SA Rocks

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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