No regard for their customers - just policy policy policy.

I ordered Gr 8 school textbooks on the 4th of January 2021, received it on the 10th. (I was impressed with the fast delivery and great service.) Our school was supposed to start on the 13th of January (3 Term Calendar). I added self-adhesive book wrap to all 10 books and left it until school started on 1 February 2021. About 7 days later (5 days of “using” it) the pages started to come apart like the book was not binded properly. I contacted Van Schaik to request a return and was denied due to (1) the book is no longer in its original state and (2) it has passed their 10 day return policy. Had I not added the adhesive and rather normal plastic book cover, they probably would have said the book had been abused due to the adhesive tape (because don’t most of us cover school textbooks in some way to protect it)... ?? Also, the lockdown and changes to the school opening dates does not even seem to play a role to them. Once you get that book you better start using it immediately. Bottom line. I have spent thousands of rands at Van Schaik over the past years but will never support them again! The Consumer Act clearly states an item must be durable and usable for a reasonable period of time AND if the goods are found not to comply, I have up to 6 months to return it. I wasn’t looking for a refund. Just a replacement.