Game doesn’t play the game. That’s according to Taryn Conway of Table View who asked me to help after the chain couldn’t or didn’t want to help her.
“I bought a Hisense ‘non-frost-free fridge’ around August last year at the Bayside store. The fridge started showing signs of over-freezing in the freezer compartment so I reached out to the manufacturer directly. They opened a repair ticket and a technician came out and looked at the fridge and moved the rubber to ensure it was sealing properly. I defrosted the fridge according to instructions and within two weeks the same thing happened.
“The same Hisense technician has been four times to look at the fridge since I first reported it. I finally asked Game to assist me as I was getting nowhere. I can’t see how it is possible that it’s normal for a freezer to over-freeze to the extent it does within two to three weeks. They keep telling me ‘it’s not a frost-free fridge’, which I understand that in a couple of months I would have to defrost the freezer. But two to three weeks is not normal.
“I gave my mom my other fridge as she needed one. It is about 10 years old and I only had to defrost it every two months and it was still in better working order than the new Hisense fridge.
“I have gone to Game, given them photos which were given to a manager. Nothing happened except I got another call from the technician to say they requested him to do a call-out again. Guess what? They gave me the same answer: ‘It’s not a frost-free fridge’,” Ms Conway said.
“Nobody is listening or cares. I have posted on social media to try to get a response from Hisense by phone and email as well. They have nothing to say ‘but sorry about that’,” Ms Conway said.
Game spokesperson, Michelle Kemp, refused to answer my questions: Do you think the customer should have approached you directly; if so how would Game have helped; did Hisense notify Game that there was a problem with the fridge and can you explain why it over-freezes.
She said, “Please see how we have resolved with the customer. We have phoned Ms Conway and made arrangements with her that she has agreed to. These arrangements include uplifting the unit once the country-wide lockdown is over. We apologise to Ms Conway for the inconvenience that was caused and we promise to continue serving our customers as best as we can.”
Ms Kemp always says, “We promise to continue serving our customers as best as we can”.
Yet Game staffers continue to display the same apathetic attitude. I wasn’t asking Ms Kemp to divulge any classified information.
In the subject line of Ms Kemp’s email to me is the chain’s mission statement: Massmart (which owns Game) Ethics: Tell us if we don’t do what is Right, Fair, Honest and Legal.
I am not saying for one moment that Game has acted wrongly, unfairly, dishonestly or illegally, but the response from Ms Kemp doesn’t do the image of Game any favours.
In my view, customers are entitled to know what went wrong and what measures the store has put in place to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
Ms Conway confirmed that Game called her. “Thank you for your assistance on the matter. They confirmed it on the phone and I am waiting to ensure it happens,” she said.
That could take a while. Although some of the lockdown regulations have been eased.
