Extremely Poor Service from V&A Waterfront

Complaint concerning extremely poor service from Incredible Connection V&A Cape Town. When my old inkjet printer, telephone, fax, copier which we used in our Cape Town apartment for at least over 10 to 15 years, finally gave up the ghost I went to Incredible Connection at the V&A waterfront in Cape Town to purchase a new printer on 10 August 2022. I advised the salesman that I required a printer copier scanner machine to be used for business purposes in a holiday home and he seemed very knowledgeable and was extremely helpful and advised that I should purchase the HP DeskJet Plus 4120 inkjet printer. At the time I also purchased black and white and colour refills for this printer. I installed and used this printer successfully in August 2022 and once again used it successfully for a week-long period another week-long visit to Cape Town from the 12th to the 19th of October 2022. When I arrived in Cape Town on holiday on Monday, 12 December 2022, the printer would not print properly, with the printing being extremely feint, even despite changing the printer cartridges to new cartridges and using the suggested methods on the HP Print and Scan Doctor application to clean the printer heads including hard cleaning of the printer heads all of which was futile. I then took the printer into incredible connection at the V&A waterfront on 13 December. I was referred to the customer repairs desk where I had to wait at least 20 minutes before the person working in repairs by the name of Tahier appeared. I related the facts above and asked for the printer to be exchanged or alternatively that I should receive a refund. I was informed that this was not possible, as this was not company policy and that the printer had to go in for repair. I expressed my disappointment as the printer was new and virtually unused and I would not have the use of the printer during my stay in Cape Town. Tahier also informed me that there would be a 14 working day turnaround for the repair. I explained that it was imperative for me to have printer, scanner and copier for use in my holiday home in order to print personal documents and as well as for the purpose of conducting my business and that it was completely unacceptable that I should be without a printer for such a long time particularly as the printer had only been purchased a few months prior to this. Also it should be mentioned that this is not clearly stated on any document that one receives at the time of purchase, there is no sign up in the store to state this and no salesperson informed the of such at any stage. Tahier said to me that I should never have purchased an inkjet printer for a holiday home as the heads often block and I should rather have purchased a laser printer. I said that I had specifically mentioned to the salesman, at the time when I purchased the printer that this was for intermittent use in a holiday home. I explained to Tahier that we were leaving Cape Town on 8 December and would need to receive the printer back prior to this and couldn’t really function without a printer. He said that there was nothing that could be done. I then asked to speak to the store manager whose name was Eugene and he also confirmed that it was not possible to swap the printer or to give me a refund. Reluctantly, I handed in the printer for repair as per the attached custom repair manual booking form. When I then looked around in the store at the laser printers, not one salesperson came to offer assistance and I left the store in disgust. When I contacted Tahir on Thursday 5 January at approximately 12:00 hours, fully expecting the printer to be ready for collection, he informed me that he still had the printer with him in the store and that the printer had not yet been sent in for repair and that it had apparently only been electronically checked in for repair at 925 that morning. When I expressed my complete disappointment and dismay, he was extremely indifferent, unhelpful, unsympathetic and disinterested and did not even offer an apology for the fact that he had neglected to hand the printer in for repair. When I asked to speak to the store manager, Eugene he was also completely indifferent and unapologetic said that there was nothing that could be done about this as it had been a holiday season and that places are closed. I reminded him and told him that at no stage was I informed of such when I handed in the printer for repair and that I I have been informed that there was a 14 working day turnaround for repair and fully expected to receive the printer prior to my departure from Cape Town. When I insisted that, given the extremely poor customer service and the fact that they had patently neglected to attend to my problem, that I should receive a full refund for the printer as well as the additional cartridges that I had purchased, he once again for me that this was not company policy and there was absolutely nothing he could do. There was also no form of apology forthcoming from Eugene. I then informed him that I would be raising a complaint with management and publicising this extremely poor service. He told me that he was trying to help me and could not understand why I was so angry. He gave me his email address (***) but would not supply me with his surname or with the contact details of the CEO of Incredible Connection or any other person of authority at Incredible Connection. Only after I stated that I intended to lay a complaint and publicise this poor service, did undertake to call the area technical manager and revert to me. At approximately 5 PM the same day he phoned to tell me that he had arranged for a courier to collect the printer to take it for repair. When I explained to him that this was completely unacceptable as this would not help me as I was leaving Cape Town on Sunday, 8 December and felt that I should receive a full refund. When I attempted to reiterate to him that I had apparently been given incorrect advice by the salesman when I purchased an inkjet printer and that I had been told that there was a 14 day turnaround for repair and that at no stage had I ever been informed that the printer was not going to be taken for assessment on 13 December and that the service was most disappointingly extremely pure and unacceptable, he actually began whistling on the other side of the phone. When I questioned him as to why he was whistling, he told me that he was actually trying to help me. I once again explained Eugene that nothing had in fact mean done to help me and that the service had been so extremely poor and this was not helping me at all, as I was not going to receive the printer back before I left Cape Town on Sunday, 8 January 2023 Eugene undertook to revert to me. At the time of writing this letter I have had no feedback. I remain completely shocked and unimpressed by this callous indifferent discourteous and contemptuous attitude and appalling service which would seem to pervade the Incredible Connection store at the V&A Waterfront, which appears to originate and permeate from Eugene J the manager and which is the antithesis of what would have been expected given the circumstances surrounding extremely poor virtually non-existent service as well as the consequent inconvenience I experienced as a result of not having the use of a printer during my entire stay in Cape Town. I wish to further record that I submitted the above complaint to the Incredible Connection Contact Us Website https://www.incredible.co.za/contact on 12.1.23 and received the following automated reply : “Thanks for your message! At Incredible, we’re dedicated to awesome customer service and are always looking for ways to improve. One of our representatives will make contact shortly.”

It is now 29th January 2023 and I wish to record that nobody has contacted me in this regard which is just a continuation of extremely poor service.

I also wish to record that it is now 16 working days since my last communication with Tahir and Eufgene J ( the manager of Incredible Connection V&A Waterfront ) despite his undertaking to expedite matters. I was told on 13 December that it takes 14 working days but I have heard nothing and still do not have a printer for use in my apartment in CT which is now urgent as my son is ging to Study at UCT and will need a printer.

I wish to record that I now have not had the use of this printer since 13 December 2022.

I insist that this matter be referred to the CEO of incredible connection and either want a suitable replacement printer or a full refund.