Kalahari.com refuse to replace faulty goods

A

AdrianB33

Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2010
Messages
19
Reaction score
0
Location
Durban
I bought a 7” Gobii tablet from Kalahari for my daughter’s birthday & problems soon emerged. During charging the tablet with the charger provided, I heard a popping sound, after which the charger stopped working. Using my Samsung 2A cell phone charger it takes 10 hours to charge & therefore there must also be a problem with the tablet. I decided to return the tablet for replacement. After initiating the return on 14 Oct, & the frustrating process of many emails & telephone calls, I was told almost a month later on 10 Nov that I had tampered with the charger & that I must pay R135 to repair it. I insisted that I had not tampered with this charger, but they insisted that it was tampered with effectively implying that I am a liar. I demanded my money back, being that I had no confidence in their product or service, to which they responded that they are only prepared to give me a 50% refund. Meanwhile I have to explain to my daughter on a regular basis why she does not have her birthday present. This is a poor show by Kalahari & dealing with them has been a nightmare, in which I often get ignored & only have “progress” when I chase things up. I will no longer be a Kalahari customer.

I have also posted this complaint on Hellopeter at this link: http://hellopeter.com/kalahari-com/complaints/kalahari-refuse-to-replace-faulty-goods-1561645
 
I don't see how anyone can tamper with a charger. There's not much room for messing that up
 
Kosmik said:
Only if by normal use it can be called blowing from what I read. Cheap chargers do that after few charges.
Click to expand...

Ok, was thinking about the PSUs and that popping ending in dead...
 
Maybe your daughter damaged something without you knowing? In any case, Kalahari has messed up quite a few of my orders. I know first hand how pathetic their customer service is. You'd think being a bit retarded is a job requirement there.
 
This is not possible as I take responsibility for charging the device, my daughter only uses the tablet.

Sorry I forgot to quote Bryn26
 
tRoN said:
I don't see how anyone can tamper with a charger. There's not much room for messing that up
Click to expand...

Exactly. I also consider that my B.Sc. Eng. (Electronic) degree puts me above the average Joe capable of understanding what and what not to do with electronic equipment
 
AdrianB33 said:
This is not possible as I take responsibility for charging the device, my daughter only uses the tablet.

Sorry I forgot to quote Bryn26
Click to expand...

No worries.

If Kalahari is insisting that the problem is with the charger, tell them that you'll pay to have it fixed under the condition that if the tablet still doesn't charge normally they'll refund you all the expenses you've incurred. But only if Hello Peter doesn't result in a refund. Obviously a full refund would be preferable, but if that's not forthcoming you may as well incur the smallest expense possible.
 
Bryn26 said:
No worries.

If Kalahari is insisting that the problem is with the charger, tell them that you'll pay to have it fixed under the condition that if the tablet still doesn't charge normally they'll refund you all the expenses you've incurred. But only if Hello Peter doesn't result in a refund. Obviously a full refund would be preferable, but if that's not forthcoming you may as well incur the smallest expense possible.
Click to expand...

Well, they say there is nothing wrong with the tablet - which I disagree with. I have instructed them to return all. I will conduct proper testing of both items and post results
 
AdrianB33 said:
Well, they say there is nothing wrong with the tablet - which I disagree with. I have instructed them to return all. I will conduct proper testing of both items and post results
Click to expand...

Be sure to keep us updated!
 
TBH a charger should be safe enough that even a child can plug it in and charge a device.

Millions of kids have cellphones and charge them on a daily basis, so a ebook reader is no more special.

It's clearly a product failure and warranty covers this even if it breaks during normal usage. If you paid via credit card I would get your bank too reverse the charge and ask Kalahari to pick up their faulty product.
 
MagicDude4Eva said:
TBH a charger should be safe enough that even a child can plug it in and charge a device.

Millions of kids have cellphones and charge them on a daily basis, so a ebook reader is no more special.

It's clearly a product failure and warranty covers this even if it breaks during normal usage. If you paid via credit card I would get your bank too reverse the charge and ask Kalahari to pick up their faulty product.
Click to expand...

Thats a good idea, I will give it a bash, although the transaction went through a month and a half ago
 
AdrianB33 said:
Thats a good idea, I will give it a bash, although the transaction went through a month and a half ago
Click to expand...

That's still enough time for most banks as most will allow you to dispute a transaction up to 90 days (some even longer). Just remember the following:
- Get the dispute form from the bank and submit it with the reason "Merchant is unwilling to accept/return a faulty product as per CPA & product warranty"
- Notify Kalahari about it as well and tell them that they can arrange pick-up once the transaction has been reversed (but leave them with the option to sort out your problem)
- Remember to actually return the product
 
Had a colleague buy one of their Proline tablets - thing died after two days of use.
He tried to contact Kalahari, but to no avail.

All I did was take the thing into Pinnacle and they covered the warranty - two days later a new unit was handed back to me.
Who distributes the Gobii range in SA?
 
ch@rge said:
Had a colleague buy one of their Proline tablets - thing died after two days of use.
He tried to contact Kalahari, but to no avail.

All I did was take the thing into Pinnacle and they covered the warranty - two days later a new unit was handed back to me.
Who distributes the Gobii range in SA?
Click to expand...

Gobii is a Kalahari brand :(
 
Hi All

Finally the issue has been resolved. My Hellopeter post seemed to be the catalyst and Kalahari have given me a refund on my account. Although I have to say that the damage has been done. Having to fight so hard for simple rights as a consumer is totally unnecessary and a waste of time. It has certainly left my fingers feeling a little burnt.

As I said Hellopeter was what seemed to help, but in making my case, I have discovered some other avenues for consumers (excuse the obvious options and repeats as I will give the complete list):
* Facebook
* Twitter
* Hellopeter
* Mybroadband
* The National Consumer Commission (http://www.nccsa.org.za/)
* Consumer Goods & Services Ombud (http://www.cgso.org.za/)

And then of course, I think that the suggestion that MagicDude4Eva made is a great option, and so be sure to use your credit card or Paypal for online transactions.

Thanks for the assistance guys.

Best regards,

Adrian
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X