Such HUMILIATION

On Monday I wanted to return a pair of shorts that I had bought for my daughter that were too big but because the store had just closed at 17:55 instead of 18:00 I turned back and went the following day; right on time this day at approximately 17:45.

I went into the store, there were about 5 people in front of me and stood in the queue and waited my turn. I got to the till and took out the item and produced the till slip as well. The lady assisting informed me that the Manager was busy at the back with the G4S ‘guys’ and no one else is able to process the redemption. Furthermore, the lady asked that I wait for about 10 minutes or go somewhere else in the interim. I then informed the store assistant that I have to be at Shoprite and would most probably be only back after they have closed. The assistant agreed that I leave but took the slip, the shorts and took down my personal details [which are needed for a refund] – Initials, Surname, Address & Contact Number; she wrote these down and told me to just knock on the door, the Security will open for me and I will then need to sign a slip and get my refund. Off I went and came back to the store just a little bit after 5 past 6. I knocked on the glass door and the security told me they have closed. I asked him to please come to the door and I explained why I was there. The security told me to stand at the door and a lady in a blue striped shirt shouted from the counter: “we are closed ma’am”. I am still standing at the door and ask the lady to please come to the door and hear why I am hear. She comes, with an attitude and her hand on her wait, rolling her eyes, she says: “Yes, I am listening!”.I explain to her what I was advised but before I complete what I am saying she tells me that they cannot help me, I ask her to please let me finish as I am well aware that the store is now closed to customers, she says : Yes Speak, you are putting my staff at risk! – Shouting

I continue with my story and she responds again by stating that they have closed and she does not know who I had spoken to and I should move from the door. I look at the name tag – Monita, and I asked if she is perhaps the Store Manager and she does not respond but tells me to leave. I refuse and request that she calls the lady I had spoken to as she was aware that the store wold be closed when I come back. Monita goes back to the tills and asks the other Assistants if they had spoken to me, she comes back and tells me that no one knows me so I must just leave. I refuse yet again and inform her that we are now going back and forth, I need to get home to my kids, it is getting late and I need the refund to get home. Monita then tells me that this is none of her business. I then asked her to ask the lady that helped me out and I described her, she shut the door with the security with me standing outside and for about 2 minutes, she goes looking for the lady. All 3 walk up to the door and open, still with her hand on her waist – I don’t know if this is part of your customer service training. The lady tells me ma’am, we are now closed and cannot help you. I become upset and ask her why did she then take my belongings and details if this was not what we arranged, she then tells me that I had told her I would be there before 6 – I inform her that this was not the case and wold not have been as I got off my taxi at 17:40 and might have left the store, heading to Shoprite only at 17:50.

Monita interjects and tells me: Ma’am, this store is busy, my staff can’t concentrate only on one thing! - I don’t know how this is my problem.

Monita continues to tell me to leave, I stand at the door asking her how I was now to get home if they are not going to assist me and yet I was at the store before closing and this was no fault of mine that there was no one else to authorise the refund – Even making a customer wait for 10 minutes for refund would have not been ideal

Monita tells me to move away from the door as I am compromising her staff’s security and they do not have money at the tills to give me anyway and must see what I must do. At this points I told her that there would been no way that I would have just rocked up at the door without having an arrangement prior and in no normal instance has it been that a customer is asked to leave their details first in order to process a refund, therefore this would have been obvious that the lady I had spoken to had asked me to do this. With Monita at the door telling the security guard to shut the door, I refuse to leave the door then she instructed the security to remove me from the door, the security started to push me, he manhandled me, lifting me up and squeezing my waist; Monita called on the Mall Security Guards and they came. With me shouting for the guard to let go of me an in a hysterical state, he finally let go and I stepped into the store. I demanded my money, the staff shouted from the till to Monita to just give me my money but she was hesitant, I stood and told her I will not move as I want my money or the item I had brought in including my slip as this is my property.

Pointing her finger at me, Monita tells me I have a bad attitude and tell the lady I spoke to just give me my money and just leave because she may just not give me the money.

The lady goes to the till, brings the cash [that had been cashed as advised prior] and asks me to sign on a slip. As I am signing, she still tells me that next time I must come in time – The audacity

I have had to take pain tablets every 3 hours due to the excruciating pain around my rib area and the headache I have had, never mind the humiliation I have had to go through

Your store most probably has CCTV Footage including the Mall