Formal Complaint Regarding Service and Staff Conduct at Builders Warehouse Tokai

I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding a series of unacceptable incidents I experienced today at the Builders Warehouse branch in Tokai. As a regular customer who frequently spends a significant amount at your store, I was deeply disappointed by the level of service and the unprofessional conduct of your staff. My hope is that by bringing this to your attention, you will take the necessary steps to ensure this does not happen to another customer.

The purpose of my visit was to purchase wood and have it cut to specific measurements. The following is a chronological account of the events that transpired: 1. At the cutting counter, I inquired about the price of the wood and was quoted R270 by a male employee. While attempting to provide my cutting list, I was interrupted on at least three separate occasions as the employee walked away mid-conversation to assist other colleagues. After these interruptions, he looked at his watch, stated he had an appointment at 11 a.m., and abruptly left. He pointed to another colleague and instructed him to take over, which led to a brief argument between the two employees as the second individual stated it was not his responsibility.

2. The second employee, after the first one departed, asked me to follow him directly to the wood-cutting station without completing a formal cutting list or processing payment. He instructed me to give my measurements directly to the operator, which I did. The operator then cut the wood as requested. When I asked how to pay, I was directed back to the cutting counter

3. At the counter, the second employee printed an invoice with a total that was substantially higher than the R270 I was originally quoted. When I disputed the new price and requested that he call the first employee to confirm the original quote, he instead approached the wood-cutter and seemingly blamed him for the error. This resulted in the wood-cutter charging towards me in a furious manner, shouting obscenities. I had to loudly clarify that my dispute was with the initial employee who provided the quote, not the one who performed the cutting.

4. Following this, I requested to speak with a manager. The first manager I spoke to appeared bewildered by the situation and called for a second manager. I recounted the entire experience to the second manager, who disregarded my explanation of the service breakdown. He insisted I was responsible for paying the full, incorrect price, stating that I should have followed the "process" of completing a cutting list and paying before the wood was cut. I explained that after 30 minutes of attempting to get assistance, I was simply following the explicit directions of his staff. His response was that other customers manage to follow the process, implying the fault was mine.

5. When I refused to pay the incorrect amount and again asked for the original employee to be contacted—whose name the managers did not seem to know—I described the department as being run "like a circus." In response, the second manager walked around the counter and approached me in a physically intimidating manner. I stood my ground and stated that he was the second employee to aggressively approach me that day and that I would be escalating the matter. Only then did he back down and adjust the invoice to the originally quoted price of R270.

In summary, my experience today involved: - Being passed between multiple, uncooperative employees to accomplish a simple task. - Receiving a verbal quote that was not honored, leading to a dispute. - Being subjected to verbal abuse and aggressive ************ from an employee. - Being dismissed and blamed by management for their staff's failure to follow procedures. - Facing physical ************ from the very manager I asked for to deal with this difficult situation, after expressing my dissatisfaction.

This sequence of events was unacceptable and has turned a loyal customer into a former one. I await your formal response to this complaint and an explanation of the actions you will take to address these serious failures in customer service and staff conduct.