Customer Service is DEAD ON ARRIVAL at Makro (Online + Cape Gate)

I am absolutely disgusted with Makro's pathetic excuse for customer service - particularly the online store and the Cape Gate branch. It is an absolute joke.

On the 28th of August, I purchased a washing machine online (order number MAK943421 in case anyone at Makro actually cares). The following day, I received an email thanking me for my order ... which was to be the last communication via email that I received from them until the 4th of October (about 36 days of zero email communication).

During this time, I had to call them myself every few days, at my own expense, to find out what the heck was happening with my order ... which their website stated would be delivered in 2 - 5 working days. Delivery did not happen in this time, of course, so I started calling about 2 weeks in. On my first call to Cape Gate, I was told that the washing machine had been out for delivery for a few days and should probably arrive that day. On my second call, after the 'out for delivery' washing machine still hadn't arrived a few days later, I ended up talking to the same employee who told me, oh, the washing machine was still out for delivery. I asked her why it was taking a week for the machine to get from Cape Gate to my flat at Tyger Valley (maybe 10 minutes away) - were they walking the machine to my flat??? Had I known delivery would be so much trouble, I would have just got in my car and fetched it myself the day after purchasing it online.

Anyway, the washing machine finally arrived ... and wouldn't even turn on. So I called Cape Gate again to tell them to fetch the thing and refund me as I'd had enough of their incompetence. Perhaps the washing machine would have arrived in working order if it hadn't been banging around a delivery truck for over a week. The manageress who I spoke to asked me if I didn't just want a different washing machine as the refund would be processed as soon as the machine arrived back at Cape Gate but she didn't want me to be without a washing machine for a few days while my money cleared back into my account. 2-5 business days, she said it would take. (Spoiler alert: it did not take 2-5 business days to be refunded.) Anyway, days passed, and Makro didn't pitch to collect the machine. I keep calling. Eventually, they came to fetch the machine. I counted 5 business days ... but there was no refund. At this point, my situation was 'escalated'. Allegedly.

(Keep in mind that, this entire time, I had not received any email communication since the email thanking me for my order. No 'your order has been dispatched'. No 'the item you want to return will be collected tomorrow'. No 'your order will be refunded'. Absolutely nothing to let me know what was going on.)

Anyway, I called to ask why I hadn't been refunded. I was told to give it a few more days. No refund. I called to say that 2-5 business days had DEFINITELY long passed ... and was told these things can take 7 business days. I asked why I had been told 2-5 business days by other employees ... but, as you can imagine, I did not receive a straight answer. At this point, I had spoken to a whole bunch of different people at Makro Cape Gate including various managers as well as people in the finance department. (And explained this long story so many times to so many different people on so many different days.) The one lady in the finance department told me someone (Julia?) would call me that afternoon after 5 (I said I had spent my whole lunch break on the phone to them and had to get back to work.)

That evening came and went ... and, surprise, I did not get a phone call from anyone at Makro Cape Gate. (At that point, I hadn't believed that it would happen anyway.)

Then, on the 4th of October, I received an email saying my order had been refunded. (Only my SECOND email from Makro throughout this entire transaction.) Fuming, I called to ask whether they had been lying to me all along in saying my refund was taking so many days to be processed as the email imp**** that the refund had literally only just been processed ... and that I would have to wait 2-5 business days from then. I ended up on the phone with SUCH A RUDE EMPLOYEE who had no sympathy or compassion regarding my frustrating situation (I'm almost certain her name was Justine). I asked to be put through to the finance department (as they had been the last people I had spoken on the phone to - when they promised I would get a phone call after 5 which didn't materialize). She ABSOLUTELY REFUSED to put me through until I told her why I wanted to speak to them and became INCREASINGLY HOSTILE the more I refused. (I refused because, as you can tell, it is an extremely long story and my lunch break is only so long. I literally did not have time to explain AGAIN to a random person just to have to explain AGAIN when she finally put me through.) Anyway, I gave in and started to explained the situation ... to which she rep****, in an extremely annoyed voice, that I was talking too fast so she had no idea what I was going on about. (Once again, I did not have endless time to deal with this, so I was tying to explain as fast as I could.) Eventually, I became so angry at her attitude that I started shouting over the phone (not my finest moment ... but, honestly, I feel justified) ... to which she rep****, how could anyone help me if they didn't know what was going on. To which I rep**** that I had called so many people on so many different days and had explained the entire situation (patiently, I might add) so many times at this point that I did not believe that she or anyone else would be able to help me, whether or not they knew the problem, as nobody had managed to help me yet!!!

Anyway, I went over my lunch break time, but she did eventually (and reluctantly) put me through to a lady ... who told me this situation would be 'escalated'. I just started laughing. If you remember, it was 'escalated' once before, shortly after the washing machine was collected from my flat.

At this point, I gave up hope and stopped contacting them. Today, the 8th of October, the money for the washing machine cleared into my bank account ... but not the delivery cost. I just laughed ... and then decided to leave this review for anyone who cares to see. I 'purchase' a washing machine that won't even turn on ... go through all of this trouble and drama, waste time and airtime ... and I am expected to carry the cost of delivery??? Of a product that arrived broken??? Are you effing kidding me??? Sure, delivery is only R70, but at this point it's the principle of the matter.

No apology, no nothing. And I have to cover delivery. Thanks, Makro. Good job.