SA Rocks

Huh? Encourage complaints? Why would I do that? Well, forward-thinking companies encourage their customers to complain, and the sooner the better. If you think this sounds counter-intuitive, read on:

1. Things do go wrong from time to time. The good news is that if you fix the problem quickly and effectively, you will win a customer for life.
2. It costs way more to get a new customer than it does to retain an existing customer – in some sectors it costs up to five times more. So it makes sense to keep the customers you have happy.
3. Research shows that for every cent a company spends on improved customer service, they see a return on investment of 34% to a massive 400%.
4. Most people, 60 – 75 %, will do business with a company again if it deals with a customer service issue fairly – even if the result is not in their favour.
5. If you resolve a complaint quickly and with little fuss on the part of the customer, studies show that nine out of 10 customers will buy your product or use your service again.
6. Typically we tell more people about bad service than good service. And thanks to the impact of the Internet, the number of people that can be reached about poor service has just sky rocketed. United Airlines found this out when 5.8 million people watched the clip “United Breaks Guitars” on YouTube.
7. It’s the law! The Consumer Protection Act will come into effect in South Africa in October 2010. This law makes South African consumers some of the most protected in the world, and also gives customers the right to be heard and receive compensation if they have been unfairly treated. This specifies that businesses need to offer accessible complaints and compensation methods.
8. 90% of customers don’t complain directly to the company. They simply take their business elsewhere and tell all their friends.
9. Up to 75% of people who lodge a complaint on getclosure say they tried to approach the company and weren’t happy with how their complaint was dealt with, or that they simply did not get a response.
10. Also thanks to the Internet, it is so much easier to get comparative ratings of companies before you decide where you want to spend your money. If you haven’t been dealing with complaints effectively, your rankings are going to reflect this.

Can you think of other good reasons to encourage complaints? Jot them down below.

You can find out more about customer service by checking out our Don’t Complain Campaign.

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Family members of mine do some of the most awe-inspiring and respectable work that I know of in South Africa.

A quick note about Footprints:

P.L.A.Y. (Participating in the Lives of Africa’s Youth)

In 2005, the Zafiropoulos family made the decision to open their home & Footprints was born.
Footprints is a registered section 21 company, Governed by two directors & six associate members. All assist on a voluntary basis.

PASSION is at the heart of all we do…

Footprints was birthed from the passion of Terry & Yolanda Zafiropoulos to take care of orphaned & abandoned children.

We have worked withthe following organisations since 1997:

* Departmentof Social Welfare
* Fosterparenting
* Counselling
* Place ofsafety, SAP Child Protection Unit
* AlcoholicsAnonymous
* NarcoticsAnonymous
* Family andMarriage Counselling of South Africa – FAMSA
* Child inCrisis Foundation
* UnitedChristians Against Narcotics – UCAN
* Various SAschools and children’s homes

Footprints (www.footprintsplay.co.za) are hosting a show on the 12th Nov 2009 at the Barnyard in Cresta and we look so forward to seeing you all there for a fabulous evening of fun..

The show is `Rocking all over the world`

The Barnyard Theatre will have audiences rocking from New York to Johannesburg, Sydney to London and Paris to Vancouver. Rocking All Over The World features hits from a dozen different destinations, whisking audiences across the globe for the hottest musical journey this summer.

Guided by (air) hostess Bronwyn Evans, audiences will need to hold on to their seats as the whirlwind tour begins in Canada as their musical icons such as Celine Dion and Bryan Adams are paid tribute to with hits such as Power of Love and Heaven.

The flight then heads across the Atlantic to Europe where stops are made in Ireland, France, Spain, Sweden and England. Think U2, Edith Piaf, the Gipsy Kings, ABBA, George Michael, Amy Winehouse and Queen, amongst others. The party really gets going before interval with hits such as Pride, Volare, Faith and We Will Rock You.

The second half kicks off Down Under with the likes of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck and Men at Work’s Who Can It Be Now. Audiences then wing their way across the Pacific to South America with the sultry sounds of Carlos Santana and Shakira with Smooth and Objection (Tango). The next destination is the home of reggae, Jamaica, where tribute is paid to the legendary Bob Marley.

Then it’s off to the US of A where you get a taste of country music, washed down with a bit of Neil Diamond and finished off with the pop icons Madonna, Michael Jackson and Tina Turner. A fleeting transit is made in Greece where audiences are entertained with Zorba the Greek, before the round-the-world trip comes to an end. Touch down on home soil for the big finale with Johnny Clegg’s Impi and Mango Groove’s Special Star.

