I recently reported on the case of Sakkie van Rensburg of Cape Town, who ordered and paid for a R1 600 printer cartridge from direct marketer CBS Print Consumables of Benmore, Johannesburg – but he was sent the wrong cartridge. He send it back at his expense, and was sent another one, also incompatible with his machine. So he sent that one back, too. He contacted me when the CBS Print Consumables refused to refund him.
The Consumer Protection Act gives buyers the right to return goods which don’t match the order, regardless of whether it was a direct marketing deal or not, and the right to cancel any direct marketing deal, even if there is nothing wrong with the goods or the deal, within five business days of the receipt of the goods.
Company director Krish Naicker said a batch of incorrectly labelled cartridges was to blame.
I pointed out that the act compels direct marketers to refund customers within 15 days, if the customer excercises their right to cancel the deal within five business days of receiving the goods.
Naicker undertook to resolve the matter “amicably” and has since contacted Van Rensburg and agreed to exchange the cartridges he’d insisted on being refunded for. “Furthermore, I offered to supply him with one additional toner as compensation for his unpleasant experience with my company,” Naicker said.