitment to service?

Zaheer Moola