Saturday, 16 August 2025

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Why won't they fix it?

I purchased a laptop in January this year. In July, the battery began malfunctioning. It would drop to around 30–40% and then shut down abruptly. Attempting to restart it without connecting to the charger was futile; only when plugged in would it power on, still showing the same 30–40% battery level. Matters worsened when it eventually refused to switch on at all without being connected to the charger, despite showing battery levels as high as 60–70% once powered. At the beginning of August, I returned the laptop to the store to report the battery issue. I left it with one of the staff members for diagnosis, and their feedback was that the battery was no longer functional. I accepted that diagnosis and asked about the way forward. I was told the matter would be escalated to the manager. Unfortunately, my efforts to obtain the manager's feedback were met with ignored messages and dropped calls. I relayed this to the staff member I had initially spoken with, who later informed me that their manager was out of the country and could only assist upon his return next week. I was advised to collect my laptop in the meantime and wait until the manager was available. This has left me feeling deeply disappointed. I purchased this device in good faith and have received little to no meaningful support in resolving what I believe is a legitimate concern.


I think you 're right to be disappointed. You spent a lot of money on a laptop and you deserve better. In fact, you deserve a lot more. My first concern is that on the receipt you were given, it says "No warranty on hardware". Seriously? Do they understand nothing about consumer rights? Don't they know that Section 16 of the Consumer Protection Act clearly says that a consumer can return a faulty item within 6 months? Saying there's no warranty is ridiculous.

It gets worse. The device you bought was described on the receipt as a "MacBook Pro 2016" which was a warning. Why is a device from 2016 being sold in 2025? Clearly because it's second-hand. I checked the serial number of the device and Apple reports that this laptop was first sold in November 2018. So obviously not new. Did they disclose that to you? Apparently not. 


I contacted the store and they came up with a lengthy list of excuses, none of which matter. They are selling devices improperly and I suggest you contact the Competition and Consumer Authority and ask them to intervene. This needs to be stopped. 

Can they repair it? 

I purchased a Samsung phone on June 30th. On July 14th I returned it because the phone wouldn't charge. I walked into their shop a few times in the last couple of weeks to check. On my last visit I told the shop manager that given that the phone was bought new I think they must just replace it. My suspicion was that since it's taking the repair centre lots of time then there certainly must be a problem with it. Today, I went in again and he told me like he did last time that his boss is insisting on giving me back the repaired phone. I left it, didn't take it and told him I'm going to have to inform myself before accepting it back!! If I ever will accept it. Am I wrong in not accepting the repaired phone?

Is this another supplier who doesn't understand how they must treat consumers?

Section 16 of the Consumer Protection Act says that if a consumer returns a faulty product within 6 months of purchase, they must either repair it, replace it or refund the customer. However, it's up to the store to decide which option they choose. They CAN choose to repair it. However, what they often forget is that the Act also says that if the same problem occurs again within 3 months, they can't try to repair it again. Then they must either replace it or refund you.

Shall I explain this to them or will you?

Saturday, 9 August 2025

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Can they do this?

Good day sir. I come with a very heavy heart. Last year I had a very huge family challange and so I was forced to pawn my car to get funds to help. My concern is that there is a lot of cheating when it comes to adding interest.

They don't wait for 30 days to go by before they add interest. For example: if I took the loan out on the 8th August my understanding is that after 30 days is when they can add interest but this is not the case here. If I would pay in maybe the 25th August 2025 they don't wait for my 30 days to lapse. They add immediate interest on the 25th August 2025. I have been paying since last year and my loan is just never ending because I'm receiving interest in a very unfair manner. Thus has really put a huge strain on my finance as I am trying my level best to provide for my family and repay the loan at the same time. I pray you are able to assist me.


Pawn shops strike again. I dislike pawn shops as much as I dislike hire purchase and payday lenders. The pawn shop industry is very effective at exploiting the desperate and the poorest elements of society, who find themselves urgently needing money, people who don't have the time or ability to save up for a purchase or those, like you, who don't have the cash to pay for an emergency expense.

It's very difficult for me to comment on when and how they should be charging interest but the good news is that pawn shops are regulated by NBFIRA, the Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority. NBFIRA have been quite active with pawn shops and they have the power to demand that this pawn shop explains themselves to them and to you. I suggest you contact them as soon as possible.

