The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Is this device new?

Please help me out. I have a complaint regarding a cellphone store in Molepolole. I bought a tablet around September 2025, then in October the tablet could not read the SIM card. I took it back to the shop and I was told thar it's been taken for repair because it was still on warranty. OK fine.

Then they failed to repair it and was given another one which was on display since they said it's the only one left. OK fine I took the tablet but when I tried to install Whatsapp a message will appear saying "there are certain chats on this device which are not allowed and this number is blocked from using Whatsapp". Then after a few days when I was trying to install again certain chats with Indian faces appeared on the phone. I deleted them, then again after three days Whatsapp was blocked again with the same message about the chats with are not allowed. I tried searching through the phone to find out what the problem could be, so I found out that the device has an administrator.

I went back to the shop and was told to come back again later. I went there and was told the manager is not there, but he's the one who told me come back to the shop on Monday. These people sell us used phones and claim that the phones are new. Please help me.

The owners of this store obviously don't read The Voice because if they did, they would know about the Consumer Protection Act and what it demands from suppliers. Or perhaps they just don't care? It's not the first time we've had complaints like this about them. In case they're reading The Voice for the first time, I'll explain it to them very simply. Section 14 of the Act says that consumers are entitled to products that are "free of defects and are of a quality that consumers are reasonably entitled to expect". Section 15 also says that we can expect "goods which are of good quality, in good working order and free of defects". In simple terms, products should work properly.

However, we all understand that problems happen and the Act says that if an item is faulty, the consumer can return it within 6 months for a repair, replacement or refund. However, the Act does NOT say that the store can replace the faulty item with something inferior. Finally, Section 13 of the Act says that a supplier that "offers used goods shall inform a consumer" that they're not new. This device is obviously not new.

Well done to this store for breaking 4 different parts of the Consume Protection Act. I'll let them know.

Where's my money?

I had a policy with an insurance company paying P250. The agreement was it will not increase installment so when seeing that they increased I went to them and they said they is no how the policy can't increase the installment. They refused to give me all that I had already saved but it was a savings policy. My question is why they said the time phase didn't allow me to get my money back. When I called them they said it was an investment not a savings policy, so in the first two years it's their money and mine starts on third year.

Is there any help I can get?

I think this is a case of what they call "front-loading" of commission. When an agent sells an investment policy, they earn a commission payment. However, the investment policy might last for 5 years, 10 years or even longer. Instead of the commission being paid over the lifetime of the policy, all of it is paid in the first year or two. There's nothing wrong with that but it means that in the first 1-2 years, the commission can be as much as the premiums you pay into the policy. That means there's nothing saved in that period. You only start accruing money and interest after that period is over, sometimes not until the third year. The problem is that agents don't always explain this, even though they're meant to.

Realistically, there's not much that can be done, this is how these policies work but I'll ask the company to call and explain it to you.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

They're both broken!

I need your advice. Last year in February I did a laybye for a bed which was on promotion at a store in Selibe Phikwe. The total cost was P4300 and I paid P1000 so I was left with a balance of P3300 to finish off the lay bye within 4 months. I decided to finish off the lay bye before the agreed time because I desperately needed the bed, only to find out that the sales person who was assisting committed an error somehow on the computer and entered details of a different bed instead of the one I wanted. So I had to pay extra P200 to get the bed I wanted because of the mistake made by the sales person. What hurt me the most is that the manager and the sales person did not apologise, they simply said I should pay extra P200 because the bed was no longer on promotion the price has increased or if I don't pay the extra cash I should be refunded. Out of desperation I paid the extra money because I really needed the bed.

I went back to the store to report the bed in September because the mattress was bad and is giving funny noises. I had also purchased a fridge and the door was not closing. Till now they have not assisted me. They said I should wait for 3 weeks but they keep giving excuses

Till now they have not assisted me the guy who was helping me yesterday was very rude he said he will not give me another fridge as for the bed he said there's no way he can help me.

This store deserves recognition for three things. Poor products, poor service and poor complaint handling.

I know that mistakes happen, but minor mistakes that cost P200 out of a total of P4,300 shouldn't be made your responsibility. It wouldn't have made any serious impact on their profits and it would have demonstrated that they put your needs first. And an apology wouldn't have cost them anything at all.

And then when both items are faulty they ignore you and say that they can't assist you? No, that's really not good enough.

But there's good news. I contacted their Head Office and they assured both you and me that they will bring a new fridge the next day and they'll order a new bed which should take 2-3 weeks.

Where's my wardrobe?

