Appalling Customer Service - Lay Buy Lost

<p>I went to Sportscene in Kenilworth Centre yesterday to settle and collect my lay buy for my son’s sneakers I got him for Christmas. My payment was accepted and I was told to go and sit down while a young lady went to collect my purchase from the back room. I said I would wait at the till as I didn’t think it would take long. After about 10 minutes I went to sit down. After 25 minutes I was still sitting waiting. I decided to go back to the till and ask the cashier who had instructed the young lady to go and get my purchase if he could find out what was taking so long. When I arrived back at the till, both of them were standing there as well as another female cashier. Both of the staff members looked at me and then just went on with what they were doing, the other female cashier asked me if she could help me, and I rep**** that I was waiting for her colleague who was standing behind her to get the lay buy I had paid for (25 minutes ago). Which then incited this reply from the girl who had gone to get the lay buy: “Oh, I can’t find your lay buy”</p> <p>I asked why she had not come to inform me sooner when she knew I was sitting there waiting for her. She did not answer my question, nor apologise, but instead just stood there looking at me with a mouth full of teeth. I asked if it had been sold, to which I also received no reply but the expression on her face, which looked like someone had just asked her to solve the Schrodinger equation of quantum physics. I asked her if she could go have another look and she left without a word. Meanwhile, the male staff member, which seemed like her senior, who had been serving me in the beginning, just stood there without saying a word and looking at me like he was about to burst into laughter, not being able to answer any questions I posed nor offer a solution. Even worse, not once was I apologised to. I asked to speak to the manager but they said he was not there. I said I would leave the store while they continued looking or figure out some way to fix this and be back in a bit.</p> <p>Sidenote: This is not the first time I have lay buyed something at that specific branch and on coming to collect had found out my order had been sold. It happened to me 2 years ago with a pair of Adidas as well.</p> <p>When I returned to the store I was told that the manager had been informed. I was still not offered a solution until I asked. I am not sure that the staff of that particular store have any basic communication s****s, forget about customer service s****s. I had to ask before I was told that the manager was sourcing a replacement from another branch for me. And even then they didn’t give me any further details until I asked. I was made to feel like I was being a complete inconvenience. Eventually I was told that I would have to come in to collect it the following day. I explained that I could not as I am working in Muizenberg and being December I am booked out all of this week. I had specifically made time to come and collect the sneakers that day as I knew I would not have time again before it was needed. The other young man behind the till suggested that they will ask the manager to deliver it to me (this one had been uninvolved until this point) to which I agreed. Then the one who had been helping me from the start giggled and asked if I expected a door to door delivery, I was so shocked at his attitude, I rep**** YES, why not? Why should I be inconvenienced because of the incompetence of the staff here? – He then said that they only do door to door deliveries for online customers. REALLY???? So when you actually mess up and inconvenience a customer you don’t take responsibility to fix it? Once again, made to feel like I was being totally unreasonable. They refused to give me the manager’s number, but have taken mine. I have still not been called. Sportscene still has my money. I have tried calling them since 9am but the phone just rings.</p> <p>In conclusion I would like to say that though this remains unresolved, I am not a difficult customer. I don’t believe I was being unreasonable as I was made to feel. I understand that these things happen and not all systems are flawless, there is always room for human error. It’s the way however, that we deal with customers and take responsibility when things go wrong to find an alternative solution that sets the tone of professionalism in our organisation. I definitely believe there are some issues that should be addressed in the way this is being handled.</p> <p>Not once was I informed that there was a problem with my purchase.</p> <p>Not once was I apologised to</p> <p>Not once was I offered a solution or made to feel like they were going to do their part to make sure this got sorted.</p> <p>If in the space of three years I have had this problem with a lay buy being sold to another customer twice, I believe that I cannot be the only one. Perhaps the glitches in the system should be addressed from a logistical point of view.</p> <p>At the point of posting this, I have still not been contacted.</p>