worst experience ever rochester the grove mbombela

**ROCHESTER THE GROVE NELSPRUIT THIS IS NOT CUSTOMER SERVICE — THIS IS A COMPLETE FAILURE OF PROFESSIONALISM AND ACCOUNTABILITY**

I have never felt the need to write a complaint this serious about purchasing a piece of furniture, but our experience with Rochester has been so frustrating, disrespectful and unnecessarily complicated that I believe other customers need to know what happened.

My wife and I app**** for credit to purchase a couch costing approximately **R25,000**. We were approved for approximately **R50,000**, with **NO DEPOSIT**, around two days before the end of August.

We therefore reasonably believed the purchase was approved and that delivery would follow.

We were then told the couch would be delivered in September.

When we went back to the store at the beginning of September because nobody had contacted us regarding delivery, we were suddenly told that because it was a new month, **another assessment had to be done**.

We comp****.

We were then told that we only qualified for approximately **R25,000 and would now have to pay a deposit**.

When we questioned this, we were given an explanation involving the salesperson apparently using her **HiFi Corporation/Incredible Connection login or credentials** during the original application, which allegedly resulted in the higher approval.

Let me be very clear:

**Whatever mistake or internal process occurred between the salesperson, Rochester and the credit application system is NOT the customer's responsibility.**

We did not create the application. We did not use the salesperson's credentials. We did not manipulate the credit application. We simply provided our information and app**** for credit in good faith.

Yet somehow **we, the paying customers, were the ones prejudiced by the situation.**

What made matters even worse was the complete lack of communication.

There were apparently **two applications**, and we were told that one of them had not been cancelled. This is an internal administrative issue. If Rochester's systems, staff or processes resulted in duplicate or incorrect applications, that should have been resolved internally without the customer having to repeatedly chase the store.

And chase them we did.

There were **no proactive calls, no meaningful updates and no sense of urgency from the store.**

Every two or three days, WE had to physically go back to the store to ask what was happening.

It genuinely felt as though we were **begging Rochester to take our money and complete a purchase**, rather than Rochester being interested in servicing a customer who had already been approved for finance and wanted to spend R25,000 on a couch.

Eventually, after repeated back-and-forth with head office, the matter was supposedly resolved around **15 September**.

But by then, there was another problem:

**THE COUCH WE ACTUALLY PURCHASED/SELECTED WAS NO LONGER AVAILABLE.**

After all the delays and administrative problems, we were left with the option of taking the **display model**.

At this point, we were already extremely frustrated, but we agreed because we simply wanted the matter finished.

Now comes the latest problem.

**Delivery.**

Almost another week has passed, and we are STILL waiting.

We even offered to use our own truck to collect the couch ourselves, but were told that this was not possible.

From our perspective, it is extremely difficult to understand why a customer who has already endured weeks of delays cannot simply collect a paid-for/display couch if they have the means to do so.

Instead, we are left waiting while the store controls the delivery arrangements.

At this point, what should have been a straightforward furniture purchase has turned into an almost **two-month ordeal**.

Let that sink in:

**Almost two months for a couch.**

This is not a custom-built house.

This is not an international shipment.

This is not a product we were asking Rochester to give us for free.

**WE ARE PAYING CUSTOMERS.**

The most disappointing part is not even the delay itself.

It is the **complete lack of ownership**.

Nobody appears to be taking responsibility for the original credit application issue.

Nobody appears to be taking responsibility for the duplicate application.

Nobody appears to be taking responsibility for the fact that the original couch was no longer available.

Nobody appears to be taking responsibility for the delivery delay.

And most importantly, **nobody seems to understand that there is an actual customer on the other side of all these internal processes.**

We have had to repeatedly go into the store ourselves just to get information that should have been communicated to us proactively.

This is not how a reputable furniture retailer should treat customers.

### ROCHESTER — WE NEED ANSWERS.

1. Why was our original credit approval changed after we had already been approved? 2. Why were we prejudiced because of what appears to have been an internal salesperson/application issue? 3. Why were there apparently two applications, with one not cancelled? 4. Why did nobody from the store proactively communicate with us? 5. Why was the couch we selected no longer available after the matter was eventually resolved? 6. Why have we been forced to accept a display model? 7. Why is delivery taking so long after all the previous delays? 8. Why could we not simply arrange collection ourselves when we offered to do so? 9. Most importantly, **who at Rochester is actually taking ownership of this matter?**

We are not asking for special treatment.

We are asking for **basic professionalism, accountability, communication and respect.**

A customer should not have to repeatedly visit a store, chase employees, escalate to head office and fight through internal administrative problems simply to receive a product they agreed to purchase.

**Rochester has taken what should have been a simple transaction and turned it into an exhausting customer-service nightmare.**

I am posting this on HelloPeter because clearly the normal channels have failed us.

I expect Rochester's management/head office to investigate the **entire chain of events**, not simply respond with "we apologise for the delay."

I want someone to take ownership, explain exactly what went wrong, and provide a **clear and immediate resolution and delivery date**.

We have been patient.

We have cooperated.

We have repeatedly followed up.

We have given Rochester opportunity after opportunity to resolve this professionally.

**Now Rochester needs to do its part.**

A R25,000 purchase should not require a customer to fight this hard to receive their couch.

**This is not the level of service I expected from Rochester, and it is certainly not how a customer who is spending R25,000 should be treated.** worst regards Katekani Mkansi