Open letter to Lulu Hypermarket
This is an open letter sent to Lulu Hypermarket Management (headoffice@emkegroup.ae , xxxxxx@luluhypermarket.net.qa ) in response to their email to another reader which he forwarded us. Again, I'm not so sure why Lulu Hypermarket has responded to his email and not my complaint email to the same email address last Friday night. Nor was I, at least, sent a copy by Lulu though they were given the link to our blog where I have my email address. In any case, read below...
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Dear Mr. Mohamed Althaf,
I am Mavis San Juan a resident of Doha, Qatar. I am the lady that Mr. Abraham was refering to in his letter that was emailed to you Managing Director. I have just received a copy of your email to him and I decided to email as soon as I read it so you could see my side of the story.
First of all, I want to let you know that we have been regular and loyal customers at Lulu Hypermarket since we got here in Doha in 2005. All of our home appliances from the gas oven/stove, TV set, refrigerator and washing machine. Our plasma TV was also obtained from your store last Novermer 2007. We do our weekly shopping at Lulu. I am a frequent visitor of The Villagio Mall where they have Carre Four but still save the shopping at Lulu. Why? Because it is near our place and I've gotten used to doing my shopping there.
Then on a Thursday morning, January 31, 2007, I came at around 9 am. I had my list of groceries that I needed to buy. I was halfway through, when I remembered that my husband has asked me to list down prices of items. We do this every year because we wanted to compare how much the prices of commodities have increased each year. I was just going about my business, shopping and listing down prices at the same time.
A staff came and asked if I was writing down prices to which I answered "Yes". He asked if I had asked permission from the customer service, I answered "No," because in all honesty I never thought that I needed to do so as I think as a consumer, everybody is entitled to know the prices of items you are buying. However, I stopped writing down prices as well and just proceeded with my shopping. But I called my husband to let him know what that they told me it was not allowed and would need permission from customer services.
I was at the cold cuts section when a tall guy approached me, bringing a walkie-talkie. He asked for my copy of the list. Of course at first I refused to give it to him, telling him that it was my personal copy. I showed the copy and I said that it even had the prices since 2006. Then he called a lady staff. I showed the copy to the lady but when she tried to get a hold of it i had to take it back. Then she started grabbing it from me. That was my list and not something that I stole from Lulu but I never cursed at them nor made any gestures to provoke them. I was just saying that "it was every consumer's right to know the prices and write it down if they had to". I even asked for the Manager so I could talk to him. They told me they would take me to the Manager. So i left my cart in one corner and followed them, hoping that this simple issue would end. I stopped writing as told and didn't do anything than to protect and keep what is mine. Then I was brought to an office at the back of the store, fully cooperative and willing to talk to explain my side but I was sure that I wasn't talking to the Manager as he never introduced himself as such. By now, there were four people in the room trying to question me. Just imagine how I was feeling at that time; there were four of them and I was just by myself. I was telling them that it was for personal use and there is nothing wrong with writing down prices. I also told them that I am a stay at home wife and am not affiliated with any competing company nor was a doing a survey for any other group. There the guy who just came was telling everybody that the list contained all the items found in Lulu, so I told him "you think those are all the items you have in the store, you think I could possibly write everything down?" He even added that I lied to the staff who first approached me when I told him that I asked permission from Customer Service. I was angry and told him that I never said anything like that and that I didn't even ask Customer Service because in the first place I think that it is my right as a customer to know the prices and I didn't know that I had to ask permission from Customer service to do that. Then the same guy started asking where I worked, as if implying that I am working/spying for someone or some company. I took my and my husband's passports which I was bringing at that time. I told the guy that I am under family status and I am not working. Then the guy who's apparently higher in rank was talking to someone at the other end of the walkie-talkie, as to what they were talking about I didn't know because they were talking in another language. They often talked in their own language while we were in that office making me feel even more afraid for myself. Then the guy who was holding the walkie-talkie asked for my ID. At first I gave him my ID and my passport but then I thought, what for; am I being charged for anything? So I got it back from him. Again, I never cursed, spoke of profanity nor made gestures to provoke them. In fact, I strongly feel that it was them trying to harass me.
