Most Common Black Friday Complaints and How to Solve Them

Black Friday drives record sales in South Africa, but it also puts pressure on operations, websites, delivery partners, and support teams. When volumes spike, cracks appear: missed ETAs, glitchy checkouts, confusing prices, and silence when customers need help most.

One avoidable slip can become a very public complaint, and a single bad experience can send a shopper elsewhere for good. The brands that succeed during Black Friday don’t just promote discounts; they set clear expectations, communicate early, and use reviews to reassure new buyers.

Here’s how to address the most common Black Friday complaints and protect long-term trust.

1. Late Deliveries and Stock Issues

Customers have little tolerance for late parcels or a “sold out” notice after checkout; it feels like a broken promise and can quickly lead to refunds, cancellations, and a hit to your reputation.

Stay ahead by setting realistic November delivery windows, agreeing on firm daily cut-offs with couriers, and surfacing live stock levels on product pages and at checkout. If delays are likely, say so upfront and provide updates via SMS, email, and a self-serve tracker.

• Publish last-order dates and add “limited stock” labels.
• Lock inventory at checkout; use back-in-stock alerts.
• Showcase recent delivery reviews on landing pages.

Hellopeter Tip

Feature delivery reviews with specifics (“Arrived a day early”) to reduce pre-purchase anxiety.

2. Misleading Discounts

Nothing burns trust faster than phantom price cuts. Keep pricing honest: show real savings with a clear “was/now” comparison, ensure strikethroughs match recent selling prices, and double-check banners, product pages, and feeds so what you advertise is what rings up in the cart.

If stock is genuinely limited, say so rather than punting a doorbuster that few can buy.

• Add “You save R___ / __%” badges and brief price-history notes.
• Train teams on CPA and ad-copy rules to avoid misrepresentation.

Hellopeter Tip

After Black Friday, ask satisfied customers to mention fair pricing in their reviews; surface those quotes on promo pages next year.

3. Poor Customer Support

Black Friday stresses systems and people. Without preparation, queues swell and customers feel ignored just when they’re anxious about stock, payment, or delivery.

Plan for three to five times your normal volume, extend support hours, and equip your team with a playbook covering missing confirmations, delayed parcels, voucher errors, exchanges, and payment reversals. 

Pair live chat or WhatsApp with a robust order-tracking portal to deflect simple “where’s my order?” queries.

• Staff up and cross-train; prioritise time-sensitive cases
• Standardise tone with templates, then personalise
• Enable review notifications and treat new reviews as tickets

Hellopeter Tip

Reply to reviews within hours, sign off with a named agent, and include a specific next step.

4. Website Crashes and Payment Failures

A slow site or failed payment kills conversions. Load-test at multiples of your previous peak, slim images and third-party scripts, enable a CDN and auto-scaling, and simplify the funnel to essentials.

If your primary gateway fails, have a backup such as PayFast, Zapper or instant EFT so revenue continues to flow. Use clear error messages: confirm no charge was made and offer an easy retry or alternative.

• Place short, recent quotes at the cart and payment steps (“quick checkout”, “no glitches”)
• Pre-configure a fallback gateway and rehearse the failover process

Hellopeter Tip

Highlight reviews on your website praising smooth checkout to reduce last-minute anxiety.

5. Wrong or Damaged Items

Rushed fulfilment breeds mis-picks and damaged parcels. Tighten basics: barcode scans for picks, a second check on high-value orders, and generous packaging for fragile goods.

Publish a simple, no-hassle Black Friday returns policy and link it in confirmations. If you slip up, own it fast, prioritise the replacement, and consider a small voucher.

• Offer printable labels or easy return pick-up
• Identify and fix error hot-spots (SKU, shift, courier)

Hellopeter Tip

Surface reviews that say “exchange was painless” or “sorted within 24 hours” on product pages.

6. Hidden Costs

Surprise fees such as shipping, handling, and payment surcharges cause an instant drop-off. Display estimated shipping or free shipping thresholds on product pages and reiterate them before checkout,

If a payment method incurs a fee, disclose it before card entry. Consider all-inclusive pricing so the PDP price matches the final total.

• Test checkout for SA scenarios (rural delivery, bulky items, promo codes)
• Maintain consistent totals across cart and checkout

Hellopeter Tip

Use review insights to spot “hidden fees” themes. Fix the policy and reply to those reviews to close the loop.

7. Ignored Reviews

Going quiet after the rush is the final misstep. Make review management part of your wrap-up: block time for two weeks, assign an owner, and work through every legitimate concern with empathy and specifics.

Where you’ve made real fixes, such as adding a second courier or a backup gateway, mention them so readers see progress, not platitudes. Invite delighted customers to share wins to balance the picture.

Hellopeter Tip

Use the central review inbox and alerts to respond consistently; then publish your best reviews as social proof across your site and ads.

Ready to Put This Into Practice?

Black Friday is when expectations are high and patience is low. Set clear expectations for stock and delivery, keep pricing transparent, make checkout fast and reliable, keep fulfilment on track, and use every review to demonstrate your dependability.

Do this and you’ll gain more than a weekend of sales; you’ll build repeat business, referrals, and resilience for the year ahead. Turn complaints into opportunities. Collect, manage, and showcase reviews with Hellopeter Business.