Consumer Protection in South Africa is a dismal failure.

When I tried to pursue my rights under Consumer Protection Legislation I found the Office of Consumer Protection completely unhelpful. Eventually, after spending many hours fulfilling their bureaucratic requirements they refused to take any action whatsoever to assist me, despite me providing them with overwhelming evidence against a particular service provider. The Ombudsman was similarly unhelpful. So, unfortunately the consumer in South Africa has no recourse to obtain a refund or compensation from a retailer who has failed to provide the service that was paid for unless they employ a lawyer to pursue the matter in the courts.