Justice Denied

A recent purchase I made at a cell phone kiosk inside Pick n Pay at NI City Mall in Goodwood has turned into a nightmare. From dealing with a Sales Assistant who sold me the phone based on misinformation to a condescending manager who treated me like I had no right to raise my concerns with them. Pick n Pay is a reputable brand, trusted by millions of consumers, including myself. But my recent experience has left me hurt, disappointed and angry to say the least. I've been shopping for a Cellphone with bigger storage capacity for a while and decided to wait for Black Friday deals. I went to Pick n Pay N1 City Goodwood, as they have a cell phone kiosk. I got attracted to a Nokia C20 and asked the Sales Assistant on duty a few questions. She assured me that it was 32 G (yippee I thought), the other features sounded great too. I informed the Sales Assistant that I was purchasing a phone to use on my existing service provider, in this case Vodacom. The attendant went on to explain that the phone took dual SIM cards and although it was a Cell C promotion, that I could use my existing Vodacom sim card. I promptly paid for the purchase and left the store all smiles. However, when I got home, I discovered that the information I was sold was lies. The phone was 16G and for the dual sim card function to be activated I would have to pay an extra R150 and forfeit the 2-year warranty. When I looked at the slip there was a fine print which no one would normally read because it's after you've parted with your money and made the purchase based on the information supp**** to you by the Sales Assistant. In this case, I was misinformed, my trust in a good brand, Pick n Pay, was broken. I do understand that shops set targets for Sales Assistants but at the same time I expect honest sales. When I phoned the store 3 days later, the Sales Assistant was "off-sick" but the attitude of the Store Manager who identified himself as Mr. Bradley, was even more hurtful - dismissive and condescending. I left my number for him to revert and almost a week later I have not received a call which does not come as a surprise. Pick n Pay prides itself as a company that places its customers as its priority as well as committed to protect the consumer. The company further promises to “making provision for improved standards of consumer information, to prohibit unfair marketing and business practices”. I live to tell a different story. My right to dignity was violated at all levels. Some retailers need to understand consumer rights and invest in equipping their staff in how they need to manage the relationships with customers.