Completely Unacceptable Service and ************** Concerns

I am extremely disappointed in the service I received at Spar. Yesterday, I went to purchase a few groceries using the last money I had. When I inserted my bank card into their speed point, it took several minutes to authorize, then returned an error message. I tried again and was told I had “insufficient funds”, but when I checked my banking app, I saw that the payment HAD gone through on my account.

I immediately showed the supervisor and store manager proof of payment — including the bank notification and my bank statement — but they told me they could not assist because it was a “network glitch” and the transaction was not reflecting on their till. I explained that I needed either my groceries or my money back because I had children at home waiting for food, and this incident happened at 15:27, meaning they had not eaten the whole day.

They still refused to help, saying it was “against the rules” to reimburse me. I was forced to leave the store after waiting almost an hour, hungry and stressed, while they promised to check their end-of-day reports and deliver the groceries if the payment appeared on their system.

This morning, I received a call from their head office confirming that the money DID reflect on their reports — but then “the bank reversed it again” due to technical issues caused by their recent change of banking partners. They told me that in order for Spar to assist me, I must physically return to the store with my ID to sign a declaration, even though I clearly explained that I live far from the branch and have no transport money because Spar refused to give me the groceries I paid for.

Their response was that sending a driver to me would require “too much logistics”, so I must find my own way to their store — even though this entire problem was caused by their system.

This is completely unacceptable. I do not understand why I must spend money I do not have to fix an issue that Spar caused. I paid for groceries, I did not receive them, and I am now being inconvenienced even further while my family goes without food.

Spar needs to take responsibility, show compassion, and resolve this matter without putting more burden on the customer. I am extremely unhappy with how this situation has been handled.

Furthermore,Their refusal to send a driver, paired with the dismissive attitude I received, left me feeling that if I were a white customer, I would have been assisted with urgency and respect. The difference in treatment was impossible to ignore.

Spar’s handling of this situation is unprofessional, insensitive, and deeply unfair.