Mr Price cannot prove their exchange policy in writing.

Good day

I went to MRP retail store in Westgate mall on the 10 January 2022 at around 2pm. I went there to exchange some items that were bought for me as gifts by my mother. When I got to the till I was told that I cannot exchange the items without the account holder as they will need her card and need her present to sign the receipt. I told them but according to the policy on their slip all I need was to come to any store to exchange the items within 30 days, the items need to be in resalable condition, the tags should still be on the items and I must have the receipt. I fitted the criteria for their above policy as stated on their website as well as behind all their slips.

As a normal consumer I didn’t expect this because I had the receipt what more could they want. The problem started when I asked her(the store manager who is named Portia) to show me this policy that she is telling me about but she could not. She then called their head office and spoke to someone who spoke to their supervisor and still could not present or take me to a policy where it states that the account holder needs to be present when exchanging items. She also advised me that according to their supervisor the store manager should be able to somehow assist me but the store manager insisted that she cant.

At this point I have been in the store for almost 1.5 hours with no help. I went over to the store manager and said to her that I refuse to leave the store until she helps me and she just simply said that she cant. I said to her that I can prove my rights as per the slip but she cant prove her spoken or verbal policy to me?? All she kept saying was that she cant help me, there is no way she can help me. I was in the store with my 1 year old baby who at this point was very miserable and crying and I am standing there for almost 2 hours only to leave the store with no help.

As a consumer I felt that I had a right to see the policy that she was telling me about and no one not even their head office could show the policy to me. I checked on their website as well and the website only says the following:

“Due to theft and looting that has taken place, no items will be exchanged or refunded without an original till slip or e-docket as proof of purchase.”

Nowhere does it state, even in fine print that for any exchange regardless of the payment method that the card holder or account holder needs to be present when exchanging items and this is my problem. To me, I had all the right to exchange the goods as per what my slip told me my right was as a consumer. They could not prove me otherwise in black and white.

4) RIGHT TO DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION

a) Right to information in plain and understandable language.

· Consumers have the right to demand agreement, contracts and other documents in a plain and understanding language.

My complaint is because they could not show me as above any contract, agreement or any other document of their claimed policy, I want to take this further. My time, energy and money was wasted. I was humiliated infront of many other customers for 2 hours only to leave the store not being helped at all. I hope that the outcome for this will be fair because this has been a huge problem since the looting which is now long gone, but consumers still have to struggle like this because of looting which no longer exists. This is going to be an ongoing issue for retailers because we are human, we lose slips, we buy gifts for people and don’t give them the receipts, it happens. I was merely exchanging apples for apples but they still could not assist me.

I will not leave this matter, I will even sue them if I have to. I have already logged a complaint with CPA as well as Sa Consumers.