Sheer incompetence in Customer Service

I was met with the most demeaning customer service on the 06th of March. As a regular customer at this particular Pick’n Pay, I’m known by a majority of the staff as a friendly individual. I am not by any chance demanding nor acting in a condescending manner. As someone who works in the customer service sector, there are things which we demand as individuals as well the roles exchange, and we are on the receiving side(customer), such include good mannerism and to be served with a smile and the enthusiasm thereof. On this particular day, I can’t recall the name of the employee but she had the most appalling attitude when she served me and my colleagues during our lunch time. Even had the audacity when we asked her to show some respect and serve us in a rightful manner, to tell me that maybe I didn’t go to church or didn’t wake up on the good side of the bed hence my mood. In great disbelief of what she had said, I told her I want to speak to the manager, with no hesitation nor attempt to calm me down, she jokingly said if I want the manager she will call one. It was obvious from how she called the guy that this won’t be taken seriously, because whilst I was still explaining to her line manager, she kept on rumbling in a rude manner indicating to us that we just wasting our time, the sheer attitude and how sarcastic she was in front of the her boss was shocking.

I went further to report the matter to one of the customer service representatives, she told me she would have a look into the matter and call me the following day, which she **** to me about because my phone was on the entire day.

I have whatsoever reason to escalate this matter this far, but what led me to actually doing so is the fact that the entire staff including managers whom we made aware of the matter didn’t try to mitigate nor remedy the situation. It will great concern that just because we work in call center jobs that we will be treated in such a way and our concerns to be taken lightly. The fact we work in a call center doesn’t mean that our concerns should be taken lightly. I’m sure even though we might be working in one, but we are by far the most contributing stakeholders to the overall revenue. Respect does not start when you see a man clothed in a suite nor one who has a trolley full of groceries . I am working in call center I’m a graduate and doing my second degree, Bcom Law, I will not demand respect when I’m in a white collar job because I believe there is no need to class your customers because they all are there for one purpose and are not different anyhow from one another regardless of their expenditure.

How I would love South Africa to adopt the vices of UK citizens, customer service characterized by high quality is not a choice but a mandatory thing. In such instances I should be seeking compensation for the embarrassment and the time that I had wasted arguing and having to inform/ relay my encounter to superiors because I was on lunch and ended up having to eat within 15 minutes.

Before I close off, I want to know what would be done to the employee because training is needed I do not care about any disciplinary actions but what I want Is to hear that some formal training will be done.