On Sunday while walking around Montecasino, I noticed that my Ginger Mary handbag was about to come apart. The strap was literally coming to pieces.
Now this bag was a gift for Christmas (and I blogged about it too)… I’d got one as a gift, wasn’t happy with it, and took it back and got this one instead. I LOVED my bag. I’m not the kind of person that changes bags with every outfit, and I only have one that I use daily.
So yesterday at lunchtime, I bumble off to Sandton City to Truworths to complain about it.
And OWM now I’m mad! It’s not enough that a handbag has lasted less than 3 months, but the store has just made me so angry.
What happened in the store:
1. Shop assistant doesn’t know what to do about my complaint. She calls her supervisor.
2. Supervisor tells me the rules. They will only exchange it if I have a receipt and it’s within 3 months of purchase. Freaking stupid if you ask me, considering it’s faulty. There’s no way a handbag should last less than 3 months!
3. She looks up the codes on the system, finds the price, sees that’s it’s not on sale yet, and doesn’t look happy. I’m assuming that she was hoping she’d catch me out!
4. She decides she’s not going to make the call, so she takes the bag to the “store manager”
5. Supervisor comes back to tell me that the “store manager” wants to send it to the area manager to make the decision. I should get an answer today apparently.
6. I complained on Twitter while I was in the store, and they responded later to say the store was investigating.
Why I’m so mad:
1. I understand the slip rule for a normal exchange (and btw Ginger Mary is only available at Truworths). But in this case there’s something wrong with the bag! A handbag should not last for less than 3 months. It’s just ludicrous
2. What’s the freaking point of having a store manager if he/she can’t make a decision?!!?? It’s just a handbag, it’s not even leather, it’s cheaper than a jacket for pete sake!
3. Not only did the store manager not have the balls to make the call, he/she didn’t even bother to speak to me in person!! That’s just plain RUDE!
4. It’s now 11am. I went there at noon yesterday. I have still not heard anything.
I’m not happy. I’m also not buying a gift for anyone from Truworths anymore.
**update: Truworths eventually phoned me at 2pm, after I tweeted again. The verdict: I can come into the store to exchange the bag for something else. How I feel now: I’m wondering whether my tweeting and blogging has resulted in this result, if I hadn’t have done this, would they have even phoned me back without me hounding the store. She wouldn’t even tell me what the area manager said. I wonder if the bag even left the store as she said it would.
Not good service! Not acceptable!
I agreew with you! No-one uses their initiative – overall service levels in this country SUCK! Big black mark against TRUWOTHS!
Terrible service! I would have been beyond furious as well!
I would put my compaint on http://www.hellopeter.com
Seriously service levels in South Africa at the moment are shocking! I had a “return” problem with Truworths in December and I also insisted speaking to the Store Manager as I wasn’t having any luck with the assistant. After waiting 20 minutes for him and a screaming baby he agreed to let me exchange my item that was in perfect condition and had the truworths tag attached to it. I think the only reason he let me exchange it because I was standing my ground in front of 30 out customers and Zoe was screaming her head off.
there’s no need for Hello Peter when you have a blog 🙂
Well done for complaining. If more people insisted, their staff would have to get a jack up.
Sometimes as consumers we are too soft. Or give up too easily.
three months is not acceptable..
I know what you mean about mixed feelings. I am just in the middle of chasing KLM about them cancelling my flight to SA in Jan. So far they are telling me I am entitled to 250 euro as compensation. I actually think it is more, and I am going to chase them for it, but nevertheless they knew my situation (they cancelled the flight!!) so I would expect they should contact me to give me my compensation… like hell!
Like you, I chase people down to get what is fair, but those of us who don’t get abused by the big corporations and that is just not right.
Good work on getting your bag, and for outing their bad service!
Shocking!
Sounds like a PR move on their behalf. Behold the power of tweeting and blogging!!!
Maybe I should do the same about my Comcast experience when we moved (cable for internet and TV service here in the US). It was an atrocious experience and my bill is STILL wrong!
Truworths sucks.
Oh! my life my mom had the same experience with a bag she received as a gift. We do not go to Truworths – eva !!!
I went to a Truworths store 2 weeks ago, saw a lil jacket I really wanted but they didnt have my size so I asked one of the shop assistants to check their other branches for me, she found it in my size but it was at Truworths in town where I definitely won’t go, and she wouldn’t order it for me, she said only if I was a truworths account holder, what bullshit, I think I’m going to go back and ask again and if they won’t then I’ll complain to the manager, because every other store will request the article you want to be sent over to their branch. If Truworths will only do it for account holders that’s ridiculous, just because I’m not poor and don’t have to buy things on credit it’s like they help you less.
If it were me I would not even leave it there. A formal letter of complaint to Truworths is definitely in order.
A month ago i was amased when i was called in at Truworths church street, apparently someone has faked my ID document and opened an account on my name via sms, but when she was at the store after approval the person who was helping her noticed the faked ID and reported this i was called in to the store bacause they have my details from the Identity account i have and the calprit was arrested thanks to Ms Winnie Mphephu for knowing and being passionate about her job and thanks to Mom Charlotte Kganyago as well. You guys rock keep up the good job. THANK YOU SO MUCH