Takealot's team has no respect for their customers

Placed an order on Takealot at the end of November 2025. Product arrived with some issues but got worse as the days went by so I called in for a return a few weeks later.

Logged a return and the site said the 22nd of December would be the day it would be picked up. On Saturday, 20th of December, I get a call from a Takealot courier stating they are coming to pick up the parcel, I tell em straight that I am busy that day and that I was told the 22nd but I compromise and tell them to come in on Sunday. Get an SMS stating so too soon after. Sunday comes and I get an SMS stating that the pick up has been cancelled for that day, I brush it off since Monday was the original date anyway. An hour later I get a call from the courier stating that they have arrived to pick up the parcel. Confused, I tell them that I recieved an SMS stating that the pick up was cancelled. They tell me it's fine and that she will fix it.

She picks up the parcel and leaves. I get no notice from Takealot or anything but thankfully I did take a picture of them and the cameras around the building picked her up.

Days go by I email them and get the generic "It's been escalated" response and Christmas comes and goes. I call the Takealot call center and I get the generic escalated response YET AGAIN. New Years comes and goes and I call in yet again on the 6th of January and guess what? The same response. I get somewhat fed up and I ask for a manager. Some guy named Kyle or something answers and GIVES ME THE SAME RESPONSE. I tell him that this is really ridiculous and in the most unrude way ever too, I was even surprised how calm I was after all this. And I kindly ask him for a number I can call for someone to assist me with this, maybe his manager or something. He scoffs and hangs up the call.

Takealot's customer care team is the absolute pits. I have no idea how their quality could drop so badly. They have the product, they have my money and now they simply push me aside and refuse to properly handle my return.

I am currently seeking legal advice and how to deal with this as I have given them enough chances to deal with this. Enough is enough