“The Economy Is So Bad”: Man Vents About Phone Adapter With 3-Year Payment Plan
- SA content creator NatorLabz shared a TikTok video reacting to a phone charger being sold on an instalment plan
- The smart tech charger retails for R1,100 cash or R39 per month over 36 months
- South Africans flooded the comments with jokes about credit scores and debt collectors
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Source: TikTok
A South African content creator could not believe what he was seeing when a photo of a phone charger being sold on a three-year instalment plan crossed his timeline.
NatorLabz posted the TikTok video on 29 August 2026, captioning it simply: “This is crazy.” In it, he reacts to a smart tech promotional flyer showing a Type-C phone charger available for R39 per month over 36 months, or R1,100 upfront.
“How cooked are we? For a shop to suggest a charger with instalments?” he said, visibly amused and baffled at the same time.
He did the maths out loud for his viewers: 36 monthly payments at R39 works out to a three-year commitment for a single charging cable. He kept repeating “the economy is so bad” as the reality of it sank in.
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R39 a month for 3 years
NatorLabz did acknowledge, almost reluctantly, that the deal is not entirely unreasonable.
“R39 is really affordable, to be honest,” he admitted.
His reaction tapped into something many South Africans feel every day. The cost of living has climbed sharply, and the idea of spreading the cost of a small tech accessory over three years struck a nerve, partly because it made financial sense to some people.
Watch his reaction on TikTok below:
Mzansi reacts to the instalment plan
South Africans in the comments were split between laughing at the situation and genuinely considering the offer:
@Tebatso Phetla said:
“I’d get it just to maintain my credit profile. 😂”
@leaf blower commented:
“Don’t worry, our politicians will just say clock it, and everything will be forgotten.”
@Zaid_Africa joked:
“Imagine you don’t pay, and they come repossess your charger. 😂”
@Thando shared:
“You think this is ridiculous. I’m using 65 watts. Guess how much it was. 🤯”
3 more stories about installments
- A couple’s electricity bill sparks a conversation online after they reveal how expensive their monthly power costs have become.
- A R5,000 monthly car instalment can balloon to over R10,000 once insurance, fuel and tracker fees are factored in.
- A woman shared her story about how a car nearly ruined her financially after being convinced by her husband to get it.
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Source: Briefly News
