Poor customer service

I bought an item in November 2021 from Takealot. I logged a return a few days after I received it as I decided I no longer wanted the product. I had not opened the packaging and handed the item to the courier in pristine condition. I did not receive any correspondence from Takealot. Three months later, I received an email from Takealot saying my return was rejected as it did not meet their returns policy: “You can return an unwanted product to us at no charge, provided: It is undamaged and unused, with the original labels and stickers still attached". However the email did not stipulate what exactly was wrong with the item, just imp**** that I had damaged it. I immediately contacted Takealot (via telephone and email) to query this as I had not opened the item and it was only in my possession for a few days (3 or 4 days) whereas it was in the possession of Takealot for OVER THREE MONTHS. In my view, it is far more than likely that the item was damaged on their property as it was in their possession for a much longer period of time. What is even more bizarre is the fact that it took them three months to evaluate the item in the first instance. It is very likely that the item was misplaced by the Takealot team and only recovered three months later and was damaged during this time, yet they thought it was acceptable to place the blame on their customer. To add to my frustration, I was asked to provide pictures of when I handed the item over to the courier. Firstly, this is not stipulated in their T&Cs as a requirement, secondly, I have never heard of anyone doing this unless the item was damaged upon receipt thereof. I had various back and forth with different agents on this matter which was extremely frustrating. After numerous follow-ups, I received an email saying that I must return the item to the warehouse. Not sure how I was expected to do this if the item was not in my possession. When I queried this, I was informed the email was sent to me in error. A day or two later, I received another email to confirm my address for the item to be returned to me. In none of my correspondence with Takealot did I request this and when queried, was once again informed that this was an error on the part of Takealot. My argument above stands that if Takealot could make the aforementioned errors, it is also likely that the fault was with them when the item was damaged. The item was consequently returned to me, where after I logged a return. I received no email or SMS confirmation that my return was accepted and had to call in to query it. I asked to escalate the matter and I was told a manager would contact me. After numerous back and forth, I finally received an email saying the item was accepted for return, however, I have received no apology from Takealot whatsoever and am still awaiting a manager to contact me. I am extremely disappointed in the service received from Takealot and an appalled at their lack of customer services.