Hello, Richard. I have bought wardrobe from a furniture and clothing boutique last year. I finished paying the wardrobe in March last year cos it was laybye. From last year till today I didn't receive my wardrobe and they don't want to refund me. The owner says she doesn't have money to refund me because the business is down. So please I need help.

You are the sixth customer who has contacted us in the last few years about this company and on every occasion the problem has been exactly the same. They take customer's money and then fail to deliver what was paid for. The customers are then forced to fight for their purchases and also for any information on when they might be delivered. The excuses have also always been the same. We don't have money.

Clearly the people running this company need some simple lessons on how to run a business and in particular, how to manage their cashflow. We all know that mistakes happen and occasionally companies have supply chain problems but this company has way too many of them.

I contacted the supplier (again) and they responded, saying that you can have a different wardrobe immediately or a refund at the end of January.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Must I pay so much?

I'm a government employee having a loan which is currently deducting P12,000 monthly, but when I sought for a settlement its even higher than the loan balance. I'm currently going through a rough phase of life, I just wanted a resolution. Can't they help me with installment reduction or revisit they way they calculate their installments?

My loan balance sits at P607,000 and the settlement was estimated to P649,000. I started the loan in 2022 and I cleared a bank loan of P249k with it. I took topups in between and now I'm struggling.

Mainly I really need their help with installment reduction to P2,500 so I can care for my child and be able to pay rent I've sent them a message on Facebook and pleaded with humbleness that they help me.

They said that I should go to the nearest branch and meet the manager. When I got there I laid my case. The manager told me the loan needs restructuring but by the look of things I have to pay P30,000 to reduce the loan balance to be able to be helped with restructuring. Please sir help me communicate with them please concerning this I'm really going through a lot.

Unfortunately there's no goods news I can offer you. No lender would ever consider dropping the monthly instalments from P12,000 to P2,500 for one simple reason. It would take more than 20 years to repay a loan of P607,000 with monthly payments of P2,500. And that's if there are no problems, defaults or delays. They'll never agree to that. They want their money in the next 4 years, the time you agreed with them.

Meanwhile I understand that your situation is desperate. I'll send you details of a trusted debt counsellor who you must go and see. They'll do their best to restructure your debts in a way you can afford.

They sold me a worn out car!

I'm so stressed and I need your help. I bought a car in Durban sometimes in December. I managed to collect the car this week but the car is worn out. I spoke to those who I was buying the car from back in Durban. Now they are so reluctant to help yet they gave me a car which I think was involved in some accidents. There are a number of faults in it. The radio requires a code but they know nothing about it. It was their duty to check if everything was ok before loading the car n communicate if the condition of the car was not okay.

I paid them a deposit and had to pay the remaining balance of P15,000 to an account they gave me, it is a Botswana account. They sent an invoice through WhatsApp. The receipt was written low amount because they claimed that if they wrote the exact amount, BURS was going to charge me a lot.

Is there any help I can get?

There are several problems here. Firstly, you have a cross-border complication. Who do you complain to? The consumer protection authorities in South Africa or here in Botswana? If you need to buy a car from overseas it's always worth going through an agent based here in Botswana so you have someone who will take responsibility here, not in another country if there's a problem.

There is a slight hope because you paid some of the money to an account here. Whose account was it?

Finally, and perhaps the most worrying thing is BURS. If you and the seller knowing falsified documents about the value of the vehicle, you need to confess to BURS immediately. They're much more likely to be forgiving if you confess before they catch you. I suggest you call them as soon as possible and ask for their help.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

They burned me!

Please I need your help. In September I went to a store to buy a chemical which unblocks the drain. Unfortunately when the manager was still explaining how it works it spilled on my hand and leg and burnt my dress.

I then went to the hospital and went back to the shop. I was told that they have a disclaimer that if anything happens to the customer they can't do anything. I had submitted a medical report and now have permanent scars but still they are just quiet. When I asked about the SHE officer the manager told me that they don't have one.

Please I need your help how to deal with this issue. Thank you.

This is unacceptable in so many different ways.

Firstly, how careless were they if they spilled something that dangerous over you? They urgently need to train their staff much better on safety and health issues. When consumers visit any store that sells dangerous products, we deserve assurance that we'll be safe. They also need to assure their staff that the risks they face are minimised.

Secondly, they need to take responsibility for their mistake. You sent me pictures of the burns you suffered and they look extremely painful. They need to stop ignoring you, take responsibility for their mistake and help you.

I'll contact their senior managers and encourage them to take responsibility and to contact you. I'll also suggest they need to review their standards and policies to make sure that mistakes like this don't happen again.

