How far the Great has fallen! (Bad Returns Service)

As a regular customer of Takealot I was shocked at the handling of a return I requested a faulty headset I bought. On 28 March 2018 I received my JAM Transit Lite Wireless Headphones as ordered from Takealot without issues. (https://www.takealot.com/jam-transit-lite-wireless-bluetooth-headphones-black/PLID ********** 7) The quality of the headphones appeared to be in order, with good sound quality. I used it at my office during work hours when I did not want to be distracted. However, just short of 3 months from me receiving my order, on 15 June 2018, the headband of the headset broke without warning. Since I am using it in an office environment the headphones were not mistreated. I kept them in my laptop bag when not used, and only put them on when I was listening to music or podcasts. The average hours used during a typical workday was 2-4 hours depending on the work to be done, and I never used the headphones over weekends.

Clearly, the headset had to be defective. Takealot thought otherwise.

On the same day that the headphones broke, I logged a return request with Takealot. The defective, broken, headset was picked up without issue and without any protest from Takealot, falling well within the returns period. I also returned the headset with the charging cable it was supp**** with. The first issue I had to deal with was the fact that the returns officer lady, a Me. Adams, couldn't find the USB charging cable. Without phoning me first to confirm with me if I included the cable in my return, she wrote me an email on the 20th to inform me that I "failed to include the USB cable when returning it", "it" referring to the headset, and that "we have therefore sent one of our delivery drivers to collect the accessories as soon as possible. We ask that you kindly ensure you are available and that you have neatly packaged the accessories for when we collect it." Knowing that laziness most of the time accompanies incompetence, I promptly wrote a reply within 12 minutes, stating that the cable was included and that the driver has a photo as proof. I received an email from a different person 2 days later stating that they have found the cable and will be evaluating the return. On the same day, mere hours later, I received an email from Me. Adams, informing me that the returned item will not be replaced or the return taken any further "due to the following reason(s): There is visible user damage to your item which voids the warranty Headphones are bent." The email also stated that the item will be returned to me (obviously still broken), and that I am "kindly" asked to review their Returns and Exchange policy, something I would have done BEFORE I logged the return. Upon receiving the email I promptly logged a reply on the site, having being asked to review the return, and reviewed it as bad and asking which part of the policy I did not comply with, copying the only reasons in the policy that there were in the statements, and asking them to get back to me. I also stated in uppercase that the headset wasn't bent but broken. Clearly Me. Adams couldn't tell the difference, even after sending me photos of the headset with her reply clearly showing that she handled the headset. To date, I have not received a reply, but I did receive the headphones back, still broken, them having it unceremoniously dropped off at my work without notification. I would like Takealot to please respond to me, or I will be taking ALL my business elsewhere (some business I already started taking elsewhere with me ordering new headsets from their main competitor, RARU). Considering that there are others on this site still waiting for a reply, this may be a tall order for Takealot.