Taxrefunds Reviews 14

, I am Peter colbeth living in the Netherlands, I visited cape town from Jan 1st til Jan 17.
We had a great time and this was not our first time in the cape , it was my 19 the time , never have used the opportunity to get my tax refund paid , and thought this time I will  some documents were accepted and we received a stamped documents and some not because the invoice was incorrect, I contacted the two stores immediately on return home and sent the new invoices with all necessary paper work , passport, entry/exit stamp , proof of purchase bank transfer. 
After 3 months and 23 emails further ,nothing has been paid ,they sent me a email last week staying I did send the entry and exit stamp on my passport, then they said I did not send my copy of passport, and now they say that refund has been rejected. Because I did send the details on time.
Everything was sent on January 23 2026, I hope you can help, because if there is one I hate , that is been played with.

Scam artist in South Africa.
Waited nearly a year for a refund. Used there Durban airport Office which was closed so had to send all the docs in there envelope there. Filled in all the paperwork and sent the receipts to them. Only to be told now nearly 10 months later my amount is too small amount that I am due back - my bank may charge me or send the money back to them. ???? What nonsense. Infact I am not due a small amount. It’s quite large.

They must of transferred the money to their own bank accounts.

They never respond to any of your emails or questions. Just some stupid generic email. Which Says wait wait wait and they will get back to you. What a joke.

A truly corrupt company organisation. But they will still be in business for another 100 years no doubt scamming all the foreigners.

December 2023 all paperwork processed at Cape Town airport and approved. As regular visitors to SA expected 3/4 month delay
Chased the claim after 4 months to be told error in VAT total?!?
Claim refused no further explanation offered despite repeated attempts to get some sense from SARS/VRA. Apparently, 2023 saw a new agency introduced and this led to even more problems and complaints than normal
Fast forward 2026 and got a direct email link only to be told that despite the refusal being due to their administrative failure my claim still rejected
Clear and blatant incompetence and very many shades of corruption

My family and I submitted 3separate claims for vat refunds at Cape Town airport in August 25. We’ve all received rejection emails with no reasons. This smacks of sharp practice at best. Retailers need to know about this as do visitors. The telephone number , emails and app are useless. BEWARE

The process to file your refund at Cape Town airport is tedious - fill in form online / have your goods checked by a customs officer then file application with Vat Refund Agency. Wait times can be very long - frequently in excess of 1 hour.
Upon processing your refund, they will then use every excuse possible so as not to refund you - from conveniently forgetting to stamp receipts, incorrectly entering your personal or bank details, to claiming that immigration entry/exit stamps are not legible (producing copies of your boarding pass or entry/exit stamps from your origin/destination country is of no use).
They will rarely respond to your mails & if they do, it will take them a few months.
Escalating to management is a waste of time. Unsurprising as they are responsible for what is happening & will obviously deflect.
All in all, an epitome of incompetence at all levels.
Cape Town is a great place to visit. Don't let your last experience of your vacation there leave a sour taste.

I made a claim back in February for a refund .I went through the process at the airport on my exit which took nearly 1 hour.
Supposedly my claim has been accepted but after repeated e mails and assurances No Money has appeared.
My last replies were all prefixed with SPAM. I think they mean SCAM.
The website promises refund within 3weeks I think they must be working on a different calendar to every else.
Frustration is all I can express.
Don't trust anything you see about this Scam.

If I could give zero stars I would.
They are a pack of thief’s and YOU SHOULDNT BUY ANYTHING IN SOUTH AFRICA.
They won’t give me almost $900 USD back from a VAT claim because my passport entry stamp isn’t clear enough (obviously out of my control and I was told at the VAT counter it’s not a problem). I then provided receipts of my flights and they don’t even care to look or acknowledge the proof I have.
They are a scam.

Absolutely scam that this country is in on. Foreigners should be warned ahead of travelling to minimise your purchases that you are hoping to get the VAT back on. They deliberately make it so difficult to get the tax back at the airport. The first desk is closed and the second one won’t process without stamps on the receipts. Corrupt systems. Corrupt government.

Omg what can I say - sunglasses hut Mandela sq Jo’burg refund rejected we had all receipts even the one SGH gave us some sort of vat of vre receipt - along with the sunglasses and original receipts all checked at Cape Town airport - 5 months later about 20 emails back and forth and our GBP50 rejected !! It’s totally insane but there you go - never again

Hope they all lose their jobs

I completed all necessary formalities' for VAT refund (VRAB8321D4BA9) while leaving Johannesburg airport on Feb 13, 2025. The agent took almost 45 minutes to review all receipts. Now after almost a month, I received an email that a refund for RAND 39,000 cannot be processed, as there is no date on the receipt. Although I emailed a copy of my Visa receipt, which was used for such transaction to the agent at the airport before my departure (Feb 13, 2025). SOUTH AFRICA touts about the VAT refund but are doing their best not to refund by any means. A SCAM COUNTRY

It’s a Scam. Many International yachts are lured to SA with the promise that there is a tax refund on boat work. Hundreds of yachts each season spend collectively millions of rand and there is not refunds forthcoming! It’s corruption and should not be advertised if they can’t deliver.
I submitted my claim & receipts in May 2023 at the customs office in Cape Town as I departed CT to the officer in charge, he assured me he would handle it. When I followed up months later I was told that a new company was handling the refunds and to resubmit. I did: VRA218397B436 2024–02-27
Now a year later I received a message that the claim was rejected because it had been “more than three months since export date” !!!!
I want to take it to the next level & report this fraud to International cruisers, SA Sailing associations, Government oversight on corruption, the media… basically I plan to make a big stink & continue my fight for my VAT refund. I spent thousands of rand and was promised a refund. Had I known I would have taken my boat to the Caribbean to have the work done.

I used wwwtaxrefundscoza to claim my VAT returns after a trip to Cape Town, South Africa, and I have to say, the experience has been incredibly frustrating and disappointing. They promised to post me a Mastercard with my VAT claims last September, but it's now been almost a year and I still haven't received anything.

Despite sending numerous emails and requests for a tracking number, I have not received any response or updates on the status of my claim. This level of service is completely unacceptable and has left me feeling helpless and disappointed.

Furthermore, the fact that my friend who visited South Africa in 2018 still hasn't received her VAT returns leads me to believe that there are significant issues with the VAT refund system in South Africa. Companies like www_taxrefunds_co_za are only adding to the problem by preying on tourists and failing to deliver on their promises.

In summary, I would strongly advise anyone looking to claim VAT refunds in South Africa, particularly in Cape Town, to avoid wwwtaxrefundscoza at all costs. Their lack of communication and failure to deliver on their promises suggest that they cannot be trusted. Tags: #VATrefund #SouthAfrica #CapeTown #wwwtaxrefundscoza #VATclaimscam