AVOID DIS-CHEM MALL OF AFRICA (Pharmacists who DONT CARE!!!)

<p>I was in the Mall of Africa Dis-chem on the 31st October 2016. As I went round the aisles with my son, my 2 sisters and my 3 year old nephew, my cellphone and my sister's were ******. (The cellphones were in a nappy bag, side pockets and the nappy bag was hanging on a stroller where my toddler was sleeping. In retrospect this was possibly not the best place to put the phones but I thought they were safe, someone would have had to bend over in front of the stroller to take them, well that was reasoning in any case.)</p> <p>We realised most probably a few minutes after the phones were missing because I wanted to check that I had got everything, my list was saved in the phone. We started searching the bag where we had put the phones, a security lady saw us and asked what we were looking for. When we told her we lost phones, she said that she had seen the phones when we walked into the shop, that is how me and my sisters knew that we had been ****** in the shop. </p> <p>The security lady immediately used her radio to alert the control room guy and also asked him to please check for us when the phones were snatched. The control room guy sounded uninterested and twice the security lady had to beg him to please help. Eventually she approached a white guy and told him that we the customers had lost phones in the shop. The white guy did not introduce himself but he told my sister that we should go and leave our names at reception, the other security personnel started talking to my sisters while I went to pay for my purchase. Later when I had completed the purchase and we were still waiting for the control room operator to show up, one of the security people suggested that we leave our details so that they look into the matter and we give us an update. As you can imagine I was in a state, my phone had loads of information. I went to the customer service desk where i left my information, one the guiys suggested calling the phones, which the lady at the customer service desk did and they were already switched off. </p> <p>My sister, the one who was pushing the stroller remembered that at some point there was a lady pushing a bright yellow bag who had been walking around the store aimlessly, the bright yellow trolley bag had been left in shop so she pointed out to the security personnel that the woman pushing that bad around was whom she suspected. </p> <p>We waited a few more minutes, the control room operator did not come through so we left. We went around the mall hoping we would bump into some o the ladies we suspected, then i went to Vodacom, in the mall still to disable my simcards and also block the phones.</p> <p>After about an hour and a half we went bank to the Dis-chem shop, the control room operator was called. When he came through he stood behind me, I was still at the customer services desk, I moved out of the way because I thought he was a customer requiring service, he was not in uniform, he did not greet nor did he introduce himself. He then asked me if I had lost phones, to which I rep**** yes. He then proceeded to ask where the phones had been in the first place, (I honestly can not put his attitude in words, he was acting as though I was lying about the whole thing. the way he posed the questions was unfriendly and he posed them in a way that police ask you when they suspect you are guilty of something). I then got really annoyed and angry and asked why he was asking as though he was hearing about the ****** phones for the first time. I told him that I had come back for an update, I asked him if he had even looked at the footage to which he rep**** that he did and there was no evidence that the phones had been there in the first place. I told him that I didnt like his attitude and what he was implying and I also told him to confirm with the security lady who had confirmed that she had seen the phones when we walked into the shop. He then said in any case the lady we suspected did not take the phones, my other sister asked if the footage did not show anyone reaching around the stroller, he rep**** that he had watched the footage from the time we walked in and there was no evidence of anyone going anywhere near the stroller.</p> <p>I really got fed up of his attitude and I told him as much and that he was being unhelpful. My one sister asked to review the footage, to which he rep**** that he will not allow us into the control room. At that I realised that we were not going to be helped, I left but my sister was not satisfied and proceeded to talk to the white guy who had spoken to us earleir, whose name from his name badge was Gerard. He also did not introduce himself and confirmed that he also did review the footage and from what he saw is not convinced that we had the phones when we walked in. My sister again asked to review the footage to satisfy herself and also again told Gerard that he could confirm that the phones had been in the bag if he could just call the security lady, at that point the security lady was not in sight. Gerard confirmed that we would not be allowed into the control room. My sister asked if we would have to bring in the police, Gerard then said yes it would only be reviewed if the police were involved. He did not offer to call the police, (we didnt have phones after all ) so we would have to drive to a police station to report the incident!!!!! My sister asked what the store policy is with regards to ****** property to which Gerard rep**** that there was no liability to Dis-chem,. Now I copmpletely understand that we can not hold Dis-chem liable but they should have been more helpful and sympathetic. if they have ******** elements operating in their shop they should do what they can to assist. asking them to check the footage to me was not a big ask. We could have seen who these people who stole our phones were, who knows we might have bumped into them and alterted Mall security.</p> <p>Anyway the following day I called Dis-chem customer care number to report the incident. The lady who answered the phone was sympathethic and told me that the matter would be sent back to the store and someone would call me. that evening I got a call from the Dis-chem manager who apologised for the incident and told me that he had reviewed the footage and could see when the phone was ******! (this after 2 members of his staff had said there was no such thing!) He offered that I could come and review the footage anytime witrhin 6 months. I decided to go not because it was helpful but just so i could see that control room operator and hopefully Gerard to ask which footage they had looked at and why they hadnt picked this up. Had they looked at it properly, they would have seen this early on while the culprits could have still been in the mall. They were unhelpful and didnt care that we had been ****** in their shop!!! they treated me like a ******** as though we were making up the fact that our phones had been ****** in the shop.</p> <p>When we went to review the footage the control room operator was there and he was unapologetic. He said he had followed the lady who had the yellow trolley bag because thats who we had said we suspected, this despite the fact that 1. he had confirmed to us that he had followed us from the time we walked in to the point of walking out and did not see anyone close to our stroller and 2. in the footage where the woman who actually *****s the phones, the woman with the yellow trolley bag was obviously the one distracting my sister, so had he followed this lady he would have seen the point at which the phones were taken, its in the same frame. I think the way we were treated was unforgivable, I purchased items worth over R1700 but was treated as though I had come into the shop to *****. Even after discovering that my phones were ****** I still finalised the purchase but Dis-chem Mall of Africa showed no care at all. It wasnt too much to ask for them to reverse and check the footage. what is the point of CCTV if they cant assist their own customers. I am calling everyone to avoid that shop. Its time they learn that we the customers are the reason that they are in business. They cant treat us like dirt!!!</p> <p> </p> <p> </p>