The bigger lesson is please, whatever you do, try to avoid pawning goods to raise money. Their terms and conditions benefit them, not us and if anything goes wrong, you can end up owing them a lot of money, a lot more than you borrowed. And you lose the goods you gave them.

When will they refund me?

I have a story with people from a tombstone company. I bought a tombstone from them for P4,500. Early last month or so I asked for refund since it came to our attention that my deceased Mom had already paid for her own tombstone but this people are playing games with me. Mr Richard they since gave me P1,000 and P500. I told them my rent is due I need my money they ain't replying to my messages. I did not pay rent as I'm currently unemployed but they owe me P3,000.


Firstly, I'm very sorry for the loss of your mother.

The problem here is that it's not the tombstone company's fault that you needed to cancel the deal. The good news is that I contacted the owner of the company and he responded. He told me that:
"the material had already been bought, so as customers come to buy, we give him something. We paid 1,000 and last week we gave him 500."
I know it's frustrating but I think you need to give the company a little time to gather the money he's offered to refund you. I'll keep in touch with him to offer some encouragement.

Saturday, 2 August 2025

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

How much must I pay?

Richard, assist me here please regarding micro lenders. They lend me money, I was given P3,000 and they tell me their interest is 25% and I told them ok I will pay in 3 months. To my surprise my first deduction was P1,536.89 and now they are telling me the balance will also have another 25%. I want to know is it how they should operate? It's a registered micro lender and they are telling me they are using PayM8 system. I asked them so why the first deduction so high. I thought 25% of P3,000 should be P750.


I think you've misunderstood how borrowing money works. I also think the microlender you selected completely failed to explain it to you. That was their job.

When you borrow money from a commercial lender, there are two parts of the debt. Firstly, there's the capital amount that you borrowed. You borrowed P3,000 over three months so you can expect to pay that amount back in three installments, averaging P1,000 each month.

On top of the capital there's the cost of borrowing and the biggest component will be the interest, in your case 25% of the capital amount each month. The exact details will depend on the loan agreement you signed but I think you've forgotten about the capital repayment. I did some simple calculations based on what you told me and the figure they're charging you does seem to be approximately what I would expect.

If you haven't got it already, you need to ask this microlender for a copy of your loan agreement. You then need to read it carefully and ask them to explain anything you don't understand.

Why did they reject me?

I bought a cellphone from a store at Riverwalk last year on instalments. Then it got stolen from my bag at Phakalane mall. Now I have reported it at Phakalane police station and submitted the police report. It's been 4 months and now a lady from the store called me to say that the insurance company has rejected the claim.


This is one of those situations where everything depends on the small print.

One of the very few good things about hire purchase agreements is that they usually include an insurance policy. It's rarely a good policy because it's there to support the company, not you. If you lose your job, it's there to cover the repayments that you can no longer make. However, the conditions are often quite strict. It often only covers you if you are retrenched, not if you resign and not if you're fired.

These policies also cover you against theft of the item, which sounds good, but again isn't always as good as it sounds. I've heard of situations where the claim is denied if you left a door unlocked or gate open at your house and the thieves easily gained entry. Sometimes it doesn't cover you if you are away from home, like you were. It's another reason why it's incredibly important to read the very small print in your agreements and then, to have your own household insurance policy that might cover all the events the store's policy fails to cover.

I'll contact the store and see if they can double check their insurance.

Saturday, 26 July 2025

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Where's my phone?

I need your help. I bought a second hand phone a few months ago. The phone was never okay from the first month. I told the guys at the shop my challenge is I stay in Francistown but bought it in Gaborone. I took it to them last month, but now they were telling me stories.

I took it to them again on 23rd May and when I got there I was told the technician was off since it was a Saturday so I should bring it back on Monday. I called the owner who was in SA at the time to tell him I will leave the phone with someone, she took it back to them but refused to take it. The owner later called the person I left the phone with to say he is still out of the country he will call when he comes to return the phone but he never did.

In short look like they are not willing to give me a new phone or refund me. I can't just lose my P4500 money like that. If they don't want to give me another phone its better they just give me back my money. I'm sick and tired of the their games.


Unfortunately, when you told me the name of this store, I wasn't surprised. It's not the first time I've dealt with them and each time before the story has been the same. They have a history of selling phones that rapidly go wrong and then doing their best to avoid their responsibility to fix the problem they caused for their customer. Obviously, they're in breach of various parts of the Consumer Protection Act but just as importantly, they're showing you contempt.

