SA Rocks

With just a week to go until the World Cup kicks off, suppliers need to make sure that their customer service is in top shape to retain their regular customers and attract international visitors.

Judging by the feedback on getclosure, the following companies are doing just that:

Supplier: First National Bank
Customer: Precious Ibeakuzie
Date of Occurrence: 2 June 2010

Compliment: Thanks to the FNB Smart Spend loan dept. A special thanks to Anthea Freedman and Sthandwa, you guys really give excellent customer service , you go all out to make sure that your clients are happy…really appreciated!

Supplier: City of Joburg
Customer: Faith
Date of Occurrence: 31 May 2010

Compliment:  Rose on 011 375 5555 made calling City Of Joburg quite pleasant today, she was so patient and helped me right till the query was done, thanks Rose !

Supplier: KFC , Commercial Road, Pietermaritzburg
Customer: Alison Walne
Date of Occurrence: 30 May 2010

Compliment:  I would like to compliment the staff at this branch of KFC for their incredible service. Shabna at the drive through cashier window is fantastic and the staff at the other driver through window are always great – Thank you.

Supplier: SA Police Brooklyn Pretoria
Customer: Robert Jewell
Date of Occurrence: 25 May 2010

Compliment:  After a burglary the police were at the premises in approximately 10 minutes, the fingerprint unit arrived during the course of the day, and the CID members also visited the premises 1 day later. Great job!!!!!!

Supplier: Vodacom
Customer: Magdalena J J Page
Date of Occurrence: 24 May 2010

Compliment:  Well done – you are excellent. I wish more suppliers would display the efficiency and competency level that you have in dealing with my query/complaint.

As consumers we also have an important role to play in terms of getting customer service in SA up to scratch.  In line with the Don’t Complain Campaign, make sure that your voice is heard: give suppliers constructive criticism and compliments directly or via www.getclosure.co.za

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Based on user feedback on independent complaints portal getclosure, Pick n Pay has done a great job of responding to their customers’ feedback over the past year.

From 1 March 2009 – 28 February 2010, an impressive 88% of Pick n Pay customers were satisfied or better with the outcome of their complaints submitted on getclosure, and 87% were satisfied or better with the way their complaints were handled.

Here are a couple of examples of positive feedback submitted by consumers closing their complaints on getclosure:

Supplier: Pick n Pay
Supplier Branch: Hyper by the sea
Customer: Shereen Brijlall
Date of Occurrence: 12 March 2010

Compliment:

Dear Ravi
Just to say thank you and all for attending to my complaint… you guys are extremely on the ball and that is what customer service is all about. I can admit that I only shop at Pick n Pay and will continue to do so only because of proactive staff like you and the rest that took my call. Please forward this onto your Manager because you are outstanding in your position. Keep up the good work.

Supplier: Pick n Pay
Supplier Branch: Hazeldean
Customer: Lesley Stead
Date of Occurrence: 4 March 2010
Compliment:

I would firstly like to thank Mmapula Sebati and Jade de Preez for their quick response to my complaint. They offered me a complete refund or replacement of the damaged school bag I had complained about. I would also like to thank both Ronald Mashao (Floor Manager at Hazeldean) and Els Hoek (Customer Services Manager at Hazeldean) for their extremely efficient and friendly service. Thank you to all involved.

In line with the Don’t Complain Campaign, remember that suppliers need your feedback in order to enhance their products and service.  Click here to compliment a South African company and your feedback will be published in the getclosure Compliments section; or submit a complaint to give a supplier some constructive criticism and getclosure will deliver it directly to them.

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Most of us take a couple of days to dust away the cobwebs and get back into the swing of things after the festive season madness.  The same often applies for suppliers and retailers, so it’s great to read a stream of compliments on the getclosure! website about SA suppliers that are already on the ball in terms of customer service (see below).

In line with the Don’t Complain Campaign, remember that suppliers need your feedback to improve their service – if you’ve experienced great service, click here to share your story and it will be published in the getclosure compliments section; if you’ve experienced shoddy service then submit a complaint and give the supplier some constructive criticism.

Top 5 compliments submitted in 2010:

Supplier: FNB
Supplier Branch: Musgrave, Durban
Customer: Samu Africander
Date of Occurrence: 19 January 2010
Compliment:

The service at FNB overall has been phenomenal since I started banking there May 1997. However, FNB Musgrave has a gem of an employee – Tessa Crowie goes above and beyond. She takes time in assisting you in whatever query you may have. You leave the bank completely satisfied. The slogan ‘How can we help you’ is what she truly asks and succeeds in doing at the end of the day. Thank you Tessa and Thank you FNB for having employees of such a calibre.

Supplier: Virgin Active
Supplier Branch: Call Centre
Customer: Emma
Date of Occurrence: 18 January 2010
Compliment:

Thank you to Gillian for being so efficient and friendly on the phone this morning.

Supplier: Protea Hotel
Supplier Branch: Karridene
Customer: Bradley Padayachee
Date of Occurrence: 15 January 2010
Compliment:

Protea Hotel Karridene is one the most Family Orientated Hotels that I have been to in a very long time. All hats to the staff at PH Karridene for making my families stay one to remember and we will be back soon with more to join our lasting experience.

Supplier: Just Group Africa
Supplier Branch:
Customer: Amanda
Date of Occurrence: 7 January 2010
Compliment:

Genuinely quick and without fuss. The branding payments is prompt, the call centers is helpful. I’m driving my own car instead of wishing I could. Thanks Just Group Africa.

Supplier: Appliance King
Supplier Branch: Durban
Customer: MR. S. Roux
Date of Occurrence: 1 January 2010
Compliment:

A big thank you to the management and staff for your prompt service over the festive period. I cannot thank you guys enough for delivering my television on new years eve as promised. This is what I call service. I have sent a letter to my Insurer, complementing your service. I wish you all the very best for 2010.

