I was invited a few years back to share my experiences and thoughts on the South African media industry with PhD students.
They were no doubt savvy students, whose area of study was political science. It was an interesting interactive session and I was soon speaking about one of the roles of journalists of highlighting challenges confronting their respective audiences. As it turned out, the focus turned to consumerism. I said something to the effect that consumers are now and again hard-done by through the unacceptable conduct of business houses. No sooner had I uttered those words, than a student argued that I was not totally accurate. Before I could react, he added that some consumers endured the wrong end of the stick almost daily and there were those who suffered prejudice more than once a day by ruthless store owners. The reality of the consumer crisis once again numbingly hit home. It has been my contention post-1994 that the country needs to engender a strong culture of consumerism. The old regime masterfully engineered a system that unequivocally handed the upper hand to the businessman – profit-making, even at the expense of the rueful customers, held sway.
As we mark Consumer Month, it is no secret consumers are still getting a raw deal. The arrogance of those seeking to line their pockets continues unabated. Prices advertised, quoted or marked on products are flouted, the correct change is not given, wrong products of an inferior quality are delivered, and aftersales service is non-existent. These are but a few examples of deviant acts perpetrated by a sizeable number of companies against customers.
I once purchased a 6kg washing machine only to have a 5kg one delivered. Needless to say, I promptly had it returned and the situation was remedied. Another nauseating practice is sales staff resorting to “emotional blackmail” to force the sale of an item. Defaulting organisations take their supporters for granted – they, at their peril, do not subscribe to the mantra that the “customer is king”. The overarching dilemma is that the vast majority of people are unaware of their rights. Moreover, should a customer detect some “funny business”, he or she does not know who to turn to for assistance. Toll-free numbers do not necessarily help the frustrated customer. Sadly, the biggest losers are those most vulnerable in our society – the poor, meek, elderly, illiterate and ignorant. Employees at stores (who at times behave as if they are the owners) become defensive and do all they can to prevent the complainant from gaining access to senior management. In the unlikely event of one reaching a higher authority it can be easily gleaned that communication problems, whether top-down or bottom-up, exist within the organisation. In other words, leadership is lacking whereby the spirit, ethos and culture are not promoted and advanced across the company.
In several instances, my engagement with top-level people revealed the company spent hundreds of thousands of rand on training, yet employees tended to stick to old habits. One has to then question the wisdom in not monitoring performance after training has been undertaken. There are entities who I believe have upped their game in recent times. I’ve had reason on a couple of occasions to seek the co-operation of Telkom and the Department of Home Affairs. The effective and efficient level of service was impressive. And that is not to say that both did not previously endure the wrath of my displeasure for poor responses. The same cannot be said of the Pinetown Licensing Bureau. I sent a complaint about abominable, condescending service last December and some three months later I have yet to receive an acknowledgement leave, alone a reply from the Department of Transport.
An acceptable level of consumerism entails all parties acting in an appropriate manner. It is not only about one’s rights, but responsibilities too. Consumers should also bear the duty of treating others with respect and dignity. I’ve witnessed some members of the public attempting to “extort” from stores far more than they have paid and are entitled to, jumping queues (which infuriates other customers and employees), using filthy language in the presence of women and children and arguing the non-receipt of the right amount of change. Such atrocious consumer behaviour further extends to litter being disposed of willy-nilly.
It is evident much more needs to be undertaken to ensure the ongoing education of consumer rights. The lack of a deep understanding and appreciation of rights has a direct bearing on the economic welfare of the country. No breach of a right should be allowed to go unattended to. It certainly is not a healthy situation for consumers to remain passive and obliging. It is incumbent on all South Africans to ensure a consumer friendly economy. The malaise and mayhem that is presently pervasive must be purged.
– Advocate Robin Sewlal is Associate Director in the Journalism Department at DUT and Commissioner at the BCCSA. He serves on the boards of several organisations.
*Views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those o the Durban University of Technology.
