Refusal to refund TV (MRRN-UDYP5-OB5K 32" Smart Lexuco TV)

Regarding return request MRRN-UDYP5-OB5K (32" Smart Lexuco TV): TAKEALOT, the lack of professional communication and your unwillingness to acknowledge the merits of this case has compelled me to address this issue publicly. I sincerely hope I'm mistaken and that this isn't a recurring pattern. It seems like this large company is intimidating its loyal customers into compliance. I live abroad, and ordered the television ahead of my return for the holiday season. It was accepted and placed in my holiday cottage by my trusted and longstanding letting agent. The box was in a perfect condition. Nothing out of the ordinary. Upon returning to South Africa, I opened the box and mounted the TV on the wall. Everything seemed fine until it was switched on. I then saw that one side of the screen was black while the other displayed a rainbow of colours. I was taken aback, as this was completely unexpected. I realised that some time had passed since the order was placed, but naively believed that they would try and assist me any way they could, since this was just one of those things. A defective TV in an undamaged box. Do a quick exchange, no harm done and have a happy holiday. Their response after 'testing' it come to me as a complete shock. They said that after an inspection it was decided that there was 'visible USER damage' and that they would not issue a refund. The first thing that came to mind was that I had not damaged this television in any way, shape or form. I hadn't yet even come round to removing the protective film from the screen. The second was how they can proof 'user' damage? What about the supplier, warehouse, or courier? What if the TV was placed in an unsealed box and then resealed and shipped to me? I'm at a loss for how to demonstrate my innocence. Should I file an affidavit with local authorities to validate my claims? Amid all this, I received an unexpected email from Takealot, complete with photos, stating that my 6-man tent also had 'visible user damage' and that I wouldn't be refunded for it. I've never ever ordered such a tent from Takealot before. Then, fortunately, a person by the name of Gillian stepped in and informed me that an 'exceptional' return had been approved by the supervisor for 30/12/24. Finally, after much frustration, someone at Takealot who listened and cared! The TV was returned as arranged, but then everything went quiet. After the New Year festivities, I had reached out again for an update, as there had been no communication. I was then told that after another inspection, they concluded once again that there was 'visible user damage' and that the 'exceptional return' was declined. They have already arranged for the defective TV to be returned to me via courier. In the same email they continued by saying that they 'acknowledge' that they 'have failed me'. When the courier arrived at the premises on 07/01/25, he was greeted once again by my letting agent in South Africa, and spoke to my wife (who lives with me abroad) over the phone. He was instructed to return the TV to Takealot as we have no use for a defective TV. The courier was willing to comply but not before mentioning that he would suggest we keep the defective TV as it is unlikely we'd get a refund from Takealot. We declined. Before departing, he offered one final tip: "use Amazon instead, for a much better experience".