DR TRILOGY CUSTOMER C. A. R. E
Dr Trilogy Customer C. A. R. E. # 135
I did promise you in module # 134 some recommended customer c. a. re. reading, but this will have to wait for module # 136. My customer c. a. r. e. experiences in the recent weeks needs some urgent ventilation, so here are my module # 135 vents:
Experience # 1:
Because of some fraudulent online purchases utilising my American Express credit card number some time ago, I cancelled the card, and after a couple of months I decided to apply for a replacement. Something went horribly wrong at Nedbank, and when I went to collect the card at the locker, it was not a replacement credit card, but a replacement membership rewards card. Frustrated, I went into the branch, only to be told that I must phone the customer care line( toll free yippee) for assistance. The lady at the branch did advise me to get a reference number and the name of the person assisting me. On the phone, I was redirected twice before getting to someone who could help – she was great, but irritated that the branch staff could not help me, and even more irritated when I asked for her name, as advised. Suffice to say, I was bemused at the level of professionalism from all sides.
Experience # 2:
I have been getting many sms reminders from Clicks, advising me to collect my uConnect sim card at any Clicks branch. I did not apply for this, but I kept on getting an OTP, so I wnet into a Clicks branch, and after telling the lady at the help desk that I did not want this sim card, she said I must just ignore it as Clicks were just trying to get rid of the sim cards! But the reminders kept on coming, so I went into another Clicks branch, only to be told by the lady at the counter that she did not know about this promotion. I left in disbelief.
In conclusion, all I can say is that South Africa’ s retail environment has become a nightmare for the consumer, with very little coordination between the online“ boffins” and the front line“ staff.” Retail therapy has taken on a new stressful meaning, and the bots are getting me to hit the bottle.
Retail Therapy – Not What I Needed! Two of my recent customer“ c. a. r. e.” experiences has confirmed my suspicions that no one cares anymore, and everything is now done without thinking, and #$%@ the consequences, with the customer having to face a minefield of absolutely incompetent and untrained staff.
SEPTEMBER 2025 29 WORDS IN ACTION