The Consumer Goods and Services Ombud (CGSO) annual report for the 2023/24 financial year noted that there were 11,282 complaints made on SA businesses and services.
The report noted that the majority of these complaints were made by consumers who purchased items or services online.
The Ombud said that from these complaints, the organisation was able to recover around R12.13 million for SA consumers in cash or cash equivalents, during the period of March 2023 to February 2024.
Online consumers need to be aware
Ombudsman, Liaquat Soobrathi has warned consumers to be aware of online purchases.
“For the fourth consecutive year, online transactions accounted for the greatest number of consumer complaints lodged with this office,” he explained.
“This is despite e-commerce only making up about 5% of total retail sales in South Africa. Almost all these complaints relate to items not being delivered on time (or at all), defective goods, or purchases that do not align with customer expectations.”
Soobrathi said that this is partly because of the nature of online shopping.
“In brick-and-mortar stores, customers have the opportunity to inspect goods and, except for furniture or large appliances, generally do not rely on the supplier to deliver. And, when goods are defective, the return and refund process is often handled in-store,” he said.
The onus is on you!
Soobrathi explained that consumer protection is a two-way street, in that the law provides the framework (including the provision of an ombudsman to mediate between suppliers and consumers), but consumers must arm themselves with information to make responsible, informed choices.
“This is especially so with clothing, household accessories, and electronic devices. Social media is flooded with images of alluring products at improbably low prices. This should raise several red flags for consumers,” he added.
“More often than not, the quality of these products is substandard and not designed for longevity. Additionally, charges for delivery, tax and import duties are not disclosed at the time of purchase, and consumers are often hit with additional fees once the products arrive in the country.”
He advised that if a customer is unhappy with the purchase due to the products having been misrepresented, then the onus is on the consumer to return the goods before a refund is initiated.
Soobrathi said that this can often be problematic, as the consumer bears the onus of footing the bill for this return.
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