Superspar The Market Kenilworth - Pathetic Service Levels

To whom it may concern,

As you will see I am a regular customer on the Spar2u App platform and I have had a relatively pleasant experience thus far until today when I made the worst decision ever to shop with Superspar The Market Kenilworth (Jhb) via the Spar2u App. My shopping experience was appalling and humiliating to say the very least. This store has absolutely no customer relationship management skills whatsoever and has a complete disregard for customer service.

My wife (Tanita Naidoo) works in Booysens and I thought of buying a few items to have delivered to her. Order number 78665 was allocated after I made payment at 15:28 on 30 July 2024. When placing the order on the app I selected the delivery time slot between 4pm - 5pm seeing as my wife's place of work closes at 5pm. At approx. 16:01 I received an in app message from Spar2u stating that my order is on its way and from past experiences with other Spar stores I thought it would be delivered promptly hence I found no reason to worry. To my dismay at approx. 16:45 my wife had informed me that she had not received the said delivery as yet which is when I started to panic seeing as the Spar2u app indicated the the selected store and my wife's workplace is only approx. 3km apart from each other. At this point I took it upon myself to contact the store to follow up on my delivery status and after dialing the stores number *** I spoke to a lady who listened to my issue but instead of understanding my predicament and taking the initiative to follow up on my complaint she abruptly transferred me "downstairs" as she called it. Another lady answered the phone and from her voice/accent I could tell that she was a black female...she listened to my complaint then took my details and put me on hold saying she was going to find out what was happening. After some time she got back to me telling me that the driver is about 5 minutes away with the delivery. I was surprised by her response and I asked her how could he still be on his way if the store is only 3km's away and I received a message at 16:01 already that my delivery is on its way...she then abruptly told me to speak to the manager. After holding once again for some time "the manager" came on the line and from his voice/accent I could tell that he was a black man...I asked him with whom am I speaking with and was shocked at his reply when he said the manager. I told him surely the manager has a name and what is yours to which he rep**** Lazarus. I explained my complaint to him and he told me the very same story as the lady before him did that the driver is on his way and that I must spare him 5 minutes...he did not sound friendly or very much interested in my complaint but very much abrupt as if he was in a hurry and wanted to get rid of me. I explained to him that the delivery is for my wife and that my wife's workplace closes at 5pm after which it is unsafe for her to wait outside her workplace for delivery but he wasn't very much interested in my concerns as a customer and kept telling me that the driver is on his way. I ended the call with him and asked my wife to wait 5 minutes after work and to ask a colleague to please wait with her for safety reasons. This was at approx. 16:53 bearing in mind also that I had to use my time and resources all this while to follow up with the store apart from the fact that the store is only 3km's away and I had received a message at approx. 16:01 that my delivery was on its way.

Ten minutes had elapsed and the time was now approx. 17:15 but there was still no signs of the delivery and with increasing safety concerns for my wife I had to use my time and resources to contact the store. Yet again a lady answered and I told her that I would like to speak to the manager Lazarus because he assured me the driver is about 5 minutes away with my delivery but over 15 minutes had elapsed now yet there was still no delivery. I was terribly shocked when she rep**** back telling me that there is no manager by the name of Lazarus working there but once again instead of taking initiative to investigate my complaint she abruptly transferred me "downstairs". A lady answered the phone and she had the same voice as the lady I spoke to the first time around when i was transferred "downstairs" but after explaining the history of my complaint to her too she insisted she was not the same person. I asked her if I could speak to Lazarus and she put me on hold then went to call him. After some time a guy came on the line and he sounded like Lazarus but insisted he wasn't and said that he was the Supervisor. I asked him to please get Lazarus on the line and after some time he returned and said he cannot get Lazarus. At this point I was in a reasonable state of panic over my wife's safety and understandably upset over the delayed delivery. Just as I began explaining my concerns to him he started yelling in an abrupt tone of voice "Don't fight, Don't fight with us, it's not us it's the driver, you didn't buy from us"...I was absolutely stunned and terribly angered at his response...this coming from a so called supervisor/manager. I told him not to tell me about the driver because you work for Spar and I bought from Spar so you have an obligation to make good on your service to which he had the audacity to tell me that I didn't buy from Spar I bought from the app Spar2u. Once again I told him you represent Spar as a employee and you have not delivered on your promise so you have to find an immediate solution but even as I was speaking with him he kept yelling "Don't fight, Don't fight" and then he abruptly cut the call on me.

I called back immediately and spoke to a lady who could have been the very first lady I spoke to when I first called and I explained to her what had just happened and then asked to speak to the Store Manager...she then told me that there is no Store Manager...there are many managers... so I told her I would like to speak to the most senior manager but she gave me the same response telling me there is no senior managers but there are many managers? I then asked for her name to which she said it's Monique and then she offered to take my details down and investigate...why did your team not do this the very first time?! I gave her my details and after a few minutes she called me back to tell me that they would deliver to my home but I told her that I live in Lenasia...she then put me on hold for a moment and then told me that they could do the delivery tomorrow?!...Luckily and just in time I received an in app Spar2u message stating that the delivery had been done. I expressed my dissatisfaction with the unacceptable service levels to her and told her that I would take the matter further especially the manner in which your manager/supervisor spoke to me to which she assured me that she would not leave the matter without taking action.

Why do you offer a time slot for delivery if you cannot fulfill such and if you cannot then why do you not keep your customers updated on a timely basis?! Why must I use my time and resources to follow up with you?! Why do your staff pass the buck around...are you not a team...is it not customer service to accept responsibility of a complaint and take initiative to investigate and resolve...why do you transfer me pillar to post whilst my resources are getting used up?! Where are your store managers/ senior managers...I have not received an apology or call from them since...even after Moniques involvement?! How can your manager/supervisor speak to me the customer in the manner/tone that he did...this is a direct reflection of your pathetic service levels and complete lack of customer service/relationship management training/skills?! You fail to deliver on service in all aspects and then make the customer feel a sense of obligation as if you are doing us a favour?! Customer Service is evidently a concept you have yet to grasp!!! I have never felt so humiliated and less valued as a customer before. Never before have I been subjected to such appalling levels and you can be certain that this will be the first and last time that I will ever shop with you...needless to say that I will ensure all my family and friends follow suit!!!

Disgusted,

Ashveer Sookraj

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