The worst possible treatment

On 6 November, I went to the SARS office in George after making an appointment, where I received the worst possible treatment. At the entrance, there was an X-ray machine, and on the other side of the machine was a table where a woman was sitting and two men were standing.

I walked up to the woman and reported my arrival, after which she crossed my name off a list. One of the men then very disrespectfully told me to walk back and stand by the door. After a while, he said I should place my belongings in a tray next to the X-ray machine and walk through it.

While I was walking through the machine, the alarm went off because I had not placed my car key in the tray. The man, however, said nothing, as he clearly had no interest in what he was doing. The X-ray machine is therefore completely unnecessary and a waste of time.

After the woman gave me a ticket with a number on it, she took me to a small room where about 20 people were sitting and told me to take one of the seats. After a while, some of the other people got up and left, and I was told to move up as though we were playing musical chairs.

After some time, I told the woman that I had an appointment and that it was now time for it. She then realised that I was in the wrong place and asked me to walk with her to a larger room where there were about 100 empty chairs and a few people attending to clients. I cannot understand why I was not taken to the larger room in the first place.

The entire process there is highly unprofessional, and I think someone competent should look into it and work to improve the system.