The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Where's my phone?

I bought an iPhone XS Max from a store in Gaborone Main Mall and after a day of purchase it gave me problems. I called them and they asked me to bring it and they changed it for me. The second iPhone is also giving me problems again and they want to change it again and give me the third phone but I no longer want their phones it's like they sell fake ones.

Every time when I call them the owner of the shop doesn't want to talk to me rather he gives the phone to his employees to talk to me but again when I tell them I want my money back they say it's beyond them. They say I should talk to him and he won't answer his phone

The worst part is I have to travel from Mahalapye to Gaborone to return the phone and at my own costs. We only shared the traveling costs when I returned the first one. Can you please help me?

This store doesn't just offer cell phones, it offers disrespect and contempt for its customers.

Let's begin with some basics. This iPhone model was first released in 2018 and was discontinued the following year in 2019 so it's likely that this phone is second-hand. Of course it's possible it's been in storage for the last seven years, but I doubt that very much, don't you?

There's nothing wrong with selling second-hand or used phones, the law just requires that the store must be honest about this. You sent me a copy of the receipt they gave you when you bought the phone and it doesn't mention that it's second-hand, as the Consumer Protection Act requires.

We all understand that occasionally cell phones are faulty, but it's too much to believe that the replacement would be faulty as well. I suspect that if they gave you a third phone, that one would probably be faulty too. I messaged the store a few days ago and they don't want to talk to me. It's not the first time I've dealt with them and on each occasion in the past, the story has been the same. I think you should contact the Competition and Consumer Authority and I'll do the same. Maybe together we can encourage them to do the right thing.

Must it take so long?

I need your help. I bought an HP laptop at a furniture store in Francistown on hire purchase. The laptops RAM chip got damaged and I took it back to them and told them it's the only gadget I'm using for my classes and that I've exams the same week I took it to them. They sent the laptop to their technicians in Gaborone and said it would take 21 days.

They called last week to say that the RAM has been ordered and it will take two weeks to be delivered. My question is since the damage wasn't my fault am I not covered by warranty since the PC is only on its 4th month? Are they not supposed to lend me a PC to use in the meantime or alternatively give me a new PC since their turn around time is more than 3 weeks?

The first thing you need to remember is that this laptop doesn't belong to you. It still belongs to the store. That's how higher purchase works. Until you've made the last payment, it still belongs to them. That means they can do what they like, they can take as long as they want to fix it. It also means that they are under no obligation to offer you a temporary PC, no matter how important it is to you. However, taking 21 days to replace the RAM in a laptop is absurd. I'm no expert, but I could do it in 30 minutes. I'll contact them for you and see if they can go faster.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Must I pay the bank?

I am currently experiencing an issue with my bank account and would kindly appreciate your assistance. I opened the account in September 2025 and only deposited money during that first month. Unfortunately, I lost my job shortly thereafter, and the account remained dormant from October until now. When I recently went to the bank to close the account, I was informed that I needed to settle the accumulated maintenance fees amounting to P470, which reflected as a negative balance. I paid this amount in full. However, when I proceeded to close the account, I was told there was still an outstanding balance of P339. The consultant assisting me mentioned that there may have been an error where some charges were doubled and assured me that they would investigate and get back to me. Unfortunately, I did not receive any feedback.

Yesterday, I received three SMS notifications from the bank indicating that a total of P298.58 had been debited from my account. As a result, my account balance is now -P557.32. I am confused about how these charges continue to accumulate, especially after I had already settled the previous amount. I kindly request your assistance in resolving this matter, as I would like clarity on these charges and guidance on how to stop further deductions. Thank you in advance for your help. 

Unfortunately, as many people have discovered, bank charges are often a mystery.

Banks display their charges in a variety of places, in particular in their branches, but also on their website. But that doesn't mean they're easy to understand. As you discovered, this account includes a monthly maintenance charge, and that has accumulated over the last few months when you weren't using the account. However, that should've stopped after you gave the bank an instruction to close the account and you paid off the balance you owed them. I suggest that you don't pay anything more until we've both had a chance to talk to the bank and find out what's going on. 

Why won't they cover me?

I bought a TV from a furniture store in November 2024 by hire purchase on a 12 month period. I finished paying in November 2025 and in December I lost it through a house break in. Now they are telling me that since I finished paying I'm not covered by insurance which I feel is very unfair. What can I do?

This really is extremely bad luck. Almost always a hire purchase contract will include some sort of insurance policy. This usually covers you and the store against the item being stolen or destroyed or damaged by fire. However, as you discovered, and it is explained in the contract you signed, this insurance only lasts as long as the repayment period. So in your case, it only lasted a year.

This is a very good example of how important it is, if you can afford it, to have your own household insurance policy. This would cover everything in your house in case of damage, fire or theft. The most important thing to understand is that your own policy would certainly be much, much cheaper than the insurance included in your hire purchase contract. If you'd had your own policy, you could've told the store that you didn't want to take their insurance, you already had your own.

