When customer service does matter

Last week I visited my local Pick 'n Pay Hypermarket in search of a Satellite Navigation device which I had already looked for in several different shops, and found was cheapest at my Pick 'n Pay.

What followed was on of the worst customer service experiences I have ever had the misfortune of enduring.....

However, rather than just go to another vendor for the device (at slightly higher price) I decided that I would also complain formally, as I was THAT angry about what had happened.

While the Pick 'n Pay website is not perhaps the easiest piece of website design to navigate, I did manage to find a facility to send in comments, and I duly sent my 532 word comment - or rather complaint.

To their credit, Pick 'n Pay have responded to that complaint.
Not only did the store manager personally call my office, leaving not 1 but two messages on consecutive days seeing for me to call him back, but I received an email from the General Manager, apologising for my experience.

It is often easy to just accept bad service as an unfortunate element of life; humans seem loathe to complain or ruffle feathers.
But when someone does pluck up the courage to raise the attention of senior management to particularly poor customer service, it is rewarding and gratifying that management actually listen to those comments, and take the time to respond in person.

Pick 'n Pay have certainly regained a customer, just by a returned phone call and an email.