Telkom Rip-off with defective ADSL Routers

My ADSL router (D-Link DSL-G225 Wireless N300 4-Port) started flashing a blue light on the side and I called Telkom to log a fault on the 1st of November 2018. The technician only came on the 7th of November 2018, after inspecting the router he told me that it had been struck by lightning. I then went to Telkom Direct, where the attendant told me that it was a lightning strike on the line, then he took the router in for repair.

Today they have alerted me that the damage to my router was due to a power surge (it was connected to a surge protector), and that my warranty does not apply because this is damage due to my own negligence.

This is the 2nd router I have bought this year, and I barely have 10 months of use out of it, and I know that this was not the same damage as the previous one earlier this year, because even the way it happened, and the lights flashing are different from last time.