I know that times are tough for all of us financially, and a household insurance policy can seem like an unnecessary expense. However, we only fully understand the value of insurance when we need it. It's worth talking to a trustworthy insurance broker to see what sort of policy might be best for you and most affordable.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Why won't they pay him back?

We need assistance regarding unauthorized deductions made from my husband's salary. In September 2024, my husband received a salary of P0. This came as a shock to us. Upon investigation, we discovered that deductions had been made by two microlenders, claiming that he had taken loans from them. However, in August 2024, my husband had only applied for a loan with a bank, with the first deduction scheduled for October 2024. He never applied for or received any loans from any other companies. We followed up with both institutions. The first acknowledged the mistake, stopped the deductions, and refunded all the money. Unfortunately, the second has not refunded the amount deducted, which totals P10,000. They stated that they are waiting for police investigations before issuing a refund, as they do not believe that the documents used to process the loan were stolen or fraudulently used.

However, it is concerning that they approved a cash loan to someone they had never met, using WhatsApp, without proper account verification before disbursing the funds. We submitted a claim form as requested, and we were assured that a refund would be processed. To date, no refund has been made. I know that police investigations take a long time but the money remains withheld unfairly from us, despite the fact that they have full details of the account into which the money was paid and can easily trace the recipient. We therefore kindly request that they urgently refund the P10,000 that was wrongly deducted from my husband's salary.

There's bad news for you and for all of us. This sort of crime is becoming increasingly common. So far this year I've heard of several identical cases. Somehow, fraudsters have pretended to be real people and have applied for loans in their names. Once the loans are paid out, the crooks quickly withdraw the money before the person they impersonated realises, before they start to repay the loans taken out in their name.

I'm glad that the first lender repaid your husband in full but the second lender isn't behaving properly. They admit that money was taken from you improperly but this is a matter between them, the police and the criminal who stole their money. They need to stop punishing you. I contacted them and asked them why this is taking so long.

Is this device new?

Please help me out. I bought a tablet around September 2025,then in October the tablet could not read the SIM card, so took it back to the shop. I was told that 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.

I took the tablet, but when I tried to install WhatsApp a message appeared saying there are chats on this device which are not allowed and the number is blocked. Then after a few days when I was trying to install again certain chats with people's faces appeared on the phone. I deleted them, then 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. These people sell us used phones and claim that the phones are new. Please help me.

I agree. This store seems to be selling used devices. Of course, there's nothing wrong with selling used, refurbished, or second-hand goods. They just need to be honest about it. They need to tell us before we pay for something and the receipt or invoice they give us must also say this. This isn't just what I think, it's what the Consumer Protection Act says.

I've already contacted the store and asked them what they plan to do about this situation. They certainly need to do something.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Will they repair them?

Can you kindly assist me? I bought a bed and TV both with hire purchase in September 2024 and I'm still paying for them. The mattress is no longer comfortable and the TV screen broke accidentally on the road from Kasane to Pandamatenga when I was moving to Francistown.The TV screen broke, I was holding it the road is bad honestly..

I long reported for my bed replacement in October 2025 and TV 2 weeks ago but they are not assisting me. I also sent them an email but no response and I am expected to continue paying.

I might have some good news. But I might also have some bad news.

Normally, when people buy things on hire purchase, the warranty lasts for just one year. If this was true in your case, you'd be out of luck because both the problems you reported happened more than a year after you purchased them. However, the good news is that the hire purchase agreement you sent me shows that you bought an extended warranty for these items. This lasts for the whole period you're paying for them, three years. It looks to me like the bed is still covered by the warranty, so I hope the store can do the right thing and fix it for you.

However, you might be out of luck with the TV. The insurance that comes with a hire purchase contract usually only covers things like theft and fire and probably doesn't cover accidental damage while you were moving house. Another problem is that the agreement says that you must inform them if you're changing your address. It's important to remember that with hire purchase, the items you thought were yours actually still belong to the store until you've made the last payment. You might think you were moving YOUR TV from one house to another, but in fact you were moving THEIR TV.

Nevertheless, I'll contact them and ask how they can help you.

Where's my money?

Please help me. I was to take a bed from a furniture store in Francistown on hire purchase. So I paid a deposit. That was last year October.

I wanted for them to deliver the bed but they never came. I went to them in a week time after paying the deposit but they said the deal was not captured well so they want to capture it again. In a month time, I decided to call to get my money back. They said they will do the paper work to reverse the money. I waited but the money never came. Then they said they are capturing it as a laybye to make the money to come back. Till now I had no positive response from them, they keep on saying they long sent the mail to the head office.

I'm still sometimes surprised by how useless some stores can be. This store must sell hundreds, if not thousands of items every year so there's no excuse for making mistakes when capturing a customer's details into their computer system. Is it really that difficult? And now they're talking about converting this to a laybye in order to refund you? That makes no sense to me but if that's what they need to do, then they need to do it and not bother you with their silly internal procedures.

I'll contact the store and see if they can treat you like a customer whose money they've taken.