Tshepo Mdakane sent a message to David Brandon that said:
Hi David,
Please see below complaint from a disgruntled client.
On the 1st February 2016 my wife went to Reggies Goldfields Welkom mall in South Africa to do a lay-bye on items for our expected baby girl, who is due between April and May 2016. We initially made a payment of R1 000 with an outstanding balance of R1539. On the 2nd of April 2016 we made a further payment of R1 000, we planned to pay the remainder before end of this month, subsequently my excited and heavily pregnant wife went to Reggies Goldfields yesterday to make the final payment and collect the newborn baby items that we have been anxiously waiting for.
When she arrived at the store, she thoroughly searched her hand bag for the receipt but couldn’t find it. She then checked for options with the lady at the till who tried to assist her locate the lay-bye note on the system. While she was waiting for the store assistant to give her feedback, the store manager walked towards them and asked her subordinate what the query was about? The store assistant related the query to her manager, the manager jumped in and informed my wife that she will not receive the lay bye items unless she brings the lay bye receipt, my wife responded by saying that the receipt is misplaced and she couldn’t find it, she then further asked that the manager to use her Identity document or drivers license to check her details on the system, the manager refused and said that she will not release the lay-bye without the original receipt. Upon hearing this, my wife reacted and questioned the level of customer service; the manager reacted as well and started shouting and pointing her index finger at my wife and belittling my wife by telling her to “shut it” in the presence of customers, staff members and our 10 year old daughter. In light of the distasteful service my wife received, she then decided to give me a call to seek for advice and assistance and when I told her that we will take this up with the Area Manager, the store manager who was eavesdropping in our conversation confidently gave my wife the Area Manager’s contact numbers and told the client to report her.
The situation was fortunately salvaged by junior staff members who searched the system and found the lay-bye slip on the system and managed to service the client to get her lay-bye items. Though I understand that we were suppose to provide the original receipt for security reasons and prompt service, however I believe the situation was not handled properly by your store manager, who is suppose to set a good example for her subordinates and be the custodian of the company’s mission statement.
Based on the above bad interaction with the store we have decided to cancel the purchase and ask for a refund, which we will do today. Word of advice from a disgruntled client: please make sure that you reprimand the Reggies Goldfield store manager and train her on how to handle client queries and she must be reminded that the store that she “manages “exists because of clients who spend their hard earned money in your organisation.
Kind Regards
Tshepo Mdakane
+27 83 696 4426 / +2781 560 1347
