Horrified!

I send this to Shell SA and was ignored by Shell and Delta Motors till today!

Dear Shell Customer Care,

I am writing to formally complain about an incident that occurred at Shell Delta Motors, 493 Pretoria Road, Silverton, Pretoria at approximately 06:50am today.

Montiworx is a regular customer at this Shell station, and our company vehicles are fuelled there on a daily basis. On this particular occasion, however, I was driving my own personal vehicle on my way to work.

I pass several other garages, I chose to use Shell because I had recently been given a Shell loyalty card at another Shell garage. I had never put petrol in a Shell garage before, and I wanted to support the Shell loyalty programme.

When I arrived at Delta Motors, the petrol attendant assisting me was very friendly and told me that she was a trainee. I had no problem with this at all and was friendly towards her. I asked her to fill up and check the oil and water in my vehicle.

She did not know how to open the bonnet, so I got out of my car and opened it for her. She brought the oil, and I put the oil into the vehicle myself. However, I could not find/open the water tank or cap myself, and there was nobody available to assist the trainee or me.

At this stage I was still friendly and told her that it was okay and that I would go somewhere else to have the water checked.

I then paid for my petrol. After I had paid, the trainee told me that she had forgotten about the oil and that I still needed to pay separately for it. I became upset about this and went inside the shop to complain.

I want to make it clear that my main concern at that point was not simply the extra payment for the oil. I was concerned that a trainee had been left outside dealing with customers without anyone available to assist or supervise her.

I was upset and asked to speak to the owner. I specifically asked for the owner's telephone number. I wanted to speak directly to the owner. The manager refused to give me the owner's telephone number which I started to lose my temper.

I left my name, the name of my company Montiworx and my telephone number and asked that the owner contact me. I then phone my manager because by this stage I was already approximately 30 minutes late for work.

I got into my vehicle and was preparing to leave. I forgot about the oil completely in my anger. I was then reminded about the oil. I said that I will not going to pay for the oil now, I would pay it when the owner contacted me, because I had no guarantee that the message I had left would actually reach the owner and I wanted to speak directly to him.

I got in my car because I was already very late for work and while I was driving away, a male employee known to me as Pulelo reached into my vehicle and grabbed at my key while it was still in the ignition. From my perspective, his actions appeared as though he was going to assault me. He did not identify himself when I asked him who he was.

At the time, I did not realise that the key had been damaged. I was extremely angry and frightened by what had just happened, so I turned around and went back to the shop.

There was another petrol attendant who tried to help me during the confrontation in the shop. It appeared to me that he was trying to protect me and de-escalate the situation. I got the impression that this Pulelo will become dangerous although I was a customer. At that point I was genuinely scared. I subsequently paid for the oil.

Pulelo's behaviour made me feel threatened because his actions reminded me of people who had hijacked and assaulted me in the past. I therefore felt extremely vulnerable and frightened in that moment.

After I returned to my office, I contacted the station to find out who the petrol attendant was that tried to help me feel safer when Pulelo threatened me. I was told that his name is Tulani.

I am extremely concerned about the manner in which this incident was handled, particularly the fact that:

- A trainee was left without anyone available to assist her. - The manager refused to provide me with the owner's contact number when I specifically requested it. - An employee, Pulelo, reached into my vehicle and grabbed my key while I was driving away. - The key was damaged during this incident. - Pulelo refused to identify himself when I asked him to do so. - His behaviour made me feel physically threatened and unsafe. - Another employee, Tulani, appeared to recognise that the situation was dangerous and tried to assist me.

I request that Shell investigate this incident fully, including reviewing the CCTV footage from the relevant time. I specifically request that all CCTV footage relating to this incident be preserved before it is overwritten.

I would also like the owner/franchisee and Shell management to contact me regarding this matter. I would like to know what action will be taken regarding the conduct of the employees involved and the lack of supervision of the trainee.

I am raising this complaint because I have been a regular customer through Montiworx and had chosen to use Shell for my personal vehicle because I had a positive impression of the Shell loyalty programme. After this incident, I am extremely disappointed and concerned about my safety at this station. I was told to go and open an assault case at the SAPS opposite the Shell garage but that will just make everything that happen wo I have also been advised that I should open a case with the South African Police Service (SAPS) regarding what happened. This has made the situation even more serious and distressing for me.

I have photographs of the damaged electronic key and I am prepared to provide these photographs, together with any other information or evidence that may assist with your investigation.

I would like to know what Shell and the owner/management of Delta Motors intend to do about this incident, including the damage caused to my vehicle key and the conduct of the employee involved.

I would appreciate a written response explaining what action will be taken and how this matter will be addressed.

I also request that any CCTV footage covering the incident be preserved, as I may need it in connection with a SAPS report.

I look forward to your urgent response.

I look forward to receiving a formal response to my complaint.

Kind regards,

Ben Eloff ***