Bad online service!!

Item: Makro
Rating: 1
Author: Nhlanhla M

I am writing to escalate a formal complaint regarding an online purchase for which payment was successfully debited on 10 December 2025.

Despite payment being taken, my order has not been processed or delivered. I was informed that Makro experienced a system failure, and I escalated this matter on 12 December 2025. To date, there has been no resolution, no delivery, and no clear feedback.

Some of the purchased items were intended for my son’s birthday on 16 December, making this delay particularly distressing and unacceptable.

This situation constitutes poor service delivery and a failure to meet Makro’s obligations under the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), which requires suppliers to deliver goods within the agreed or reasonable time after payment.

I hereby request urgent intervention for one of the following: • Immediate processing and delivery of the order, or • A full refund without further delay

Should this matter not be resolved within 48 hours, I will proceed with a formal complaint to the National Consumer Commission.

I trust this matter will receive your immediate attention.

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Replies (1)

Nhlanhla M's updateReviewer Update

19 Dec 2025, 21:36

I am writing to formally complain about the unacceptable service I received regarding an online purchase made on 10 December. The payment was successfully debited from my account, however I never received an order confirmation, order number, or delivery, despite repeated follow-ups.

Timeline of Events:

10 December: Online purchase made and payment debited.
10–15 December: No confirmation email or order number received.
I escalated the matter via WhatsApp assistance multiple times with no resolution.
15 December: I called Makro and spoke to Tshepo Mo***eng. I explained that the purchase included a pool needed urgently for my son’s birthday party the following day.
I specifically requested assistance in the form of a voucher, as I did not want a refund (which would take 7 working days), but the actual product.
I submitted all requested documents and waited, but no assistance was provided, and my son’s party went ahead without the pool he had requested, which was deeply disappointing.

In-Store Experience – 18 December (Makro Carnival): Due to the lack of assistance, I went to Makro Carnival on 18 December to follow up in person.

I was assisted initially by Thapelo, who referred me to the Online Department.
A staff member named Previous was called to assist. Unfortunately, her attitude was arrogant and dismissive.
She refused to listen to my explanation and stated she could not assist without an order number.
I explained that my main issue was that I never received an order confirmation or order number, despite payment being debited. Instead of assisting or investigating, she showed no willingness to help, which led to a verbal exchange due to her unprofessional conduct.

I strongly believe that this staff member requires serious customer service retraining, as her approach showed a complete lack of empathy and understanding of customer service responsibilities. Call Centre Issues: To make matters worse, the call centre repeatedly referred me to an old reference number from June, despite my request for a recent reference related to this December transaction. This caused further delays and frustration and reflects very poor service standards. Positive Acknowledgement: I would like to sincerely thank Xavier, who went out of his way to assist me in-store and ensured that I received some of the products that were available, so that I did not leave the store empty-handed. However, one product remains outstanding, and the overall experience has left me extremely disappointed. Conclusion: This is not my first negative experience with Makro’s online service, and it is concerning that these issues continue without improvement. I expect:

Urgent resolution regarding the outstanding product
A formal response addressing the poor online service and call centre handling
Appropriate action regarding the unprofessional conduct of the staff member mentioned
Assurance that such service failures will be addressed to prevent future customers from experiencing the same frustration

I trust that this matter will be taken seriously.

Nhlanhla M's update19 Dec 2025, 21:36

Reviewer Update

10 December: Online purchase made and payment debited.
10–15 December: No confirmation email or order number received.
I escalated the matter via WhatsApp assistance multiple times with no resolution.
15 December: I called Makro and spoke to Tshepo Mo***eng. I explained that the purchase included a pool needed urgently for my son’s birthday party the following day.
I specifically requested assistance in the form of a voucher, as I did not want a refund (which would take 7 working days), but the actual product.
I submitted all requested documents and waited, but no assistance was provided, and my son’s party went ahead without the pool he had requested, which was deeply disappointing.

In-Store Experience – 18 December (Makro Carnival): Due to the lack of assistance, I went to Makro Carnival on 18 December to follow up in person.

I was assisted initially by Thapelo, who referred me to the Online Department.
A staff member named Previous was called to assist. Unfortunately, her attitude was arrogant and dismissive.
She refused to listen to my explanation and stated she could not assist without an order number.
I explained that my main issue was that I never received an order confirmation or order number, despite payment being debited. Instead of assisting or investigating, she showed no willingness to help, which led to a verbal exchange due to her unprofessional conduct.

Urgent resolution regarding the outstanding product
A formal response addressing the poor online service and call centre handling
Appropriate action regarding the unprofessional conduct of the staff member mentioned
Assurance that such service failures will be addressed to prevent future customers from experiencing the same frustration

I trust that this matter will be taken seriously.