The consumer items South Africans complain about the most, and why
The South African Consumer Goods and Services Ombudsman (CGSO) has revealed a list of the most complained about products in South Africa, and why we complained about them.
In releasing its annual report earlier this year for the 2015/16 period, the CGSO found tha issues relating to mobile phones topped the list of complaints during the year, drawing 1,124 complaints out of 3,495 cases overall.
The ombudsman said that total call centre calls received during the reporting period amounted to 14,599.
The ombudsman said that the average time it took to close a case was just shy of two months, adding that cases were ‘resolved’ in the following way:
- Resolved – complaint upheld fully – 869
- Referred – outside jurisdiction – 464
- Resolved – assistance provided – 273
- Resolved – matter not upheld – 258
- Dismissed – no cooperation from supplier – 130
- Dismissed – no cooperation from complainant – 74
- Complainant withdrew complaint – 58
- Resolved – complaint upheld partially – 52
- Duplicate – 8
- Matter not yet referred to supplier – 5
- Resolved – mediation held – 1
Most complained about products in 2015/16
| # | Product | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mobile Phones | 951 |
| 2 | Services | 845 |
| 3 | Furniture | 398 |
| 4 | Electrical Appliances | 389 |
| 5 | Other | 302 |
| 6 | Computer and Accessories | 171 |
| 7 | Building Material | 141 |
| 8 | Clothing | 119 |
| 9 | Food and Beverage | 69 |
| 10 | Timeshare | 57 |
Other could relate to products including jewelry, online items, linen and bedding, toys, cosmetics, etc.
Top 10 nature of complaints:
| # | Nature | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goods, Defective within 6 months | 639 |
| 2 | Services, Overcharged | 523 |
| 3 | Agreements, Cancellation | 504 |
| 4 | Service, Not of Expected Quality | 338 |
| 5 | Service, Not Provided in Time | 189 |
| 6 | Delivery, Not on Time or Reasonable | 159 |
| 7 | Delivery, Not as per Order or Requirements | 154 |
| 8 | Goods, Defective after 6 months | 153 |
| 9 | Services | 148 |
| 10 | Other | 128 |
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