I contacted the store and they're still taking their time. I think it's time to escalate this situation and complain to the Competition and Consumer Authority. Maybe they can help us persuade the store to do the right thing?

Who can take action?

I'm not sure if this would be the right platform to address this issue. We stay near a bar and night club. This club generates a lot of noise that kids cannot study well. We can't even sleep well. Their customers make noise by the security wall and talking loudly till morning. We wonder how our kids will survive on their education. Please help.


I think this is a certainly a consumer issue. Even though you're not a customer of the bar, you are suffering from the way they operate and their failure to behave like a good neighbour.

The consumer angle here is with Gaborone City Council. I assume you pay rates (obviously you should) and as a result, you're their customer. It's their job to enforce the various Bye-Laws that I'm sure say that bars, clubs and restaurants in residential areas need to behave themselves and not cause a disturbance to people like you who are trying to live a normal life nearby.

The good news is that your local council, Gaborone City Council, has recently become very active, enforcing the law, shutting down unhygienic restaurants and supermarket kitchens and cleaning up the environment. This is the time to ask for their support. I suggest that you submit a complaint to them and get your neighbours who are also bothered by this bar to do the same. The more people who complain, the more likely they are to treat this seriously and take action.

Saturday, 19 July 2025

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Must I pay them? (Certainly not!)

In April last year, I purchased a Tecno Spark 20C phone from a cellphone dealer in Kazungula. Around October, the device suddenly went into device lock mode. When attempting to switch it on, a message appeared instructing me to return the phone to the supplier for verification, and I was unable to access any features or data on the device. I promptly returned the phone to the store and explained the situation. They informed me they would send the device to their supplier in Dubai for further checks. I made several follow-ups, but each time I was given a different explanation. I also learned that five other Tecno devices were experiencing the same issue and that mine was in a queue for repairs. They temporarily borrowed me a smaller Samsung phone that was also under repair, with the understanding that it would be returned once my Tecno was fixed.

In January 2025, the Samsung began displaying screen glitches. I returned it and they claimed it needed a software update. I updated the software, but the issue persisted after a week. I returned the Samsung and again requested my Tecno. More delays followed. In March I attempted to open a case with the police, but they informed me that consumer-related matters were outside their jurisdiction.

Last week, I returned to the shop and was informed that the Tecno had finally been repaired. However, the screen now has visible damage at the bottom. Despite that, I am willing to accept the phone in its current condition. The current challenge is that the store is now demanding that I pay P1,000 to "buy back" my own phone the same device I returned due to a manufacturer-related fault. I would greatly appreciate your assistance on how best to handle this situation.


You are being far too kind. This company is talking complete nonsense and they know it. Unfortunately, cellphone dealers often make up stories like this but this store has gone further than most. Instead of dealing with the problem responsibly, they gave you another phone they knew was already faulty, offered you endless excuses and finally want you to pay to get your phone back? This is ridiculous.

I'll contact the store and explain to them what the word "incompetent" means.

Must I pay them? (Probably yes.)

I wanted to ask you something here. I went to a cellphone shop. I accidentally touched a speaker that was on top of the other speakers and it nearly fell but fortunately I managed to hold it but another speaker fell and broke. The shop owner said I have to pay for the full amount of the broken one. It's around P200.

It's something that happened unintentional and even the way they put their things it's risky. I don't mind paying but what if the same thing happens to a client that is without that cash. Is it ideal for them to pay and what if they don't pay because they don't have money. Is it the right thing to do?


Let me ask you a different question. If you knock over someone's drink in a bar, what do you do? It's easy, you buy them another drink. Isn't this a similar situation? You broke something belonging to someone else. Isn't the right thing to do to pay them for the damage?

Maybe the store has insurance but it's unlikely to cover damages this small because it will fall below the 'excess' level their policy offers. And if they don't have insurance? They have no business sense.

Saturday, 12 July 2025

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Kindly advise!

