Not Honouring Promotions

I recently (Three (3) Weeks Ago) took advantage of a promotion run by Pick & Pay whereby you could buy a WiFi-Router preloaded with 10 GiG Data. I surmise that their objective was to dangle the “Data Carrot”, ostensibly to sell more routers for this Specific Service Provider. Like so many South Africans, I have been a patron of Pick & Pay for many years, by virtue of my needing something from day to day and managing to find a Pick & Pay outlet in any given area. Therefore, it pains me to lodge this complaint, but feel justified as the management of Pick & Pay Hyper Montana had been given ample opportunity to remedy the situation. To this day, (Three (3) Weeks later) and notwithstanding a long “Chain of Communication” I am still at square one and with a lot of regrets that I had brought the device, as I have absolutely no use of the device, because the Data which was supposedly Preloaded, is not there. In hindsight, I should have probably gone for another retailer’s promotion at the time, but I suppose this is what “Loyalty” gets you. The device is also “Network Locked”, so you are obligated to use this specific provider's services, “Like it or Not”. There seems to be no solution in sight as all the “Chiefs” in a long chain of command simply shift the responsibility and then the next person simply just “Kicks the Can further down the road” in the hope that the matter will go away by itself or someone else would sort it out. I have now been back to the store four (4) times in total after the sale, but with no joy, as there is this “Someone-else” working with those matters and invariable that “Person” is never there. There has only ever been a cashier, Petronella, who I found to be very affable, who had gone beyond the call of duty to assist me, but her hands are tied because she is after all only a cashier. Other than her efforts, there has been no Senior Manager coming forth and taking responsibility for fully resolving the matter. I have not experienced such bad customer service in a long time, not even from your less sophisticated competition. I, therefore, beg the following questions; · “Why run a promotion when you do not have the mechanism to ensure that you honour the various benefits linked to that promotion?” · I am curious to know how many customers have also bought the same device on promotion and never got the “promised” Preloaded with 10 GiG Data and have been subjected to the same ordeal, as I cannot believe that I had been singled out for this appalling service? · Alternatively, “How many other customers who had been subjected to similar service, had simply opted to rather not pursue the matter, because they possibly might not have the fortitude to do so?” · “Is it beneficial for me or any other person, for that matter, to continue being a customer of Pick & Pay Hyper Montana when you are subjected to this level of service, and alternatively would Pick & Pay Senior Management, personally tolerate this kind of service were they in my position? It is unfortunate that I had to proverbially; “Rock the Boat” in order to air my grievance, but I feel that I gave Pick & Pay Hyper Montana Management ample opportunity to remedy this situation in the interest of fair and equitable customer service, however, there has only been total indifference. If this is the level of service to which customers are subjected, and then I am afraid, it leaves much to be desired. I believe that Pick & Pay can ill afford such conduct by its stores, not when it strives to position itself as the preferred FMCG Retailer in South Africa. Furthermore, after conferring with my circle of acquaintances, some also in the FMCG Retail Service field and they all concur that it goes totally against the grain of what “Great Customer Service” and “Good Governance” are all about. I, therefore, feel that we have no other alternative but to bring this unsatisfactory conduct to Pick & Pay’s most Senior Management’s attention and take appropriate action in remedying the situation.