Formal Complaint – McDonald’s and Fikile Boskruin Incident (26 April 2026)

I am writing this with sadness, disbelief, shock, fear, and deep disappointment regarding how I was treated at the McDonald’s Boskruin drive-thru on 26 April 2026.

At approximately 15:10, I placed an order and was initially assisted by Ayanda Khoza, who welcomed me warmly and assisted me professionally. I had originally ordered 2 Big Macs with orange juice and a Happy Meal, but I changed my order. We agreed that the initial order would be cancelled and replaced with 3 Double Cheese Nazo meals with orange juice.

However, when I reached the collection window, I noticed that the Happy Meal was still included. Upon checking my slip, I saw that I had been charged for both the cancelled order and the updated order.

I then requested a refund for the Happy Meal that had been cancelled. I was assisted by Nokuthula, who introduced herself as the manager. She handled the situation with patience and professionalism and genuinely tried to assist me. However, the final decision was escalated to the store manager, Fikile.

After nearly an hour of back-and-forth over a refund of just R55, approval was eventually given. Unfortunately, during this process, Fikile made a comment over the phone (on loudspeaker, in the presence of Nokuthula) that I found extremely disrespectful and inappropriate. Both Nokuthula and I were shocked by what was said. I could not believe that a store manager would speak to a customer in such a manner.

Because of that comment, I immediately lost confidence in the service and felt disrespected. I then decided to cancel my entire order and requested a full refund of R200.60.

At that point, the situation became even more frustrating. My request for a full refund was declined by Fikile. She stated that, according to company policy, refunds could not be issued in cash and would need to be processed back into my account within 24 to 48 hours. While I understand there may be internal policies, I clearly explained my situation—that I needed the funds immediately in order to purchase food elsewhere—but this was not taken into consideration.

What disturbed me even more was the reaction from other staff members. Several employees approached me and said, “We apologise for how she spoke to you.” They went on to explain that she speaks to them in a similar manner at work and that they are afraid of her, as they feel she does not care about them. This was deeply concerning and reflected a broader issue within the store environment.

Some staff members were so uncomfortable with the situation that they even offered to contribute money from their own pockets to refund me, which I declined. They indicated that although they had the ability to assist, they were afraid to act without approval, as they feared losing their jobs if the store manager later denied it.

I remained at the store for over three hours. During this time, I was receiving calls from home from my mother and nephew asking where I was, as they were hungry and waiting for food. I had left home while it was still daylight and only returned when it was dark — empty-handed and without any food for my family. This was very upsetting for all of us.

At some point, I parked at the collection window in an effort to be taken serious and to resolve the matter. Eventually, Nokuthula informed me that she had contacted the regional manager, who was also shocked that I had been made to wait so long as a customer.

After all the delays and stress, my refund was finally approved by the regional manager.

I would like to sincerely thank Ayanda Khoza, Nokuthula, the staff members, and the regional manager for their efforts and professionalism under difficult circumstances. However, the conduct and attitude displayed by the store manager, Fikile, were completely unacceptable.

As a loyal and regular customer of the Boskruin branch, this experience has left me feeling uncomfortable and even fearful about returning, due to how I was spoken to and treated.

I am deeply concerned about whether this behaviour reflects the standards of McDonald’s South Africa, or if this is an isolated issue with this particular manager.

I trust that McDonald’s will take this complaint seriously and ensure that no other customer is subjected to such treatment.

Thank you for your time and attention.