Takealot Warranties amount to nothing - Consumers be Aware!

Purchased a pair of AirPods from Takealot in September. On the invoice, it indicates that there is a six month warranty on the device. In November the on pod stopped working completely. When I attempted to log a return, the system showed that the product was unreturnable. But the warranty still showed March 2025. I raised a ticket for the product and via email was able to schedule the item to be returned. I requested a full refund of the item as it appears that the supplier that sold the product is not advertising this product any longer.

Much to my dismay, I received an email from Takealot today stating that the item has been used and that I should refer to their return policy. How is the consumer supposed to know if the product is working or not? Furthermore, the product is defective.

This is the second pair of EarPods that was purchased this year and being returned. Obviously, Takealot does not care about the consumer in that inferior products are being sold to customers - and then try to rely on their T's & C's!

Absolutely astounded that Takealot takes this type of approach when they provide a warranty to the product and then try to rely on the fact that the product is used.

What recourse does a consumer have when the fact that their is a defect on the product?