Serious Complaint: Repeated Poor Service and Customer Mistreatment a

Dear McDonald’s Customer Care Team,

I am writing to formally raise a complaint regarding the consistently poor service I have experienced at the McDonald’s Trade Route Mall branch, located near the engine garage.

Over multiple visits, I have experienced unprofessional and deeply disappointing behaviour from the store manager, Ayanda. Her conduct has been rude, dismissive, and at times confrontational. I am particularly concerned by what appears to be discriminatory treatment, where Black customers are treated with less respect and acknowledgement compared to Indian customers, given the surrounding community.

On a previous visit, I placed my order and sat down to work while recording a video for a meeting. I politely requested that the television volume be lowered, and this request was refused outright.

Throughout my time in the store, the manager displayed a hostile attitude and showed no willingness to understand that I was working as a customer in your space.

Today, I experienced further discomfort when I asked for the WiFi password. The manager insisted on taking my personal phone to type it in herself, stating that this was “store policy.” I explained that I was not comfortable handing over my phone, as it is personal, yet she continued to insist. This made me feel pressured and disrespected.

In addition, I was informed that laptops are not allowed to connect to the store’s WiFi, which is highly inconvenient for customers who use McDonald’s as a working space for meetings.

To make matters worse, the store was out of cappuccinos and hot chocolate.

I had redeemed an option via the McDonald’s app, only to be told that the new machine does not support these drinks and that app redemptions cannot be honoured.

As a customer, there is no way for me to know this in advance, yet I was left to absorb the inconvenience as my redeemed option expired.

I visit McDonald’s regularly multiple times a week including other branches such as Protea Glen, where I consistently receive respectful and professional service.

I often stop there after dropping my daughter at Curro, just five minutes away.

This makes the experience at the Trade Route Mall branch even more disappointing, as it does not reflect the standard of service I associate with McDonald’s nationally.

This store has proven to be unnecessarily complicated, unaccommodating, and dismissive of customers, and the ongoing mistreatment is unacceptable.

I am extremely disappointed, and I trust that this complaint will be taken seriously, investigated thoroughly, and addressed appropriately.

I look forward to your response and to seeing meaningful improvements in customer service at this branch.

Kind regards, Lerato Milanzi