Dis-Chem Wonderboom Junction — Do Not Tell The Public You Care If This Is How You Treat People

This is my consumer complaint about Dis-Chem Wonderboom Junction.

I went to the pharmacy because I needed advice on what medication I could take. I trusted the pharmacy environment. I trusted that I was speaking to people who should know what they are doing.

I was given the wrong medication for what I asked advice about, and after taking it, I experienced severe pain and distress.

After that, I sent a formal complaint to Dis-Chem. This was not some hidden complaint sent to nowhere. It was addressed to senior Dis-Chem structures, including the Chief Executive Officer, the Company Secretary, the Responsible Pharmacist structure, Head Office, Customer Care, and the branch. The record also shows that the complaint was forwarded internally and acknowledged by senior pharmacy management.

And still, not one person picked up the phone to ask whether I was okay.

Not one.

Nobody had to admit liability to show basic concern. Nobody had to admit fault to act like a human being. A simple call saying, “We are not admitting anything, but we are concerned by what you reported. Are you okay?” would have been enough to show that there was at least some care behind the corporate slogan.

That never happened.

Dis-Chem’s own website says it wants to make a difference in people’s lives beyond the traditional role of a pharmacy and retail store.

In my opinion, based on my experience, that is a blatant lie.

Do not tell the public you care if, when a customer reports a serious pharmacy-related complaint, nobody can even make one basic welfare call. Do not sell the image of care, trust, wellness, and “better health” if the real-world response is silence, internal forwarding, and corporate distance.

This is not a small business without systems. This is Dis-Chem, a major healthcare retailer with executives, customer-care structures, pharmacy structures, risk structures, compliance structures, and enough corporate machinery to protect itself.

Yet apparently not enough humanity to phone a customer and ask, “Are you okay?”

I also looked at Dis-Chem’s HelloPeter profile. At the time of this review, it showed a Trustindex Rating of 2.5, an NPS of -57, and “Recommended: Unlikely.” It showed 549 reviews, with 76.7% being one-star reviews and only 16% being five-star reviews.

That does not surprise me anymore.

My experience is simple. I trusted Dis-Chem. I asked for pharmacy advice. I was given medication that caused me severe pain. I complained to senior structures. They knew.

But when it mattered, there was no care.

There was not even a phone call.