A Takealot shopper got a nasty surprise when the brand new laptop he bought from a reseller on the popular online store turned out to be stolen.
Consumer rights journalist Wendy Knowler first reported the experience of the shopper – Somerset West resident Axel Scholle.
In addition to selling some products directly, Takealot hosts thousands of resellers that use its recognizable and trusted platform to reach customers.
Scholle had bought an HP laptop, advertised as new, from one of these resellers for about R14,000 in November 2019. He was able to use it with no problems for nearly three years.
But in October 2022, he was locked out of the device and presented with an on-screen notice informing him that it was the property of the South African Department of Agriculture.
He said this occurred after a Windows update. It is unclear if the update triggered the lockout or merely coincided with the department reporting the device as stolen, and a remote management system taking control of the device.
Scholl followed up with the department using the contact details listed in the notice and confirmed that the warning was legitimate.
An IT specialist told him he could only unlock the laptop with the assistance of a departmental employee.
After contacting Takealot about the issue and requesting a refund, the online store informed him it would escalate the matter to its seller compliance team.
It later asked for the laptop to be returned for a full refund and informed Scholle’s wife that the laptop reseller — Nanotech Computers — had been suspended from Takealot’s platform two months earlier.
“Despite our seller onboarding process, the contractual undertakings we have in place, and our compliance protocols, the marketplace seller Nanotec Digital was found guilty of selling stolen goods and was suspended from trading on our platform in August 2022 – after a full investigation,” Takealot said.
Takealot flip-flops on refund
However, Takealot apparently made a sudden about-turn on the refund after receiving the device, telling Scholle his return was declined due to tampering because the unit showed signs of being opened.
Scholle told MyBroadband that the laptop had been upgraded with a new hard drive and RAM bought from a local IT store. The shop performed the upgrade itself.
Before the return, the components were removed to ensure the machine was in its original condition.
Knowler found Takealot’s reaction highly questionable, given that it had already suspended the seller two months before for selling stolen goods.
Scholle replied to Takealot’s refusal, explaining the whole sordid situation to customer care, and the retailer finally credited his store account with the amount he paid for the laptop.
However, a few days later, Takealot subtracted the amount from his account again, again citing “tampering” as the reason for the reversal.
In the latest development, Scholle told MyBroadband that Takealot again refunded his account two days ago.
He requested the money be paid into his bank account to avoid the retailer potentially flip-flopping again.
Scholle said the money was finally in his account – over eight weeks after first logging the issue.
At one point in their communication with Takealot, the seller accused Scholle of possibly installing stolen components in the laptop.
Knowler also found it particularly concerning that Takealot had told Scholle the supplier was willing to replace the laptop with another model “in good faith”.
Takealot confirmed to MyBroadband that it had offered a full refund and apology for the inconvenience caused. It has also opened a case against Nanotec Digital with the police.
It maintained its seller compliance processes were “sufficient”.
“All our sellers are vetted and have also provided contractual obligations and warranties that they comply with the law,” Takealot said.
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