Deeply Disappointed by a Month of Delays and Unfulfilled Promises

I am sharing this experience not out of anger, but out of genuine disappointment. I trusted ReptiCube and its owner, Jean Rossouw, with what was meant to be a straightforward purchase, and instead found myself caught in a month-long chain of delays, incorrect information, and unnecessary frustration.

On 25 October, I placed an order for ReptiCube’s RC120 enclosure (Order #1418), priced at R4,890, with their website clearly stating a delivery time of 5–7 working days. Because I was planning to eventually purchase several enclosures and reorganise my home around them, I even travelled to Cape Town to visit their premises in person. I wanted to ensure the business was legitimate before investing further. A staff member showed me around, although Jean wasn’t present.

On the same day, I messaged their business WhatsApp about stock availability of the white RC40 enclosure. That message went unanswered. When I later asked Jean about this, he explained that the office phone had been ******—yet no alternative contact details were provided, and no proactive communication was offered to customers who were trying to reach them.

After a week of silence on my RC120 order, I followed up. Jean told me that both the RC120 and RC40 would be sent together “in a few days.”

Only the small enclosure arrived.

When I questioned this, Jean told me he had mixed up my order, mistakenly preparing the wrong model, and that he had now sent the correct enclosure. I accepted this explanation in good faith.

However, 17 days passed, and nothing arrived.

Each time I enquired, I was told:

the unit was “on its way,”

it had been sent “yesterday,”

or I should “it’s arriving tomorrow”

When I pointed out that what Jean said would happen had in fact not happened, his stunning reply was “where was I not honest with you?” I was left speechless and, there was still, no delivery.

After another week had gone by since the “you’ll get it tomorrow” promise, I again followed up with Jean and was told that the courier had logged a failed delivery attempt. When I contacted the courier directly, they informed me that the address and phone number that Jean had given were both incorrect, resulting in a failed delivery to the wrong location and phone calls to a person who had no connection to me.

After rearranging my schedule multiple times to be home, selling my old enclosures to make space, and purchasing furniture specifically to display the new units, this ongoing uncer*****y became incredibly disruptive.

On 22 November, I finally unpacked the large enclosure, only to find that some panels didn’t even have the required holes drilled, making assembly impossible. When I reached out to Jean, he declined my call due to the time and instructed me to send banking details for a refund.

After a full month of waiting, repeated assurances, mixed information, and now receiving an incomplete product, being offered a refund felt like an attempt to undo the situation rather than take accountability. I didn’t ask for a refund. I asked for the enclosure I paid for, delivered properly, as promised.

What I Expect:

I am requesting that ReptiCube honours the original sale and delivers a brand-new RCB120 black enclosure, correctly manufactured and in proper working order. He can collect the faulty Unit and deliver a unit free from defects within the time frame advertised on his website.

This experience has been unnecessarily time-consuming, costly, and disappointing. I hope that by sharing this publicly, ReptiCube and Jean Rossouw will take this matter seriously and ensure better communication and reliability for future customers.