Phone defect found and returned within the 7-day period

My husband and I purchased a mobile contract on the 14th of December in Telkom Newcastle branch. My husband opened the box and switched the phone on as requested by the sales agent. The phone upon quick inspection with all its wrappings still on it look alright. The phone was placed back in the box and we returned home. When we got home, after removing the plastic wrap, he noticed a hairline crack across the rear camera lens. It was impossible to see while wrapped in plastic. There are no other visible marks or scratches. My husband went back to the store within the 7-day period (on the 20th of December) and spoke to the branch regarding this. The manager spoke to someone else over the phone and told my husband that the phone must be sent in to a repair center to determine if it is a factory defect. We all know how long that takes. My husband needs the phone and feels that he has the right to invoke the 7-day out of the box policy since it was no fault of his own. Who would expect that a brand new phone out of the box would have this kind of defect? And, it was impossible to see before removing the plastic wrappings. What is the remedy in this situation? How can the 7-day out of the box policy apply? It did not mention anything about sending it to a repair center. It is unfortunate but these things happen and what can consumers do to protect themselves? Must the consumer, especially if it was not his/her fault, suffer thru all these inconveniences or just live with it because of poor standards, inability to apply the proper rules and biased judgments on the part of their own staff? If it is them or a family member/friend who experienced this, would it be as fast as lightning to deem it worthy of replacement? Just wondering. Well, what can Telkom do to assist their customers when this happens?