They took a year!

Hello, Richard! I bought a TV in 2024 October. In November the TV started giving me problems and I reported it. Thereafter the store promised to come and collect the TV for a whole year failing to collect. Finally they collected the TV in October 2025 and up to today its not returned. When I enquire its story after story. I am still paying for the goods but they are with them.

I have exhausted all the right channels. I escalated the matter to the manager and regional manager but still no help. I am always met with empty promises of receiving the TV. Is it possible I can get my money back since they have not fulfilled their contractual obligations and they keep their TV?

How can it take so long to respond to a complaint about a faulty item? An entire year? What were they doing for so long? I wonder if they understand that Section 14 of the Consumer Protection Act says that when "a supplier undertakes to perform any services for or on behalf of a consumer, the consumer has a right to … timely performance and completion of those services (and) timely notice of any unavoidable delay". It doesn't say what "timely" means, but we all know that it doesn't mean 365 days.

It's also very important that senior people at this company understand that it was THEIR fault that there was a delay, not yours. We don't want them to suggest that we're now outside the warranty period.

I've emailed the most senior people and I'm sure they'll take the matter seriously.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Why won't they refund me?

I have a problem and I need your help please. I bought an iPhone 11 with my little sister about 2 weeks ago from a store in Game City and now the phone doesn't charge and sometimes it switches off while it has battery like when its on 76%. My sister went to the store to ask for a refund and return the phone and they told her the only do refunds within 7 days of purchase. They said she should come the next day because they can't refund her also before asking the technician what the problem is.

Can you help us get a refund from the shop because we don't trust them anymore and my sister needs to buy a phone.

There's often some confusion about when and how a consumer can return an item. Some stores allow customers to return an item simply because they've changed their mind about the purchase. That's probably what store means when they say they only do refunds within seven days of purchase.

More important is what happens when something is faulty. Section 15 of the Consumer Protection Act requires a supplier to offer goods that are "of good quality, in good working order and free of defects". However, as everyone knows, this doesn't always happen. Section 16 of the Act describes what a supplier must do when a faulty item is returned to them within six months of purchase. It says that the supplier can consider one of three options. They can attempt to repair the faulty item, they can replace it, or they can refund the customer. But it's important note that it's their choice which of these three options they prefer. The store is entitled to attempt to repair the phone before they consider a replacement or a refund.

However, there's something more important here. Why isn't this phone working properly? Did the store tell you this phone was new when you bought it? An iPhone 11 is a perfectly good phone, but Apple stopped producing it more than three years ago. Maybe it's been sitting in a store for the last three years, but it's worth checking if this phone is actually second-hand. If that's the case and the store didn't tell you, they're in trouble. I'll get in touch with them and ask.

Must I pay?

Kindly help me to understand something about my furniture. In 2022 I bought a couch which I failed to pay and they ended up collecting it back to their store and they sold it. To my surprise they say I must come and pay the remaining balance.

I asked them are they returning the couch they say no we have already sold it but I have to clear what I have started. So I am unable to take loans, they blocked me in other furniture stores and my name is blacklisted due to the couch that is taken back. Please help me to understand.

The most important thing to understand about hire purchase is that it's a terrible way to buy things. If everything goes well and you make every payment, the worst thing that happens is you pay up to twice the cash price of the item you're buying.

Unfortunately, very often things go wrong. If you miss a payment, that's when you discover that you don't own the items you think you bought. They still belong to the store. That's why they can repossess them whenever they have a reason to do so. The next thing you discover is that when the goods are repossessed, you still owe the store the money. You'll even owe them penalty fees, debt collection charges, and possibly legal fees when they try and recover the money from you. You'll also find yourself registered you with a credit reference bureau, which will make it a lot harder to get credit elsewhere. The best thing you can do is talk to the store about how much you owe, how much you can afford to repay each month and then sign an agreement with them.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

I was robbed!

I feel hard done, robbed and bullied by a cellphone shop in Francistown. I bought a phone, insisting that I want it in a sealed box, brand new. They showed it to me in the box, I proceeded to pay. Upon setup at the shop it refused to recognize the SIM cards, they then swapped the new phone with a demo phone (display phone). I demanded my money back but they refused. Instead they said that I must go to the dealer in Gaborone and file a complaint if I want to. The proof that it is a demo phone shows because there is activity on the phone from before I bought it. The receipt shows date of purchase and security updates on the phone show that it's been active before that date. Please help me, I am wondering if I can report it to the police as obtaining by false pretenses. How do I tackle this?

