Takealot poor customer service practice

My wife purchased a pair of shoes for me from Takealot. Upon receiving them, I tried them on to check the fit. Despite being my usual size (7), they did not fit properly. I immediately requested a return to exchange them for a size 8 on the same day they were delivered. The shoes were collected the following day, but Takealot has since declined the return, citing that the shoes were tried on.

It is unreasonable to expect customers to determine if a product fits without trying it on. How else can one assess whether they are satisfied with the size?

Additionally, Takealot only offers email support and does not provide phone assistance, which appears to be a deliberate way to avoid efficiently resolving customer concerns.