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An open letter to the management of Takealot

This note concerns the policy of Takealot not to allow an electronic communication channel for customers to contact staff.

Recently, I purchased a Bluetti PV 200 solar panel. This item was on special for an in-app purchase but carried a R200 surcharge for being bulky.

Takealot special offer on the left and surcharge info on the right

This item could also not be delivered to a pick-up point, I assume for being too bulky. However, the dimensions and weight of this item (when folded), were almost identical to the Minhaj Folding Table (when folded) which I bought recently, and was delivered to a pick-up point, with no surcharge.

The specifications of the Bluetti PV200 on the left and Minhaj folding table on the right

In the image above, the specifications of the Bluetti PV200 are not clear because of the copy and paste method used to transfer data to the Takealot product page. From Bluetti's own site, the folded dimensions are 59x60cm. As you can see this is very similar to the 63x61cm of the table. The PV200 weighs 7.3kg, whereas the table is heavier at 8.3kg.

On delivery of the panel, I found the box was bigger and very much heavier than expected. On opening the box I found the reason for this. Inside the box were two further boxes, each containing a solar panel.

The big box is on the right and the two smaller boxes stacked on each other on the left

The two smaller boxes with the opened one (and its panel) on the right

Now I knew the reason for the excess weight, I needed to find some way to contact Takealot to inform them of the problem and return the one panel (and hopefully reclaim the surcharge). Unfortunately, their website does not give any method of contacting them, so I will keep the panel until someone realizes that a mistake has been made.

I did try contacting Bluetti (ZA) as I assume that Takealot is selling the panels on their behalf. However, they were not too interested in the problem. I really do think it is the agent's problem (and not Takealot's) as they should have shipped the two panels separately and not in one box.

(updated: 27 June 2023)