Poor customer support

Dear Rochester,

Why as a loyal paying customer do I have to go through so much trouble in order to get help?

4 December 2017

Repairs for my couch were logged with the Rochester call centre.

Sometime after that, I cannot remember the exact date I received a call from a driver sent to collect my couch, but he was from Limpopo, and I am now based in Centurion, which I had advised Rochester on. The driver said he would notify the call centre so they can send someone from Centurion side.

11 December 2017 at 12:15 (Call duration 4:55)

I called to find out what is happening with my couch as I told the driver that he had the wrong address and I hadn’t been contacted since that time. The agent told me that it was noted on the system that my address was wrong but no new address had been logged. So no one bothered to follow up with me. I gave the agent my new address.

4 January 2018

I received a call from a driver sent to collect my couch for repairs. My couch was collected.

11 January 2018 at 16:04 (Call duration 2:07) I called the call centre again to find out what was happening with my couch as I had not received any communication to say that my couch had been received by the factory. I was told that head office is waiting for pictures of the couch to be sent to them so they can quote on the price of repairs.

16 January 2018 at 12:39 (Call duration 4:53)

I called for an update, I was told that the couch is being repaired and would be complete by the end of the week. No quotation had been sent to me, works on the couch was just started.

26 January 2018 at 15:27 (Call duration 2:41)

I called for an update on my couch. I was told that they are awaiting payment from the customer. To which I asked when was I going to be notified of that I needed to pay as I have had no contact with the call centre besides when I used my time and airtime to call the call centre. I then asked for the invoice to be sent to me, to which the lady said she can’t send me the invoice. I asked how I am supposed to pay for the invoice and she told me I would need to go instore to Rochester Fourways. I find that to be ridiculous because I stay all the way in Centurion.

27 January 2018 at 14:30

I went to Rochester Fourways, I explained I needed to pay for the couch, to which the sales people looked at me shocked until I asked them to check their emails as the call centre said they would email the invoice to them. After they found the email, they tried to process payment but their Card machine wasn’t working. I then asked them to email me the invoice so I can EFT, they took my email address and said they would send the email. By 16:30 the email had not come through, so I called Rochester Fourways and they said they would send it again and I was told that I could go to any Rochester to process payment.

28 January 2018 at 13:00

I still had not received the email from Rochester Fourways. I decided to go to Rochester Centurion to process payment. When I got there the sales people did not understand what I was trying to do and told me they can’t help me with processing payment. I then asked them to call Rochester Fourways so the sales person I dealt with on Saturday could explain everything. After the call I was told to come back the following day as only the Manager could assist me.

29 January 2018 at 13:00

I went back to Rochester Centurion to see the Manager. After explaining everything he kept asking me for an order number so he can process the payment, which I didn’t have. I eventually asked him to call Rochester Fourways to get the details he needs for me to make payment. Every time he would call them, the call would go through to Rochester call centre, I then gave him my reference number so they could send him the email with the invoice for payment. He received it, but could not find any banking details, I then asked him to forward me the email as I had no idea what I’m being asked to pay for, he then told me he won’t send me the email as it is not his issue, so he doesn’t know if he is allowed to send me the email. He tried to call Rochester again but the phone stopped working.

At 13:50 a whole hour after being in the store, I decided to call Rochester Fourways off my phone, I was eventually put through to the manager Nishan who assisted me and sent me the email and banking details within 5 minutes.