Possible theft of cash gift card and *********** staff

On the 27th of January 2017 I made a cash purchase of a mens Black Levis 501 as a gift from Markham in the Phoenix Plaza. However upon presentation, the jean did not fit as per normal. So i returned the said pair of jeans at Markham in Gateway on the 3rd of February 2017 and had a gift card issued to me in its place.

On the 11th of March 2017 I purchased a watch from American Swiss in the Phoenix Plaza to the value of R799. I was attended to by a lady named Kerisha Seunath who was apparantly working as a casual.

I intended to use the gift card which had a cash value of R699 and the remainder R100 was to be taken out of my TFG account card.

I handed both cards to the cashier and explained exactly what I wanted her to do.

However the cashier did not use the cash in the gift card. But she took the entire purchase of R799 out on my TFG account card. Neither did she use the cash on the gift card for the purchase nor did she transfer the cash amount onto the account before tilling the purchase. She did not give me the gift card back either.

I only realised this a few days later upon reading an sms which thanked me for the purchase of R799 from ASJ on 11 March 2017.

In essence i had paid R1498 for a watch that costed R799.

When I realised what had happened, i immediately went back to ASJ in the Phoenix Plaza and spoke to Kas who was the manager of the store. She contacted the cashier who at first denied any knowledge of me handing her a gift card. I asked to speak to her myself from the store and when i threatened that i will get camer footage she then miraculously remembered me handing her the card but she insisted that it was my TFG account card to make the purchase.

I did ask the manager to see the camera footage of the store to which i was told that ASJ does not have cameras inside the store but only in the center. How much of that was truth... i dont know.

I was then sent on a wild goose chase to have to "prove" that i had infact had a gift card and that i produced it in the store.

I went to Markham in order to find a reference number for the gift card.

One of the cashiers had said that i had simply swopped the jean size. And when i asked to see the manager, she was unavailable. I had to return to Markham in Gateway on another day to meet with her.

When i did meet with her i insisted on seeing the dockets as i had dealtwith yet another *********** member of staff that couldnt remember what had transpired. Eventually i found the credit note and the manager then agreed that a gift card was handed to me with the value of the jeans put on it.

The matter in question now was a reference number for a gift card. But it deemed difficult for even the manager of Markham Gateway to find a reference number as she claimed that since the jeans was purchaced using cash and not credit then it was almost impossible to trace back the gift card.

She stated however that she would investigate further with TFG head offices and get back to me.

I went to and from Gateway and the Phoenix Plaza for weeks and months on end. I have yet to this date get any positive feedback.

Infact the manager of ASJ had told me that i might have to just take it as a loss. Who treats their customers this way??

I made numerous amounts of calls and spent a substantial amount of money on both airtime and petrol trying to investigate this matter.

Eventually my calls were constantly diverted from one person to another and then nobody was willing to help me.

I then sent an email to TFG head offices on 12 December 2017 explaining my predicament.

Debbie Govender who is area manager for ASJ responded saying that she was going to assist. but it has been more than a year now and she hasnt got back to me

I have pictures of receipts for the putchase of the levis as well as a cash gift receipt. As well as the docket when i returned the jean. And a receipt for the purchase of the watch.

I can forward the sms sent to me as well as the emails that i sent to TFG with regards to what transpired.

It is now 15 January 2018. Almost 2 years since i made the initial purchase of the Levis jeans and still nothing has been done to rectify my situation.

Im expecting a full refund of my cash from the gift receipt. And seeing that i spent ao much of time, effort, airtime and travel fees to try and get information i should be compensated accordingly!!!

Please feel free to contact me after 3 pm as i am at work and cannot entertain private phone calls. PS. I have tried many avenues since 2017 and still have received no joy. This was my last resort. But frankly as a consumer i feel abused and neglected.