Disappointing service

On the 15th I placed an order for a gift which was supposed to be delivered today. I emailed Takealot yesterday as I could see that the order was not dispatched yet, but didn't receive a reply. Today I called them to find out if everything was still in order only to be told that they only placed my order with their supplier on the 21st and moments later my order was cancelled because there was no stock. Question is when would I have been notified had I not called? What do I do now as this was a gift meant to be delivered today? This is a huge let down