Unfair Treatment & Poor Customer Service

Disappointing Customer Service & Unjust Treatment :

On Thursday, 8 June, I went to the iStore (Mall of Africa) to trade in and upgrade my Mac Book Pro for a new M2 MacBook Pro. After being led to believe by a consultant as well as a supervisor at the store that I would be able to accept the trade in amount and pay the agreed balance I signed off my old Mac Book as a trade-in and proceeded to go to the payment counter for sealing the deal on my new purchase. The preliminary verbal agreement was as follows : - For me to sign off my trade in acceptance - For me to submit the proof of employment as an educator and be eligible for the 5% promised discount. - Once payment was made (which was going to be effected immediately), the technician & supervisor promised to expedite the much needed data back up from my old MacBook (to the new). After signing off my Mac and presenting proof of employment as a teacher both previously and currently, I was then informed by the supervisor that she required to submit to Head Office (and she would get back to me the following day ie. 9 June). I received a rather disappointing call mid-day informing me that the Head Office requires a letter from the Higher Education Institution since the education position that I’m in (overseeing pre and primary schools, ECD teacher training and development in disadvantaged communities as an NGO , doesn’t suffice).

All the while worried about my data which was still on my old Mac Book Pro ( which I insisted be not wiped clean ), I got off from work earlier and drove to the store to speak to the same technician who helped me and the supervisor (Itumeleng) about transferring my data to a hard drive. I was then informed that the back-up could not be done without another Mac Book as well. Seeing my dilemma and knowing the history of my case, the supervisor promised to raise the matter with the store manager ( Sachin Pillay) who would call me back after he was back from lunch in about an hour. I waited at the Mall for almost 2 hours without any promised call and again went through to the store, only to see the manager walking around the store, surprisingly even approaching me to assist as a random customer. ( yet without following up with me as to the call that I had logged with his staff & supervisor earlier). After further explaining the situation to him (which the supervisor had already apparently done), he maintained that there was nothing he can do to assist me (even though I explained that I have a South African Council of Educators registration number and am still clearly employed in the education space).

Note further that after explaining that I was there earlier to transfer my data across to a hard drive and was advised by the store technician that I needed a second Mac , the Store Manager then apologised that this was apparently incorrect info and that a time machine back-up could in fact be done with just a hard drive. No apology was made for the time loss, inconvenience, and frustration I bore from the day before with multiple trips back and forth to the store, my waiting for his call/ response that was apparently conveyed to him by his supervising staff member , as well as my data which is still sitting on my old Mac (which is at the store).

As a long standing iStore customer, I am very disappointed at the appalling customer service I received and for no consideration or attempt to look into the facts and make a just assessment. (rather to stick rigidly to arbitrary document as proof / verification of who constitutes a teacher) Surely educators involved in NPO’s or working with previously disadvantaged children and adults should not be penalised or unfairly discriminated against. Sadly, I am forced to resort to sending this mail and follow up with Hello Peter posts to air my frustration and hopefully correct this inconsistency as a matter of principle to my fellow educators in the profession , who will also be unfairly discriminated against.

Highly frustrated S Pillay