Rocking All Over The World is a party for everyone and will have you rocking from the first number to the final anthem. So get out your dancing shoes and come rocking all over the world!

They need to sell 450 tickets in order for our evening to be a success.

I would like to appeal to you and your companies to support this worthy cause by buying tickets to the shows, sponsoring prizes for the raffle or donating items big and small for an auction we are planning.

Tickets:

Tables of 8 = R1200
Tables of 10 = R1500
Tables of 12 = R1800

All single tickets are R150.00 each

For tickets please contact Lisa on 0828712735 or Yolanda on 0828291680

There is a cash bar available.

You may bring in your own platters or Picinic baskets, there are also a number of Restaurants which will deliver food to you.
There is a pizzeria on site for lovely hot pizza’s.

Please transfer the money by EFT to Footprints Bank account and fax or mail the proof of payment to bestcater@icon.co.za. They will then send you your tickets for the show.

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Google maps recently launched in South Africa (recently as in yesterday). So I had an idea that we should try to plot a map group of the most rocking things to do, places to go, see and visit in South Africa for tourists and locals alike to check out.

So my request is simple. If you want to assist me in building the South Africa Rocks Google Map then leave a comment below and I’ll drop you a collaboration invite and you can tell the world about your favourite spots in SA!

Some thoughts about what to tag:

Restaurants
Live music venues
Shopping centres
Running routes
Parks
Kid-friendly spots
Hotels
Lodges
Bnb’s
Backpackers
Resorts
Golfing venues
Hiking areas
Swimming areas
Beaches

I’m also calling out some good folk to help out and list 10 of their favourite locations!

Mike
Wezzo
From-The-Couch
Vincent
Khaya
CherryFlava
2OceansVibe
Chris
JustBcoz
Cath

Your invites are in the mail!

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Fokof, fokof polisieman fokjou.

Now that is alot of swearing in Afrikaans, but these are the words that first opened my eyes to the incredibly cultish Afrikaans rock band, Fokofpolisiekar.

Watching the trailer above makes we want to fly to this bands next gig and throw my panties at them (I’d start wearing panties just so I could throw them!).

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This trailer has been doing the rounds in the SA world of blogging. But since I figure my readers are so loyal I best post it up here on SA Rocks.

The trailer gave me goosebumps, I think less about the actual movie and more about the events that unfolded and the fact that they had actually been turned in to a movie. Here it is:

So I did some web research (the only sort there is) and discovered the following about “Invictus”:

“Invictus” is a short poem by the British poet William Ernest Henley. The title is Latin for “unconquered”.[1] It was first published in 1875. – source

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Jo’burg Child Welfare is celebrating 100 years of caring for abused, abandoned and neglected children. To mark this milestone join them on Sunday December 6 2009 at The Melrose Arch Piazza in Johannesburg for a day of family fun.

There will be kiddies entertainment as well as an extreme zone. Come and enjoy the Mediterranean market, try your luck in the silent auction and enjoy a sunset concert featuring local artists.

Jo’burg Child Welfare (JCW) has been at the forefront of providing direct services to children, families and communities in distress since 1909. Last financial year, they reached over 45,000 underprivileged children, families and communities through a team of dedicated and highly qualified professionals who extended vital care and support to those in need.

For more info please contact us at communications@jhbchildwelfare.org.za

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This competition has been running for a week or two over at Afrigator and now SA Rocks is jumping on the band wagon. And why would we not jump on board to help you, our loyal readers, win a dinner with the incredible band, The Parlotones.

Competition rules are below:

Afrigator / Parlotones Hands on Wine dinner competition rules

These rules (“these rules”) govern entries into the Afrigator / Parlotones Hands on Wine dinner competition (“this competition”). If you enter the competition you agree to be bound by these rules. Should you elect not to be bound by these rules, your entry will not be considered as a valid entry into the competition.

This competition is being run by Afrigator Internet (Pty) Ltd in conjunction with Hands on Wine (Pty) Ltd, A company called it and The Parlotones band (“The Organisers”).

