DISDAINFUL TREATMENT OF A LOYAL CUSOMER

From an OFF FREE-RANGE CHICKEN to a ‘MISSING’ proof of payment of account WOOLWORTHS –07.10.22 ...I arrive here Nobody is infallible, even the much-respected Woolworths brand. One should always reserve the benefit of doubt before reacting. Over a week ago on 07.10.22, having gone in good faith to make several pre- weekend food purchases on 07.10.22. One of which was a whole free-range chicken. Since I work long hours from home and can barely afford the time to charge out to stock up my fridge and grocery cupboard so, be assured that I went, I shopped and I rushed back home to get back to work after placing the purchased food in my refrigerator. It was only much later when I began to prepare dinner on 07 October, that I discovered that the chicken was 'off'. It is common knowledge that ‘off chicken’ is life threatening. Thus, I cling wrapped it several times over, and placed it into a sealed plastic bag in my freezer in order to return it to Woolworths. However, I woke up with flu on the Saturday 08.10.22 which lingered for several days. This prevented me from returning the bird to Woolworths. However, I did send an email, complete with explanation, plus attachments of photographs showing the date stamp, the Woolworths logo and the cash register slip. I received a reply a few days later acknowledging my ‘disappointment’ and I quote “We are concerned to learn about your experience with our product and have escalated the matter to our technologist who will take it up with the supplier.” woolworths (sic) *** - reference number. I am not sure how long I want to hold a rotten chicken in my small freezer but I am rather surprised that such a straight forward matter needs to go through such rigorous scrutiny. As a long-term card holding customer, I daresay this is a bit of an overreaction which is not conducive to engendering favourable PRO. Over and above all of that, after receiving my October statement, 13.10.22, I was again forced to send another email, this time to the Woolworths accounts/finance department about an error on my current statement to which I attached the POP’s plus explanation regarding their error & which I have yet to receive the COURTESY of a response. Again, I mention that I have been a loyal customer for two or more decades and expected more respect than this. And then to add insult to injury, I received a phone call on 17.10.22 from another Woolworths department within the group, stating that my account is in arrears and before hearing my response, the caller offered me a payment arrangement. I informed her that I had in fact paid the account and had proof of payment on file. I also mentioned that in twenty something years of being a customer, I have never reneged on an account payment. I was furnished with an unknown email address requesting that I provide my Proof of Payment/s (2) which I informed them were made via eft on 05.10.22. I cc’d woolworths payments (where the statements are sent from) Once again, I have NOT been offered the courtesy of a confirmed receipt of my email/s in spite of my request for them to do so. The caller informed me that the answer to my account status will take seven days before I can be provided with a resolution. THIS IN SPITE OF A BANK CONFIRMED PAYMENT! –The frustration is unspeakable? Notwithstanding the utter inconvenience of it all!

Diane