Lack of transparency, poor communication and excessive delivery charges

If it were possible to give zero stars, I would.

On 30 December 2025 we placed an order with lighouse.co.za for a Volta bench at a price of R2 050.00. The product specifications were clearly listed (SPF wood blend, water-based stain, height 450 mm, depth 350 mm, length 1.5 m).

However, delivery was not calculated or disclosed during checkout. The only information provided under the delivery tab stated the following (verbatim from their website when I checked it in January 2026):

“Each piece is carefully handcrafted to order. Please allow approximately 4–6 weeks for manufacturing and an additional 1–2 weeks for delivery. Not sure if it’ll fit? Check our Furniture Measuring & Delivery Guide before you order.”

There was no indication whatsoever that delivery could exceed the cost of the furniture itself.

On 6 January 2026, we received an email from Arno Slabbert (sales consultant) advising that the delivery fee would be R3 740.00, which is almost double the price of the bench. We are approximately 3.5 hours’ drive from their warehouse, which made this amount completely unexpected.

We contacted Mr Slabbert telephonically to ask whether there might have been a mistake. We were told that this is the amount charged by their courier and factory and that nothing could be done. The only options provided were to arrange our own courier or collect the item ourselves. Mr Slabbert was asked to let us know when the order would be ready for collection, but he never rep****.

On 23 February 2026, we sent a follow-up email noting that 7 weeks had already passed. The only response we received (on 24 February 2026) was the following:

“The system shows that the product is in die final stages of production and is almost completed I have asked the factory for more feedback and once they reply i will revert back to you I do sincerely apologize for the delay and inconvience”

On 2 March 2026, I attempted to phone the Pretoria branch where the order was placed, but there was no answer. I then phoned the Cape Town branch, explained the situation, and was told that someone would get back to me. By 4 March 2026 no one had responded, and it had already been more than 8 weeks since the order was placed.

I phoned again and spoke with a lady at the Pretoria branch (where the order was originally placed). I was informed that the bench had been sent for “finishing” the previous week. I was again told that there would be a follow-up and that they would get back to me.

Over the years we have purchased many pieces of furniture online, including large and heavy items, and have never encountered a delivery fee anywhere close to this amount. Being told simply that “this is how they receive it from the factory” and that this is “the price of the courier they use”, was extremely disappointing.

While customers were technically given alternatives (collection or arranging their own courier), the overall handling of the situation reflected no attempt to engage constructively or assist after the unexpected delivery cost was communicated.

Charging R3 740.00 to deliver a R2 050.00 bench, and only communicating this after the order had already been placed and paid for, reflects a serious lack of pricing transparency.

Prospective customers should be aware that delivery costs are not shown at checkout and may only be communicated after purchase. In addition, the 4–6 week manufacturing timeframe stated on the website did not apply in our case, as the order had still not been completed after more than 8 weeks, and updates were only provided when we followed up ourselves.