Poor after-sales service

To be clear: the jacket itself is fantastic quality, but the after-sales service, communication, hidden exchange costs, and handling of this refund process have been extremely disappointing for a premium-priced product.

I’m extremely disappointed with the way my exchange/refund process has been handled by Duck Apparel.

I purchased a parka for R3599 on 21 April. After receiving it, I requested an exchange for a bigger size. I understood that I would be responsible for the courier cost to return the original jacket. However, what was never properly made clear upfront is that customers are also expected to pay an additional R150 delivery fee for the replacement jacket, which you need to do before your exchange is logged. So in total, I paid an additional R350 (courier and delivery), on top of an already premium-priced jacket.

Because of these unexpected costs, I decided to cancel the exchange and requested a refund before the replacement jacket had even been collected or dispatched. Unfortunately, this was apparently not processed in time, because the replacement jacket was still delivered to me on 6 May.

I immediately informed Duck Apparel and was told they would arrange a courier collection. A collection was scheduled for 14 May, and I waited the entire day for the courier, but nobody arrived. I then followed up twice via email and initially received no response.

I eventually sent another detailed email explaining the situation again and even offered to keep the replacement jacket if I could simply repay the R150 delivery fee.

The response I received was extremely frustrating. I was told the order had been cancelled and I therefore could not keep it, that courier costs were my responsibility, and that the R150 refund was supposedly a “gesture of goodwill.” At this stage, I still had not received any refund whatsoever for the original jacket.

I once again explained the full situation, attached all previous email correspondence as proof, and only then did they agree to arrange another courier. After further delays and more follow-ups from my side, a courier finally arrived to collect the jacket on 26 May — with notice only on the day of collection.

The jacket has now finally been collected, and I am waiting for confirmation that it has been received and for my refund to be processed.

Unfortunately, this entire experience has left a bad impression on me. I have always wanted one of their jackets, but after this process, I honestly think I can do without it.