Albert S

Poor Transparency and Unexpected Installation Costs at Makro / BlingStallation

I want to share my disappointing experience after purchasing an air conditioner from Makro, specifically regarding the installation process. I bought an installation voucher from Makro for R1200.00, understanding that there would be additional costs for some extra materials like pipes. However, the sales staff did not make it clear that I would also need to pay for an electrician separately, which was only revealed when BlingStallation, the installation company, contacted me. I had to pay (R1200.00) upfront for an electrician’s hour of labour before they would even schedule the installation. On the day of installation, BlingStallation was of no assistance when I contacted them. Their attitude was essentially "pay now or we withdraw the installation team," warning that I would end up having to pay a call-out fee regardless. This pressure and lack of support added significantly to my frustration. When the installation team arrived, they presented a list of additional costs. Most of these were expected, but I was surprised to learn that a necessary bracket was not included in the voucher price, and the labour time increased from the original two hours on the voucher to three hours. The total cost for installation came to R6075.00, which was far beyond what I had budgeted. This whole ordeal could have been avoided if Makro's salespeople had been upfront and transparent about all associated costs. Had I known the full picture, I could have made a more informed decision about my purchase and budget. I am very unhappy with how this was handled. I hope Makro improves its communication, so future customers don’t have to go through the same frustrating experience. Makro should also consider offering more than one installation service option. It feels as if BlingStallation assumes that once a client has purchased an installation voucher, they "own" you. This lack of alternative choices puts customers at a disadvantage and removes any real leverage, making the installation process unnecessarily stressful.