Absolute Paraiah

I am the Director of a registered NPC and PBO with SARS tax exemption animal rescue organisation - I am merely pointing this out so that you can understand I am not a fly-by-night chancer. We regularly buy food and other items at various pet supplies stockists including AP - Cavendish, Canal Walk and Gardens - and recently when it opened Constantia. I live in S/S and on popping in for the umpteenth time (dude with plaited dreads knows me well - he is lovely) I realsed the store - although a decent size (unlike Cavendish and Canal Walk) has no donation box. I quickly went to my car - got a carda nd asked the sales assistant how I might go about arranging a box. He explained I would need to contact 'Genevieve'. I emailed the company - supplying my credentials and asked if we may be considered for a donation box in teh store. Five days later I eventually get a cut and paste response - addressed to Michelle' - I am NOT MICHELLE - clearly the 'customer liaison' Isabel Banda had not bothered to forward my email to Genevieve nor had she actually read it nor did she take note of my name so that she could AT THE VERY LEAST address me correctly ... the response is basically one that they clearly offer to any mbr of the public as it refers to things like "Congratulations on your initiative and success with assisting shelters in the pet industry" REALLY ??? Waffle, waffle then "We unfortunately, won’t be able to allow donation boxes in any of our stores due to the kind of environment we are in. We have tried this a few years ago, but it did not workout well and as a result, we had decided to not allow donation boxes anymore. We are definitely hands on with assisting rescue organisations with donations, and partnering up for pet adoption days but unfortunately with donation boxes we will not accept. We hope you understand." How disrespectful. If they had actually addressed me by my own name - referenced the email I sent - their response imp**** I am some community mbr randomly trying to help animals ... or perhaps a ***** - or maybe a child "congratulations ?! ***) - It took no cognicense of my wording and explanation in the email - I would have been appeased with an actual explanation of why 'it didnt work out' ??? for them ? Why did they not supply a list of real life examples of all the ways in which they help the rescue community - talk is cheap. I cannot find the contact info for Genevieve - Mkg Manager nor for their CEO. I certainly will be alerting the public of this experience and we will not purchase items from any of their stores - there is a pet supply store on every corner - this is a competitive industry - one would think they would know where their bread is buttered. NOTE : at no time in the email did I request any donations nor discount - all I requested was a box that mbrs of the public can place donations in - quite likley purchased at their store. So much for that.