The ombudsman’s annual report names and shames four online retailers that received payment from consumers, but failed to deliver goods or services, despite numerous complaints raised with them, and said the most dangerous day to transact in SA was ...
Buyers beware: Online shopping was consumers’ biggest nemesis in the past year, according to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombudsman in the 2021/2022 annual report
The office also closed 13,946 cases, clearing the backlog from the previous period’s record influx of complaints fuelled by cancellations issues due to the pandemic, and delivery and service malfunctions associated with the unprecedented rise in online shopping due to lockdown.It also issued 2,176 termination notices, in which consumers were advised to lodge complaints with the National Consumer Commission after the parties failed to settle, or the supplier refused to cooperate.
The CGSO report showed e-commerce accounted for a quarter of complaints in the 2021/2022 period, down 2% from the previous year. The office also noted receiving complaints relating to civil unrest in parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal in July 2021, which included cases of goods that were left at suppliers for repairs and subsequently stolen during the looting, or where transport services were cancelled due to the violence and goods were either not delivered, or not delivered on time.
Ombudsman Magauta Mphahlele noted that the online shopping trend, sparked by Covid, is here to stay. “While the scammers and fraudsters tend to make the headlines, I would like to commend the vast majority of online suppliers and all our participants who responded positively to rectify customer service failures and uphold the integrity of the sector.”The next biggest sectors in terms of complaints were satellite and telecommunications , followed by retail appliances and furniture .
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