Returns & Refunds Policy

This policy explains when you may return something you bought on plugafrika, how long you have, what we check when it comes back, and how you are refunded. It applies together with our Terms of Use. Products on plugafrika are sold by independent vendors, and plugafrika facilitates the return and the refund on your behalf.

Nothing in this policy limits or replaces any right you have under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 ("CPA"), the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 ("ECTA") or any other law that cannot lawfully be excluded.

1. The two periods, at a glance

• 7 days to change your mind. If you simply no longer want the item, for any reason that is not a fault in the product, you have 7 days from the day you receive it.
• 6 months for a faulty product. If the product is defective, unsafe, or not of good quality, you have 6 months from the day you receive it.

2. Changing your mind, within 7 days

You may cancel and return an item within 7 days of receiving it without giving a reason and without a penalty. This is the cooling-off right in section 44 of ECTA for goods bought electronically, and it applies whether or not anything is wrong with the product.

For a change-of-mind return the cost of getting the item back to the vendor is yours. The return collection fee is shown to you before you confirm, and you can pay it at checkout for the return or from your plugafrika wallet.

Start a change-of-mind return from the order on your My orders page.

3. A faulty product, within 6 months

If, within 6 months of delivery, the product turns out to be defective, unsafe, or not of good quality, section 56 of the CPA entitles you to choose one of three remedies: a repair, a replacement, or a refund. The choice is yours, not the vendor’s.

You do not pay to send back a faulty product. Where a return is because of a fault, the wrong item was sent, parts were missing, or the item does not match its description, the vendor carries the cost of the collection.

Inside the first days after delivery you can start this from My orders. If more time has passed, contact our support team with your order number and what is wrong, and we will arrange the return and the remedy. Your 6-month right does not depend on the self-service form still being open.

4. What we check when the item comes back

Every return is inspected when it reaches the vendor or our collection point. We check whether the item matches what was sent, whether it has been used beyond what is reasonable to examine it, and what condition it is in.

• Use and wear. You may unpack and examine an item the way you would in a shop. A change-of-mind return is expected to come back in a condition that can still be sold, with its accessories, free gifts, manuals and, where possible, its original packaging.
• Damage that is your fault. If the item is damaged, incomplete, or has lost value because of how it was handled, used, stored or packed for return after it reached you, we may reduce your refund to reflect that loss, or in a serious case decline the refund altogether. If we reduce or decline a refund we tell you why and what we found.
• A fault is different. These deductions do not apply to a product that was already defective, unsafe, not as described, or damaged before it reached you. A fault is not wear and tear.

This is the position section 20 of the CPA takes on goods returned in a condition that has been diminished by the consumer, and it is why the inspection happens before the refund is released.

5. Items we cannot take back

Some returns are not possible once the item is out of its packaging, for safety and hygiene reasons, or because the item was made for you. These include products that are unsealed and intended to be applied to or taken into the body, such as cosmetics, skincare, hair products, supplements and consumables, as well as pierced jewellery, underwear and swimwear, and anything personalised or made to your specification.

This exclusion never applies to a product that is defective, unsafe, expired, or not as described. Your 6-month right under section 56 of the CPA stands even on a sealed or personal item. See our Regulated & Consumable Products Policy for what else applies to those categories.

6. How you are refunded, and when

A refund goes back to the method you paid with, or to your plugafrika wallet if you choose that, and you are asked which you prefer. Where you cancel under the 7-day cooling-off right, section 44 of ECTA requires the refund to be made within 30 days of the cancellation. In practice we release a refund once the returned item has been received and inspected, and we tell you the outcome of that inspection.

The amount refunded is what you paid for the item. Where the return is because of a fault, the wrong item, a missing part or a product not as described, the delivery charge you paid is refunded with it. Where you changed your mind, the original delivery charge is not refunded and the return collection fee is yours.

7. Something that never arrived, or arrived damaged

If an order does not arrive, or the parcel is visibly damaged when it reaches you, tell us as soon as you can through support and do not sign for it as accepted if you can avoid doing so. These are handled as a fault, not as a change of mind, so no return fee is charged to you.

8. If you disagree with an outcome

If you are unhappy with a return decision, a deduction, or a refund amount, reply on the same support thread and ask for it to be reviewed. Our Complaints & Dispute Resolution Policy sets out the stages and how long each takes. If we cannot resolve it between us, you may refer the matter to the National Consumer Commission or to another body that has jurisdiction. Nothing in this policy affects that right.

9. Who you are dealing with

plugafrika is operated by PlugAfrika (Pty) Ltd. Our full legal and contact details are on our Company information page, as required by section 43 of ECTA.