In order to enter this competition and be considered for the prize, you must:

own a blog that you regularly maintain (“your blog”);
ensure that your blog has been registered on Afrigator.com;
create a blog post (“your blog post”) on your blog, before the closing date, that mentions the Giant Mistake wine somewhere in the content of the post;
post a link back to the Giant Mistake wine website located at http://theparlotoneswine.com on your blog post.
By entering this competition you confirm that you are at least 18 years of age.

This competition ends at midnight on the 31st of October 2009. The winners of this competition (“prizewinner”) will be selected on or before 7 November 2009 and will be notified by the contact email address supplied when registering on Afrigator.com as well as on http://blog.afrigator.com. If the prizewinner fails to contact us the judges will be forced to allocate a new winner for the competition.

This competition is only open to residents of South Africa.

There are two prizes available for this competition.

Dinner with The Parlotones band at a venue in Johannesburg
Dinner with The Parlotones band at a venue in Cape Town
Two different entrants are entitled to winning a prize. One prizewinner residing in Johannesburg and one prizewinner residing in Cape Town will be selected to attend the prize in the city they reside in.

Transport to and from the venue does not form part of the prize and is for the prizewinners own account.

Accommodation in Cape Town or Johannesburg does not form part of the prize.

The outcome of the competition is subject to the decision of The Organisers of the competition, whose decision is final, and no negotiations and or correspondence will be entered into after the fact.

Participants enter the competition at their own risk and The Organisers bear no responsibility for any loss, damage or harm suffered as a result of participation in the competition.

If The Organisers are unable to deliver a prize to a winner or if a winner fails to claim the prize then the prize concerned shall be forfeited.

The Organisers reserve the right to redistribute all unclaimed prizes if not claimed after one week after being given away.

Prizes may not be exchanged for cash or any other prize, nor are they transferable to any person other than the prizewinner.

No employees and immediate family of The Organisers nor their PR or advertising agents are allowed to participate.

The Organisers reserve the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend, alter, amend or close the competition as necessary.

The participants entering or taking part in this competition authorise The Organisers to publish any or all the details of the participant and or to take pictures of the participant without any liability on the part of The Organisers and or remuneration due to the participant.

If you are the prizewinner of the competition, you will need to make yourself available to attend the dinner (“claim the prize”) on a date specified by The Organisers. Should you not be able to claim the prize on the date specified then The Organisers will be forced to allocate a new winner for the competition.

No personal information will be disclosed to third parties without the user’s permission.

In the case of any disputes regarding these rules the decision of The Organisers will be final and binding and no correspondence will be entered into.

The laws of the Republic of South Africa govern this competition. You consent to the jurisdiction of a Magistrates Court in the Republic of South Africa, which has jurisdiction in respect of any dispute arising out of any aspect of this competition.

The Organisers may amend these rules from time to time in writing without notice to you. It is your responsibility to check for updates and amendments to these rules. To the extent these rules constitute an agreement between you and The Organisers, you agree that these rules may only be amended, in writing, by The Organisers.

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Did you know that there are literally hundreds of organisations in South Africa that offer complaints services to provide assistance with resolving consumer complaints and grievances. Our partner in the Don’t Complain Campaign, getclosure, describes these remedy providers as “champions”, “enforcers” or “facilitators”.

Champions are organisations that pursue complaints on behalf of customers. The National Consumer Forum is one example. Well-known consumer journalist, Kim Novick on radio station 702, is another example.

Enforcers are organisations that have power conferred by legislation to impose decisions that are binding on customers and their suppliers. Examples include the Consumer Court and regulators such as the National Credit Regulator. Another example would be the Ombudsman established in terms of the Financial Advisors and Intermediary Services Act.

Facilitators are organisations that provide services to assist the resolution of customers’ complaints against certain suppliers but that do not have powers conferred by legislation.  Examples include industry-based ombuds such as the Press Ombudsman and in-house ombuds such as the Mail&Guardian Ombudsman. Another example is the South African Tourism Services Association (SATSA), a voluntary association that undertakes to investigate complaints against its members.

Getclosure, the online complaints management and consumer affairs portal, has compiled a useful list of remedy providers with their contact details:

Facilitators

Champions

Enforcers

It’s worth noting, however, that most of these organisations prefer for you to have attempted to resolve the complaint yourself. We recommend the following:

1. Attempt to sort out the issue with the service provider on the spot. (Check out our guide to complaining effectively.)
2. If you get no joy – submit your complaint to getclosure, who will make sure that the correct person in the organisation receives it.
3. If the supplier is being particularly obstinate, escalate your complaint to the appropriate remedy provider.

