Complaint Regarding Poor Service and Bed Exchange Experience – Dial-a-Bed Southgate Branch and Warehouse

On 6 October, I visited the Dial-a-Bed Southgate branch with my son to test out beds. He tried a queen-size bed and really liked it. My husband then placed an order and made payment, but unfortunately, we mistakenly ordered a double bed instead of the queen. The bed was delivered on Wednesday, 8 October. When my son came home from school, he was excited to try it out, but we quickly realized the double bed was too small for him. I immediately went back to the Southgate branch (as I live nearby) and requested an exchange for a queen-size bed. I acknowledged that the error was mine and apologized. The staff informed me that I could exchange the bed, but I would need to pay for delivery. I explained that I was already paying an additional R1000 for the upgrade and asked if they could accommodate me, considering my proximity to the store. I even offered to collect the bed myself using our bakkie to save on delivery costs. They said they would look into it. On Thursday, 9 October, I received a call from a lady named Precious, who asked if they could collect the bed on Friday. I confirmed my availability. However, no one arrived on Friday, and I had to call the Southgate branch myself. They told me to contact the warehouse directly, which was frustrating since I expected them to handle the coordination. Friday, 10 October passed without any collection or even a courtesy call to inform me of the delay. On Monday, 13 October, I called the Southgate branch again to ask why the bed hadn’t been collected. I was told, “We’re sorry, we’ll call them.” Eventually, they called back and said the bed would be collected on Tuesday, 14 October. The bed was finally collected on the 14th, and I contacted the Southgate branch to request a refund. I was then informed that I would need to wait seven days. I expressed that this was unreasonable, especially since the delay in collection cost me two business days. My husband tried calling Precious at the warehouse, but she denied speaking to me. This was upsetting, as I had clearly noted her name and the date/time of the call. When I asked if they could pull the call recording, I was told they weren’t sure if calls were recorded. My husband spent the entire day calling both the Southgate branch and the warehouse, only to be passed from one to the other. When he called the warehouse, he was put on hold for 20 minutes, then transferred—only for the call to drop. This happened multiple times. This experience has been extremely disappointing and unprofessional. I ended up going to the Dial-a-Bed branch on Xavier and purchasing another bed. I’ve always supported Dial-a-Bed and have spent significant amounts over the years, but this experience has made me regret choosing a different branch. The lack of accountability and poor customer service is unacceptable.