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Here is the next batch of tips to keep in mind when the Consumer Protection Act comes into effect in October 2010. Until then, remember that you can use the getclosure complaints management system to submit complaints about any South African supplier. All businesses have the opportunity to respond to your complaints via a discreet channel to resolve the situation.

1. When the Act comes into effect you will have the right to return goods bought as a result of direct marketing, as long as you do so within 5 business days from when the transaction or agreement was concluded or from the date that the goods were delivered to you (which ever is the later date).
2. When it comes to cancelling bookings, orders and reservations, suppliers have the right to charge a reasonable cancellation fee, so be sure to keep track of all your appointments to avoid these penalties.
3. If you order products or goods based on a sample or details in a catalogue, the goods must correspond in all material respects and characteristics with this description or sample.

Click here to read part one and part two of this series.

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Following on from my first post about the Consumer Protection Act, here are a couple more bite-sized chunks about the new legislation to help you get to grips with how it will affect your life and help you to realise your rights as a South African citizen.

1. The Act protects you against a range of discriminatory marketing practices. In a nutshell this means that suppliers cannot unfairly exclude you from accessing a good or service if you meet the necessary basic requirements. An example of a ‘necessary requirement’ is being eighteen or older to purchase alcohol.

2. Many of you will be relieved to hear that the automatic renewal of contracts for a fixed length will be a thing of the past. You will also be able to cancel a contract at any time, subject to certain conditions. Click here to find out more about these conditions.

3. Can suppliers charge more than they quote for? The short answer is no. Not unless you have authorised them to continue working once they have exceeded the original estimate.

Let us know if you have any questions, and look out for part three in this series next week.

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In line with the Don’t Complain Campaign, we would like to congratulate South African businesses that have listened to their customers feedback and have impressed them with top quality customer service.  Here are a couple of great examples from the getclosure compliments section:

Supplier: First National Bank
Supplier Branch: Constantia Village
Customer: Debbie Lewis
Date of Occurrence: 6 November 2009
Compliment:

I am due to travel to Australia this weekend and went to F&B to increase my International Daily Limit to be used at the ATM when I arrive. I was helped by Gillian Cloete and had stunning service, quick, efficient and she was so pleasant going about all of this, as this is not my branch she had to fax to get permission but kept me in the loop all the way. Well done for excellent customer service!! As I have a Recruitment Business I am always on the look out for great customer service staff…well she would sure be on the top of my wish list and get mentioned everytime I need to induct staff!!! Well done once again for that pleasant smile and willingness to go the extra mile.
Thank You F&B and Gillian Cloete

Supplier: Nando’s
Supplier Branch:
Customer: Gustav Heuer
Date of Occurrence: 9 November 2009
Compliment:

It’s really good to know that there are people out there who really care about customer service. I would like to thank David Butler (CEO Nando’s) for his personal contribution towards solving the matter. Keep it up.

Supplier: Lewis Stores
Supplier Branch: Wynberg
Customer: Heidi Lawrence
Date of Occurrence: 9 November 2009
Compliment:

Your website has proved to be swift and effective! Thank You getclosure! Thank You Lewis Stores for being so efficient! You guy’s are fantastic!

Supplier: Internet Express
Supplier Branch: Johannesburg
Customer: Tamara Pascall
Date of Occurrence: 10 November 2009
Compliment:

Thank you – I have only used your service 3 or 4 times but will continue to do so and will recommend you to everyone. The service is fast and efficient and your drivers are incredibly friendly. Thanks for great service.

Supplier: Appliance King
Supplier Branch: Durban
Customer: Mr. William Swart
Date of Occurrence: 12 November 2009
Compliment:

Good Morning Mr.Mohammed.
It has been quite a long time since I’ve had the pleasure of such outstanding service as you provided me today. Your initial response to our problem was timely; you were on time for your service call; you diagnosed the problem and its cause promptly and knew exactly how to solve that problem (which was not easy). I wish you and your company the very best of success. A big thank you to you and your staff.

Click here for more.

Where have you had great service recently? If you’d like to share your positive experience with us, click here to submit a compliment on getclosure.

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Did you know that thanks to the Consumer Protection Act, South Africans will be amongst the best protected consumers in the world – from October 2010 when the law comes into effect.

Of course the legislation is not worth the paper it’s written on, if we as consumers don’t know what our rights are. On the other hand, no-one really wants to read a hundred-and-something page Act to find out all the details.

With this in mind, and as part of the Don’t Complain Campaign, we’ve put together a series of short snippets that will help you to get to grips with the nitty-gritty details of the new Consumer Protection Act and understand how they affect your life. Here’s part one:

Did you know?

1. The first question that most people ask is “Why has the Consumer Protection Act been introduced?” The succinct answer is to promote and advance the economic and social welfare of consumers and to ensure that they are better protected and empowered to realise their rights. To find out more, read our “Policy Objectives of the Consumer Protection Bill” post.

2. A franchisee may cancel a franchise agreement without cost or penalty within 10 business days after signing such agreement, by giving written notice to the franchisor.

3. How does the Consumer Protection Act relate to direct marketing? Great news – the two go hand-in-hand. The Act states that you have the right to refuse to accept direct marketing and that you can require it to be discontinued. The Act also gives the Consumer Commission the go ahead to establish a registry where consumes can register a pre-emptive block against any communication that is primarily for the purpose of direct marketing. The DTI Minister may prescribe specific days, dates, public holidays or times of days when suppliers must not engage in any direct marketing aimed at a consumer at home for any promotional purpose.

Any questions or comments? Give us a shout.

Like this post? Stay tuned for more tips next week.

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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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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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