PEP - Lazy/ no help

Good day
I purchased a bottle at the Pep Home store in Liberty Promenade on the 16/01/2024. I then went home and prepared my daughter for school for the next day. This morning on 17/01/2024, I threw juice in the bottle and just before we left the bottle was leaking. The bottle was only R34.99 . I threw the slip away already not knowing the bottle was leaking because I always purchase at Pep Home so I never had this issue before. I went back to the store today 17/01/2024 after collecting my daughter in school and explained the issue. The store manager then said okay, he is going to send a message in the whatsapp group to see if anyone can give a code for the bottle to exchange the product. I was standing in the store for close to a hour before he came back to me to say that everyone read the message but no one responded. So I asked so what now because it is a waste to me now and a waste of money... Is there any other way around this? I asked him if he cant check their system for the bottle, surely there needs to be a description or some way , I even offered for him to check on their website but he did not, he simply said I cant be helped. I am truly unsatisfied with this, regardless if the bottle is R34.99, its the customer service and the feeling of " not wanting to help a customer" not going the extra mile. I work in customer service too, and I understand my rights as consumer..its even less than 24 hours that I came back to the store. I told that guy I am going to contact your head office, he just looked at me as if he does not feel like doing his job and being lazy. Please i am asking someone to assist so that I can exchange my bottle, I went as far as asking him if I cant exchange it for something cheaper, the answer was still NO. I am not happy at all. I will never return back to that store again!