Truworths review: customer service and relations 1

I purchased a few items to the value of R2528.00 from Truworths St George's Mall in Cape Town on 14th February 2020 (a leather bag, a long formal/evening dress for a wedding, a wrap to suit the dress and costume jewelry to round off the outfit).

Before the clerk rang up the items, I asked if I could return any if I wasn't happy for whatever reason ( I prefer not to fit in a store) and I was told that would not be a problem.

I was paying via my debit card (in other words cash from my account immediately) hence the question - if a store does not accept returns I don't make any purchase.

The very next week I noticed that the stitching on the leather bag was coming undone and I returned to the store to exchange the bag. I had lost my receipt somehow and the clerk then consulted with the store supervisor.

The supervisor (Aysha I think) said I needed to produce my bank statement as evidence of the transaction. I told her that I did not want a re-fund but rather an exchange as I like the bag.
I also told her that I had the transaction on my mobile banking app which she accepted and the bag was exchanged.

I had a chance to fit the dress over the past weekend but sadly it did not fit and was way too long. I returned to the store this morning and told the security at the store that I needed to make an exchange. He acknowledged and I proceeded to select two other dresses before I went to the counter as before.

The store clerk was very polite but to my horror the same supervisor (Aysha) then decided that she was not going to allow the exchange because I did not have a receipt. When I reminded her about the bag that I had exchanged just a few days before, she insisted that I would not be able to and that I would not be refunded either.

She then made a call to someone else in Truworths ( a guy) who very loudly also insisted that I could not exchange the items I had already paid for. I asked to speak with the man on the other side of the telephone who then also confirmed that Truworths would not exchange or refund the items.

By this time I was beside myself, I told the supervisor that her attitude stinks, that my money was very gladly taken but that Truworths was not ethical enough to exchange the items I no longer wanted. There was no way I was going to allow the ridiculous treatment dished out in the presence of every body else in the queue just because now, the transaction on my mobile app was no longer good enough.

I left the bag with the dress and the wrap (tags all in place) at the counter with this Aysha person who was actually laughing and call me "mad". I took a picture of her and requested a written note from her as evidence to the fact that she was not going to refund me (albeit the fact that Truworths had taken my hard earned money on the very day of purchase without any problem).

So I am going to fight this issue until the very end even if I have to approach the media and social media.

Truworths clearly has no scruples when it comes to clients and their money - I did not buy the items on credit, I paid for the things. Now I wish I wasn't using the bag and that I had already worn the costume jewelry or I would have taken those back as well.

I will NEVER buy from Truworths EVER AGAIN. I want my money back - I will lay a charge of theft against Aysha and Truworths if they do not re-imburse me.