Complaint Regarding Customer Service Experience at Mr Price Home Northgate Mall and Online Purchases

I am writing to express my disappointment regarding the experience I had at one of your Mr Price Home stores while trying to exchange a damaged dinner set that had been purchased for me online as a gift.

I received the dinner set on Monday, only to discover that two of the plates were broken inside the box. Today, I went to the store to exchange the damaged items, but unfortunately the service and comments I received from staff members were extremely unprofessional and unpleasant.

When I first approached one of the employees and explained that I was there to exchange the damaged plates, she asked where the item had been purchased. I explained that it had been bought online as a gift. Her immediate response was that “these are not the type of things to be bought online because obviously the trucks would cause such things.” I chose not to respond to the comment at the time, despite finding it unnecessary and inappropriate.

After directing me to the tills, a second unpleasant interaction occurred. Upon explaining the situation again, the employees at the till began making comments such as “online is always an issue” and “there are always broken items.” Once again, I ignored the remarks and proceeded to collect the replacement items.

When I returned, another employee — whom I assumed was a supervisor — questioned whether I had checked the box. I explained that I preferred to check it at the till point. During the exchange process, another employee then commented that next time my friend should rather buy me a voucher instead of purchasing porcelain items online.

At that point, I asked a genuine question: if employees themselves have so many concerns and complaints regarding glass/porcelain items bought online, why are such products still being sold online? Instead of answering professionally, I was met with uncomfortable looks from the staff members.

What made the experience upsetting was not the damaged plates themselves, but the repeated comments and judgement directed at me as a customer. Internal frustrations regarding online orders should not be communicated to customers in this manner, especially not repeatedly and in front of other customers.

I also found myself questioning whether this treatment is considered normal at that branch, or whether I was undermined because I appear young. When I later told my 16-year-old niece about the experience, her response was, “I’m not shocked, that’s how they are.” That alone should be concerning.

I believe some conversations are better kept amongst employees and management, rather than being projected onto customers who are simply trying to resolve an issue professionally.

I hope this feedback is taken seriously and that staff members receive guidance on professionalism, customer engagement, and handling online order concerns appropriately.