The growth in online shopping in South Africa is largely driven by the convenience it offers. However, complicated returns policies are keeping some consumers away.

Many retail outlets are incentivising customers to move to their digital channels by offering exclusive online-only deals. On particularly busy days like Black Friday, online shopping promises customers a smoother experience by helping them avoid the chaos that comes with a spike in-store foot traffic.

Despite this, a significant portion of consumers still opt to go to a bricks-and-mortar store to avoid the inconvenience of returning items bought online. TechCentral spoke to consumer rights journalist Wendy Knowler to learn more about the ins and outs of online shopping returns policies.

It is often only once an item needs to be returned that most customers either learn that the type of item they bought is not returnable, or that they have to pay for the cost the seller incurs for fetching the unwanted items and delivering an alternatives.

“The disadvantage that you have when buying online is that you don’t have the opportunity to touch or feel the product. That is why, in terms of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECTA), you have the benefit of a cooling-off period. The act prescribes that you can send it [the item] back at your own cost.”

The cooling-off period gives the buyer the opportunity to change their mind and applies even if the items purchased are not defective. There are exceptions to this rule, such as undergarments and groceries, for example. This rule does cause some confusion with some consumers, who may be experiencing post-purchase regret, and expect that bricks-and-mortar outlets should accept returns according to the same policy – but this is not a legal requirement. “In that case, you are at the mercy of the store’s policy,” said Knowler.

No charge

Fortunately for online shoppers, many of the larger e-commerce platforms including Takealot.com and Makro will fetch return items that fall into the cooling-off period category from the original delivery address at no charge to the consumer. This is despite the ECTA prescribing that a fee should be charged to the customer.

According to Knowler, this free service from the larger outlets is another point of confusion that leads to consumers developing an unrealistic expectation from outlets that choose to charge a fee instead. “Consumers tend to expect smaller mom-and-pop shops to do the same as the larger retailers, but they don’t realise that it is not a legal requirement,” said Knowler.

According to ECTA, once a return process has been initiated, the vendor has 30 days in which to refund the shopper. Most outlets will transfer the amount into the user’s bank account, but some platforms like Shein and Takealot.com give the user the option to accept the return as a credit into their shopping account.

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Items bought online are returnable for reasons other than a change of mind; incorrect products, colours and defects are also of concern. Again, the process tends to be easier with the larger retailers such as Takealot.com, Makro and Shein, all of which have return processing functionality on the order management pages of their websites. Takealot and Makro do not charge for this, whereas Shein does. “We will arrange a pickup for you based on the given address. An R80 fee per return request will be deducted from your refund,” Shein said.

Regarding purchases from smaller stores, Knowler advises consumers to vet thoroughly the outlet before making a purchase, regardless of how good the returns policy may seem to be on paper. “One complainant dealt with a store claiming to be from the Western Cape but was actually based in China, so it was impossible to go to their physical address when they ignored online contact requests,” said Knowler.

“It is best to engage with the company beforehand and suss them out. Call them and see if they pick up the phone and how they engage with you. If a physical address is given, Google it and call a company close by and ask about the one you’re interested – they can tell you if it exists or not,” she said.

Cancellations are a similar pain point in the online shopping experience. Unlike returns, however, fewer e-commerce platforms allow for the easy cancellation of orders either through their website or smartphone app. Makro’s online store, for example, requires shoppers to dial their call centre and give their order number to an agent before a cancellation is processed.

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This may seem unnecessarily inconvenient at face value but does make sense from the businesses perspective since it prevents large volumes of cancellations occurring after the resources to dispatch them have been deployed. – © 2023 NewsCentral Media