Boardmans client waiting for refund, seven months on
Times Media consumer writer Wendy Knowler writes a weekly column on issues affecting consumers. If you have something you would like her to investigate, send queries to: Follow her on Twitter:
AS WITH conventional shopping, customer service is the key differentiator when it comes to online shopping.
Providing a great choice of products at a competitive price is the relatively easy part – making the consumer want to choose to spend with you, again and again, is where the real challenge lies.
Getting the right product to the customer in the promised time, is a basic expectation, but, ultimately, it’s the online retailer which finds ways of making the customer feel valued and appreciated, that’s going to win their hearts – along with their wallets.
Sadly, one online retailer appears to be struggling even with the basics of service delivery.
A survey on South Africa’s online shopping sites early last year, rated Boardmans as the worst in South Africa, saying: “There are no words to describe our horrific experience”.
Responding at the time, Edcon told me that while it was pleased with the commercial success of its sites, “we acknowledge challenges relating to our post-purchase services with the recently launched Boardmans online offerings. We are addressing these to improve our customer experience”.
I wondered how successful they were with that, after hearing a complaint from Mahlatse Lesese of Pretoria, who said: “I am desperate for assistance in resolving this outstanding matter with Boardmans online store that I have been pursuing since November 2015 to no avail.
Lesese placed an initial pillow order totalling around R5 500, but was contacted and told the pillows were out of stock, so the value of the pillows was refunded, and the rest of the order delivered in the promised time.
Lesese placed a second order for bedding and bath items a few days later, that time came to a total of about R15 500.
Then came a call to tell her the duvet inners she had paid for, were out of stock, and she was refunded for those. But when the order arrived, Lesese discovered that another seven items were missing.
Lesese immediately alerted Boardmans, giving them precise details about what had been delivered and what had not.
Promised feedback didn’t happen; Lesese had to call back repeatedly, and was often put on hold.
Suffice to say that when Lesese contacted me she’d been owed R1400 as a refund from Boardmans for seven long months.
I took up her case with Edcon, pointing out that interest should be added to the amount Lesese was owed, because had she owed Edcon that sum for seven months, she would no doubt have been handed over to debt collectors – and would now be liable for interest and costs, on top of the capital amount.
Boardmans online spokesman said Lesese’s experience was “simply unacceptable”. She should have been refunded immediately he said.
“As a matter of urgency we have re-engineered our processes to ensure a quicker turnaround to our customers.
“We ask our customers to be a little bit more patient with us as we iron out some systems issues and work toward a much improved online shopping experience.”
There was no comment on my suggestion that interest be added to the sum she has been owed.
Lesese was contacted by an Edcon representative last Monday, who apologised to her and said she would be refunded by the end of that day.
But that did not happen – and still hasn’t. Lesese can only expect her refund sometime this week; something about their bank initially being given the wrong card number for her.
On Thursday, Edcon gave Lesese a R1 000 online voucher “to show how sorry we are for the delay”.
No thanks, she said: “I've honestly lost all confidence in your online system for obvious reasons. I'd prefer to do all my purchases in store, so would prefer the voucher to be in that format”.
Edcon obliged with a gift card.