DAMAGED GOODS AND ADDED INCONVENIENCE

Item: takealot.com
Rating: 1

On Tuesday 13 June 2017 I placed an order online for a textbook, workbook and flashcards. I needed the order to arrive before 30 June 2017 and the site advised that the delivery would take place within 9-11 working days. This meant the order would arrive 29 June 2017 latest - PERFECT!! :) As soon as I paid for the order I was notified my goods would be delivered 03 July 2017 - PROBLEM :( So I contacted Takealot to arrange a change of address as I would not be able to receive it after the 30th. The date didn't trouble me too much as it would arrive early in July so it wouldn't disrupt my studies at all. The lady who assisted me explained the delay was caused due to my order being placed overseas and that it would take 9-11 days for Takealot to receive the item from the supplier before they could deliver it to me. This I can accept, but I feel Takealot should really be more upfront with this on their website so people can make informed choices and arrangements upfront. Nevertheless I was mostly satisfied I could resolve the issue. Today (Thursday 29 June 2017) I was very pleased to find my order arrive earlier than expected. My happiness was, however, marred by the fact that the textbook was hastily packed into the Takealot box and the front cover and first two pages were bent as result. Because the items are from overseas I am fully aware the mission involved in replacing the item and I am 100% certain that this was not Takealot's supplier's fault. If it were damaged by the supplier, Takealot would have spotted the damage prior to repackaging and delivering the item to me. I immediately sent an e-mail with my complaint and a photograph and followed up with a phone call. The lady I spoke to said I would have to return the item and wait for a new one. 03 July 2017 was a date I could accept, however later than that is a HUGE inconvenience for me. So I must now figure out how to return it and sit with a workbook which is uselss to me without the textbook while I wait for the replacement. I informed the lady that I simply CANNOT afford that much loss of time. So obviously I have to keep the book in the current state it's in. However I find it unacceptable that I have paid full price for a damaged product. I understand that things happen, but because I cannot afford the loss of time a return would cost, I had expected at the very least Takealot would refund me in some form at least in part for the damage. That or order the product and swop it out with my damaged one so my studies would at least not suffer an interruption. I am extremely unhappy and will be looking into an alternative supplier for all my textbook needs. I will alert all my friends and family to my experience. Extremely unhappy that I should accept something I paid for in full in a condition I don't like or suffer loss of time towards my studies while I wait for the product to be replaced.

Helpful (0)

Replies (0)