Complaint

Good day

I am writing to formally raise a serious complaint regarding the humiliating, disrespectful, and unacceptable treatment I received at Vida Waterstone by staff members Siyasanga and Celiwe.

While seated at the store, I was approached and falsely accused of sitting without purchasing anything. This accusation was completely untrue, as my husband had bought me a cappuccino and croissant, and I have proof of purchase as evidence.

The staff members stated that I “cannot just sit without buying anything” and further accused me of also sitting at the store the previous day without purchasing anything. However, my husband had in fact bought me a cappuccino the previous day did jot sit long and left (who cause to a restaurant or coffee shop and not buy anything this time around the got it all wrong I even used my own WI-FI because the work I do is so confidential for me not to take precautionary measures

When I asked them what would happen if I provided proof that I had purchased items, they continued giving me attitude instead of handling the matter professionally and respectfully. Their behavior made me feel publicly shamed, judged, and humiliated in front of other customers. What made the situation even more upsetting was that while they were focused on me, there was a white male customer sitting and eating a doughnut from Pick n Pay who was not approached or questioned at all. He eventually stood up and left without being confronted.

I questioned why I was being singled out and addressed according to their “rules” while another customer was ignored completely. This made me feel judged, unfairly targeted, and discriminated against. On top of this, I felt that the staff members looked at me judgmentally, gossiped about me, and laughed with their colleagues after confronting me, which added further humiliation and emotional distress.

The manner in which I was approached and spoken to was degrading and damaging to my dignity and character. What concerns me even more is being informed that management is aware that staff members approach customers in this manner. I also believe false information was provided regarding the time I entered the store. For the sake of honesty, fairness, and my dignity, I request that the CCTV footage be reviewed to confirm the exact time I entered the store, the treatment I received, and the events that took place. The footage will clearly support my account and show that I was wrongly accused despite being a paying customer. Due to the seriousness of the humiliation, disrespectful attitude, emotional distress, and the manner in which I was singled out, I do not believe that a simple written apology alone is sufficient to resolve this matter.

What angers me the most is the confidence and comfort with which this was done. The manner in which the staff approached, accused, and humiliated me made it seem as though this is normal behaviour that has happened before and has never been properly addressed by management. No employee would feel this comfortable publicly embarrassing a customer unless they believed there would be no consequences for their actions. Instead of handling the matter professionally or verifying facts before accusing me, I was judged, disrespected, and made to feel small in front of other customers. This experience was deeply upsetting I am formally requesting that this matter be taken seriously and escalated to senior management, as I will not accept being dismissed or ignored after being publicly humiliated and falsely accused in a professional business environment.