So the next time you feel like you are one lone voice shouting into gale when you are trying to resolve a tricky customer service complaint, remember there are a number of organisations you can turn to for help.

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That’s right, people of South Africa, don’t complain.

Definitely don’t complain if you don’t want:

• better service
• better value for money
• to get what you pay for
• to stop being ripped off
• safe and secure products and services
• to stop receiving pesky sales calls at all hours from pushy sales people
• tourists to return to our beautiful country and to tell all their friends to book holidays here
• to educate your children on how to effectively demand better service
• to make a change

I’d like to challenge the notion that South Africa is a nation of whingers. We’ll grumble into our glass of wine at the bar on Friday night, and mutter into our beers over our Sunday braai about poor service and how we are ripped off. But how often do we take deliberate action to improve the situation? From complaining effectively and following complaints through to resolution, to promoting a ground swell of public opinion that stops supporting poor performing suppliers and starts holding them accountable for their lack of service delivery.

Inspired by the recent US election campaign urging the American public to “Don’t vote” if they didn’t want change, SA Rocks, in conjunction with getclosure, the online complaints management and consumer affairs portal, today launched an initiative to motivate South Africans to become conscious consumers, and to educate them on how to complain effectively.

The campaign aims to help consumers to affect and effect positive change. This includes:

• Getting better service and value for money.
• Holding South African companies accountable for what they promise and what they agree to give in return for your money.
• Preventing others and yourself from being ripped off.
• Helping make South Africa a holiday destination with world-class service, as well as natural beauty.

With less than a year to the start of the FIFA World Cup, the clock is ticking for South African businesses to prepare for the anticipated estimate of in excess of 500,000 visitors, all of whom we want to return home having had positive experiences.

By not complaining though, South African business will continue to deliver the same level of service – service which is very often sub-standard.

HOW TO COMPLAIN

That’s all very well, but what is the best way to go about complaining about poor service? Once you have established that you do indeed have a legitimate complaint, here are a few handy hints about tackling shoddy customer service without losing your cool, and still arriving at a satisfactory outcome. Read more…

HOW DO I GET INVOLVED IN THE DON’T COMPLAIN CAMPAIGN?

Firstly, complain and encourage others to do the same. If you experience poor customer service, speak up. If you need a hand, the getclosure site is a quick, easy and effective way to have your complaint delivered to the organisation. On the flipside, if you experience spectacular service, make an effort to compliment the organisation involved. You can do this via getclosure as well.

Visit our Don’t Complain page and download one of the badges to help spread the word. Add the badge to your website, blog, Facebook page or Twitter stream.

Most importantly, be cognisant of service levels in South Africa. Understand why they are important, and hold people and companies accountable for their performance. It’s your hard-earned cash being spent, after all.

Watch this space for more news, tips and events.

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It’s all very well rabbiting on about South Africans needing to stop whinging and start being constructive about tackling poor customer service, but what is the best way to go about complaining about poor service? Here are some top tips from getclosure, who we are partnering for the Don’t Complain campaign.

Once you have established that you do indeed have a legitimate complaint, here’s how to tackle shoddy customer service without losing your cool, and still get a satisfactory outcome.

Raise the issue immediately – obviously first prize is to have your problem sorted out then and there. Free car hire on your next holiday is not the same has having the car you booked provided on time, clean and in good working condition.

Be clear on what the problem is and how you would like it to be fixed. “I asked for my steak to be medium rare, not well done, please would you replace it?” is far more productive than “Your restaurant is a disgrace and I’ll never eat here again!”

Stay calm. As frustrating as the situation may be, you are more likely to get a good response if you remain polite and assertive. Remember you are speaking to another person.

If the person you are talking to is unhelpful or seems unable to do anything about your request, ask to speak to someone more senior in the organisation. Unfortunately many companies still don’t empower their staff to quickly rectify complaints using their own initiative.

If you have the patience to deal with a call centre, take down the details of whom you spoke to, the time of the call, and a reference number. This will make follow-ups easier (and is useful info to include if you lodge a complaint on getclosure).

If you still don’t arrive at a satisfactory outcome, or can’t stand to deal with call centres , submit your complaint for free at getclosure and the online service will get the complaint to the appropriate person in the organization that can do something about it.

And join our campaign to raise customer service levels in South Africa – find out more here.

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