Takealot: Zero Customer Service, Zero Initiative

A few months ago, I ordered a PS5 from Takealot. It quickly became my main media centre — I bought all the accessories and retired my old Android TV box. This is why I am so reluctant to return the PS5 (more context to follow)

Then the controller that came with it stopped working. I logged a return and clearly specified that I was only returning the controller, not the entire console. The return was approved, so I sent the controller back.

Two days later (ironically fast, considering how slow everything else was), I got an email saying I had to return the entire PS5. Not just the controller. So I took matters into my own hands, tracked down the actual supplier who sold it through Takealot — and he immediately confirmed he’d be happy to replace just the controller. In fact, he laughed at how pathetic Takealot’s policy was.

I passed this on to Takealot. Their response? A copy-paste of the same generic reply. Repeated 5 or 6 times. They didn’t engage with the situation. Didn’t acknowledge the supplier's willingness to help. Just flat-out refused to make any effort — even though I had already done their job for them. No initiative. No accountability. Just complete indifference.

Meanwhile, I arranged directly with the supplier to do the replacement in person. This was sorted on day two. All Takealot had to do was send the controller back to the supplier instead of me.

But of course, it took two full weeks for them to return the controller — and they sent it to my old address. And to top it all off, they included a snarky warning that if I didn’t collect it, they’d dispose of it after 30 days.

This whole experience just shows how little Takealot actually cares. When something goes even slightly off-script, you’re on your own. No one reads your messages. No one helps. No one even tries. I absolutely deserve an apology — but honestly, I’d settle for someone at Takealot just giving a damn.

This is the kind of "service" that could literally be replaced by a robot — and honestly, it already feels like it has been. I, for one, am now welcoming Amazon into South Africa with open arms. I genuinely hope they crush Takealot and prove once and for all that this kind of arrogance and laziness is completely unfounded.