May you kindly advise me here and maybe you can assist. In 2022 I bought some furniture on higher purchase. I managed to pay I believe all the debt I'm only left with arrears of about P4,000. I haven't paid since I lost my job in November 2024. They threaten to take the furniture but I recently went back to my contract only to realise that they actually made me pay for bunk beds twice. The said instead of 1 set of bunk beds I took 2 which is not correct. I'm realising now that I must have overpaid since they said I bought 2 sets when in the actual fact it's 1 set. These people have tormented me daily even threatening me with jail. They did not want me to pay any amount I have, they insist I should pay the total balance though I explained that I'm currently not working. This whole thing drove me to depression. Please advise on what step I should take now.


I'm sorry to hear about this. The problem with hire (not 'higher') purchase is that the arrangement is very one-sided. If things go well, you buy goods for typically twice the cash price. However, if things go wrong, you have almost no protection. The goods don't belong to you, they belong to the store until you've made the last payment. That means that the store can repossess the goods whenever they want to if you're in arrears.

I spoke to the store and they confirmed that you were being billed correctly, for one double bunk bed, not two.

However, I disagree with their suggestion that you must only pay the full amount. You should pay whatever you can afford. It's very important to keep paying as much as you can afford and as often as possible. Show them that you're doing your best. The worst thing you can do is to go silent and not pay a thing.

The sooner you pay off this debt, the sooner you can get back to a normal life.

Be careful what you click on!

If you're on Facebook you'll have seen lots of advertisements for giveaways and competitions from large chains of supermarkets. Most commonly recently they appear to be from Sefalana or Fours. Both reported that the company was
"giving away 280 refrigerators and washing machines that are unsellable due to minor scratches and dents, all in good condition and brand new, so we will randomly send them to followers every day. All you have to do is type @ and hit highlight. If it turns blue, you have been selected."
But this is fake. It's a scam.

What happens is that as soon as you reply, you get a message from them saying you're a lucky winner and all you need to do is click on a link. This takes you to a web page where it asks you to register for a video streaming service for P3.56 per day.

I suspect this is what it's all about, that daily payment. I bet they'll make it very difficult to unsubscribe from the service. And who knows if it really will be just P3.56 each day?

The lesson is to be very careful about what you see on Facebook. Don't share things that you think might earn you a gift or some money. It's always a scam.

Sunday, 6 July 2025

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

They took my money!

I mistakenly transferred funds to one of my saved beneficiaries using my banking app. I notified the bank. The bank contacted the beneficiary to activate the account since it has been dormant for a long time of which he obliged.

Yesterday I contacted the bank and they said the account of the beneficiary had some arrears and the beneficiary should clear those arrears first before they can reverse the transaction. The beneficiary has since indicated that he has no funds to pay those arrears. This is unfair and disappointing since am the one who sent these funds erroneously. I really need this money. Please assist.


I'm sorry to hear about this. Unfortunately, there's probably little that can be done in this situation. The bank didn't make a mistake when they processed this transaction for you, their computer system simply followed the instructions you gave it.

It's also not their fault that the person who received it owed them money in their dormant account and when it was reactivated, they took the money to pay off their debt. That's standard practice with banks, they can take money owed to them from wherever they can find it in the customer's accounts.

However, I'll contact the bank for you and see if anything can be done. But please don't get your hopes too high.

They took my money twice!

Hello Richard. I opened a funeral policy with an insurance company and to my surprise they deducted the premium twice from my account in May. I called my agent to lodge a complaint and she told me that she is unable to help me and I should search for their contacts on Facebook.

Since the beginning of June they have been sending me from pillar to post just to refund me because apparently they captured my policy twice. They say for them to terminate the duplicate they will have to deduct twice again end of June and the waiting period is 30 days for termination. I need help because I feel robbed and tired of pestering them for my refund.


I really don't why some companies like to make things so complicated. This is a very simple problem and the solution should also be very simple. All they need to do is to cancel one of the deductions and then calculate how much they need to refund you. And then they just need to pay you.

I also think this idea that you should wait for 30 days for termination is unacceptable. Section 14 of the Consumer Protection Act says that a company must offer services to consumers "in a manner and quality that consumers are reasonably entitled to expect". It's reasonable to expect that a company that makes a mistake, particularly one that costs the consumer money, needs to fix that problem quickly, not after a month.

I'll contact the company and urge them to stop fooling around and fix this for you.

You also need to get a better agent. If all they can do to help you is suggest you search on Facebook, they need to think again. They were paid a commission for opening your policy so they need to earn that money by treating you with more respect.