Disgruntled

Good day.

I am quite frustrated with the service I am getting from takealot. I placed an order on the 8th of May 2023, and upon paying for the order, I realised that I ordered the incorrect item. To try and solve this problem, I tried to get the order canceled and the money refunded so I can order the correct item. Firstly, I tried using the self-help options on your website, which have proven to be quite hard to navigate. a) It's a mission to find a number to call because the information on the website only directs you to FAQ's and does not really account for situations where one needs to speak to someone due to the urgency of the situation.

Upon eventually finding the cancellation option, I am redirected to the app/site on my account where I need to look for specific clues in order to cancel the order, but I found NOTHING. At this point, it is clear to me that the information on the website is not quite clear about which scenarios the cancellation directives refer to, but clearly, once an order is placed, it is world war III to get the order canceled.

I then googled a contact number and luckily I found one. After my initial call was dropped by someone who answered the call, said nothing and then dropped, I eventually spoke to Kent. I relayed my issues with this process and the fact that I need to get this order canceled so I can order the correct product. The following points were then made: 1. Upon receipt of communication about the delivery, I should respond to his e-mail, and notify him of this so that the delivery can be interceded. 2. Wait for the parcel to be delivered, and reject it with the driver so that it can be taken back to takealot. 3. The refund will be processed into my account (on takealot) so that I can use the credit to order what I initially wanted.

The following has unfolded:

1. I sent Kent an e-mail with a screenshot of the message I received at 11:12 am. He did not respond. 2. I requested confirmation of receipt of my e-mail because I got another sms at 12:31 pm that the order will be delivered. I ignored this thinking that the process I have initiated will take place in the background. 3. To my surprise, I got a call from a driver informing me that my order is sitting with my building manager. This then upsets me, and I call to speak to Mihlali. 4. I briefed Mihlali on my conversation with Kent, my frustration with the cancellation process at takealot, and the fact that is it news to me that the delivery fee will not be refunded. To add to that, it does not make sense for the delivery fee not to be refunded when I made the effort to stop the delivery. 5. I have e-mailed Kent and Mihlali about my annoyance about this debacle, Kent did not, once again, respond to my e-mail and instead, I got an e-mail from an Otagain, who 'advised" me that my order is out for delivery today and that it will only be canceled once it has been returned. 5.1. The entire history of my communication with takealot was completely disregarded in that e-mail. 5.2. Who must then make the effort to get the parcel returned when I was trying to avoid all of this chaos from the get-go? 6. The only person who seems to be taking me seriously is Mihlali because she communicated with her supervisor to get my delivery fee credited AND to log the return of the parcel so that it can be picked up tomorrow. Plus she made the effort to contact me and keep me updated. Everyone else has "blueticked" me.

I am not happy about how I have been treated here and the amount of red tape one has to go through for a simple cancellation of an order. I don't know if this is how takealot generally operates, but as a customer, I have aged a decade by just trying to correct something, of which I believe should be a simple process.