Repeated Product Faults and Inflexible Resolution Process – I Have Closed My Takealot Account Review:

I am posting this review for public awareness based on my recent experience with Takealot regarding a defective Samsung Galaxy A06 purchased under Order #*** and delivered on 18 August 2025.

Over the past few months, I have purchased several electronic items through Takealot, and I have unfortunately experienced repeated product defects, including with a television and now this smartphone. In the most recent matter, the Samsung Galaxy A06 began presenting serious hardware-related faults: random reboots, unstable charging behaviour, intermittent charging failures, and general system instability.

Before approaching Takealot, I took all reasonable steps to confirm whether the issue was user-related. I consulted Vodacom both in-store and through their online support channels, performed software reinstalls and resets, and ensured the handset had not been opened or tampered with. Vodacom confirmed the defect was hardware-related and not user-caused.

My assistant contacted Takealot Support on 16 November 2025. The response received was that Takealot has no stock of the model I purchased, and therefore an immediate replacement would not be possible. Their position was that the only available process was to collect my device, send it for an assessment, and then determine a possible remedy afterwards. In practical terms, this would require me to hand over the only working device I have, be left without a functional phone, and wait for an unspecified assessment timeline with no alternative option offered.

Given my reliance on the device for work, travel, banking applications, and daily operations, this process is not workable for me. The device is still well within the six-month CPA warranty period, and the defect has already been confirmed as hardware-related.

I did not ask Takealot for a refund or a replacement. I simply evaluated the process offered and concluded that it is not compatible with my operational needs. I have therefore chosen to purchase a replacement device elsewhere and to close my Takealot account permanently.

I wrote to Takealot’s senior leadership and to the leadership of Naspers to bring the matter to their attention. My intention is only to ensure that the information reaches the appropriate level within the organisation. What they choose to do with that information is entirely their prerogative.

This review is not written in anger. It is a factual account of events and the reason why I will no longer be using the Takealot platform. Consumers deserve to know what the process entails so they can make informed decisions when purchasing items that are essential to their daily operations.