ARC cavendish unprofessional and ***********

I am writing to express my disappointment with the experience I had at ARC Cavendish store this past weekend.

On Friday, I visited the store intending to use a voucher I had received at the Night Market to purchase some beginner-friendly makeup. Unfortunately, the product I wanted (TIRTIR) was out of stock. Instead of suggesting alternatives, the staff member advised that I book a makeup application for Saturday, explaining that this would help me decide which products I might like. I specifically confirmed whether I could use my voucher toward the R800 makeup application and pay any difference, and I was clearly told yes which I then said yes sure pencil me in.

I was booked for Saturday at 2 p.m. (later moved to 3 p.m.). After the application was completed, I was unexpectedly informed that I could not use my voucher and that I was required to purchase a product worth R800 instead. This was never communicated to me before, and had I known this, I would not have gone through the trouble of returning to the store. Also, the product they made me purchase is completely my wrong skin tone??!!!

What made the situation worse was the poor attitude of the staff and managers on duty. One manager ( a woman) accused me of “cheating the system” by attempting to use a voucher, which I found both unprofessional and offensive. Being told I was “trying to cheat the system” when I had acted on information provided by your own staff was unacceptable. The regional manager Ameer/ Ameen who came to assist was dismissive and even laughed during the interaction and said boldly " I am the manager for all Arc stores|", which only added to the frustration and embarrassment of the situation. I appreciate the discount in the end but the experience has left me annoyed and embarrassed.

I come from a customer service background myself (as Head of Admin and Finance in my company), and I would never allow my staff to treat a customer in the way I was treated. This incident has not only wasted my time and money but also damaged my perception of the ARC brand.

I am still awaiting a response on clarification regarding:

Why was I given misleading information about the voucher usage. Why staff members and managers handled the situation so poorly. What steps ARC will take to prevent this from happening to other customers/ my family/ peers.