I'm don't think we need to bother the police with this issue. Yes, I suppose it might be a crime but I think we can deal with this ourselves without distracting the police from more important issues.

The first thing we can do it to remind the store owners about Section 13 of the Consumer Protection Act. This says that a supplier "who offers used goods shall inform a consumer that the goods sold are used goods by … placing a label on the goods that indicates that such goods are used goods and
placing a notice on the invoice issued to a consumer".

I'm sure we all agree that there's nothing wrong with selling second-hand goods. In fact, it's a good thing. A second-hand phone can be just as good as a brand new one and a lot cheaper. We all love a bargain. However, we just need suppliers to be honest about it. If they're selling something that's second-hand they need to be open about it. They need to obey the law by labelling the item appropriately.

Also, you can ignore their suggestion that you must go to the dealer in Gaborone to file a complaint. You didn't buy the phone from the dealer, you bought it from the cell phone shop. They are the ones who must deal with this issue.

I'll contact them for you and see if they understand.

My Mother was robbed!

My Mother was robbed of her money. The scammer discussed trading for her to make profit out of P300. Then he or she kept on asking for more and more until it was more than P2.000. When she told me, the money was already gone but I see the Orange Money is still operating.

I told her to go to the Police but most of these cases take a long time as a police case.

I'm sorry to hear about this. Unfortunately, as most readers of The Voice will know by now, scammers don't offer refunds. Once your money is gone, it's gone forever. It's almost impossible to get money back to the victims of scams. Either the scammer is untraceable because they're in a different country, or the money has been quickly transferred overseas. That makes it almost impossible to recover the stolen money.

Nevertheless, it's incredibly important that your mother speaks to the police about this. It's possible they might be able to trace where the money went, and if it's still in Botswana to get it back. They might also be able to trace the scammer if they're still in the country. At the very least, it will allow the police to keep statistics and intelligence on these scams. It might also help them to educate the public about the risks posed by these scams.

However, the greatest weapon we have against these scammers as people like you who are doing your best to dedicate your family members about scams. Please don't stop. It's only as a community that we'll win the war against scams.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

When will they finish the job?

Back in 2022 my mother engaged a company to finish construction on her house in Molepolole. It was a turnkey project and she paid the company P200,000 to construct on a fix and supply basis. Please note that the house was already built when they were engaged. They were to install doors, windows, do the plumbing, floor tiles, ceiling, electric wiring and painting.

It's 2025 now and the house is still not complete, the owner of the company takes my mother from pillar to post every time she asks about progress on the house. Between 2022 and 2025, they only fixed the roof. Please assist us?

Three years? What possible justification can there be for a delay of three years? There's absolutely no excuse for that, none whatsoever. The good news is that when I contacted the company they responded very quickly. They assured me that they would take the matter seriously. Since then, they promised me that the matter would be addressed within days. However, it's important you keep a very close eye on the progress they make, and the quality of the work they do. You've waited long enough, it now needs to be done properly. 

Update: They're still making promises but there's been no actual progress yet.

When will I get it back?

I am writing to request your urgent intervention regarding a warranty issue with my PlayStation 5 Slim Disc Edition, purchased in March 2025 and currently under warranty.

On 1 November 2025, I returned the PS5, due to repeated overheating. After waiting two weeks, I was informed that it had been repaired. However, upon testing it the same day, the exact same overheating problem occurred again. On 20 November, I took the console back, and they informed me that they now need to send it to Sony South Africa for further repairs or possible replacement. They could not give me any estimate of how long this process will take, only that it may take "some time."

I am never given any update unless I call or go to the store. Can you help me have the Console replaced or get a refund?

The bad news is that because you reported the problem more than six months after purchase, the really useful parts of the Consumer Protection Act don't apply. As readers of The Voice will know by now, Section 16 of the Act says that if a faulty item is returned to the supplier within six months of purchase and the supplier chooses to repair the item, and then the same problem occurs again within three months, they no longer have the option of repairing it again. In that situation, they would need to replace it or refund you.

However, in this case, it was slightly more than six months so we need to rely on the manufacturer's warranty of a year. I contacted the store manager and he assured me that the warranty repair will be undertaken. He also assured me that you'll have the device back within a week or two. However, we both need to keep the pressure on them to make sure they keep to this promise.

He also said that part of the overheating problem was the amount of dust found in the PlayStation. I'm no expert but a little searching found reports of other people experiencing the same problem. The advice from technical experts seems to be that the cooling vents on these devices need to be cleaned occasionally. In a dusty country like ours, that's probably good advice.