Value Co Bayside Mall – Refusal to Refund Defective Goods and Failure to Resolve Complaint

I am extremely disappointed with the way Value Co Bayside Mall has handled my complaint regarding two defective doorbells, each purchased for R79.99.

Both doorbells were faulty. On 18 September 2026, an employee named Robbie exchanged them for different brands, but the replacement doorbells also did not work. Despite this, the store has refused to refund me.

The store has a sign stating that a till slip is not required for returns, yet I have been asked to provide bank statements as proof of purchase. I have located the relevant transaction on my bank statement, showing a payment of R415.67 to Value Co Bayside Mall on 25 September 2026. This purchase included business items, including the doorbells in dispute.

I have repeatedly asked management to retrieve and reprint the till slip from their own till records, but they have failed to do so or respond to my messages. I have also requested that the relevant CCTV footage be preserved, as the exchange took place on 18 September and staff members were directly involved.

To make matters worse, the store has retained one of the doorbells I attempted to return and has refused to give it back.

I have incurred a further approximately R100 in batteries because the replacement doorbells were not functional, as well as parking and fuel costs over four trips to the store while attempting to resolve this matter.

After exhausting reasonable attempts to resolve the issue directly, I have now served summons in person at the store, with a mall security officer present as a witness.

This is no longer simply about R159.98. It is about a retailer refusing to take responsibility for defective goods, failing to assist with retrieving its own transaction records, retaining a customer's property and ignoring repeated attempts to resolve the matter.

I believe customers should be able to expect fair treatment and a reasonable effort to resolve legitimate complaints. Unfortunately, that has not been my experience with Value Co Bayside Mall.

The matter is now proceeding through the appropriate legal channels, and I will seek recovery of the amounts legally recoverable, supported by evidence.