I was led out of the office and this time they were telling me to go with them in another office upstairs without explaining what was it for. That's when I called my husband and we both decided that I had just better leave the premises. I told them, that I just wanted to leave, that they can have the list that they wanted. I did give them my list but apparently they wanted more than the list. They tried to stop me from leaving. The three of them, the tall guy, the lady staff and the guy who was high in rank were trying to corner me. They kept saying "just one minute" but never gave any reason for trying to stop and detain me.I was firm on leaving as I didn't like the situation and having the people come to you as if you stole from them or did anything wrong is horrendous enough let alone being seen by other customers as such. Then the lady staff started holding my arm. That's when I really started shouting. I was shouting for her to let go of me and not to touch me. She was trying to detain me against my will and with no legal reason to do so. But she kept restraining me that I had to hit her hands so she's let go of me. So she held my arm and the handle of my bag alternately. This happened from the middle portion of the store up to the area near the exit. Imagine being looked upon by other customers thinking this lady must be a shoplifter and is now trying to escape. I was shouting as 3 people ganging up on me and I would not let them take me, detain me nor force me to where they want to take me. They were forcing me to do something against my will, that to me is harassment. I even told the lady, "this is harassment" to which she answered "yes". I kept saying the whole time that "I am not committing any crime here and I am not being arrested so let me go." But they wouldn't let me go. The lady kept holding my arm and the tall guy kept blocking my way. When we reached the end part of the store near the exit, the guy who was high in rank gave me a mobile phone and told me to talk to someone. The voice on the other end was asking why I was nervous, why won't I calm down. I answered, "I am angry with what you're doing to me." It is unbelievable that after all the humiliation and unfair treatment they put me through, he still expected me to calm down. Then he asked if I needed to buy anything from Lulu, to which I said "No way, I am never going back to this place ever again". After the guy's conversation on the phone, that was the only time they let me go.
So you see Sir, this is no minor incident. I was just a regular customer doing my own thing. I am no spy. I am just a simple housewife trying to accomplish my chores for the day. That day, nothing was accomplished. I left the store empty-handed, stressed out and horrified. I am so disgusted with the way your staff has treated me, they simply ganged up on me and treated me like a common criminal after all the explanation and cooperation I showed. Would have this been solved if the Manager came? Probably, but he was nowhere in sight. They never did tell me to go to the office to file a formal complaint and after all what has happened, do you think I would be willing to go to their office and file a formal complaint there? If the security guys were already putting words in my mouth, saying I lied about asking permission from Customer Service and the list I have contained all the items in Lulu, do you think I'd feel secure about going with them to another office? I can only imagine what they could accuse me of once we got there. I never did provoke them or made any nasty gestures to do what they did to me. I complied to not writing when they asked me to stop. I followed them to the office on the ground floor hoping to talk to the manager and settle the issue but wasn't given an audience with the manager. But it seems they were intent to escalate the issue and detain me against my will. If Lulu doesn't have a problem with customers taking down prices, shouldn't they just have led me to Customer Service and asked me to get their permission instead of trying to take me to one office after the other?
I am Mavis San Juan a resident of Doha, Qatar. I am the lady that Mr. Abraham was refering to in his letter that was emailed to you Managing Director. I have just received a copy of your email to him and I decided to email as soon as I read it so you could see my side of the story.
First of all, I want to let you know that we have been regular and loyal customers at Lulu Hypermarket since we got here in Doha in 2005. All of our home appliances from the gas oven/stove, TV set, refrigerator and washing machine. Our plasma TV was also obtained from your store last Novermer 2007. We do our weekly shopping at Lulu. I am a frequent visitor of The Villagio Mall where they have Carre Four but still save the shopping at Lulu. Why? Because it is near our place and I've gotten used to doing my shopping there.
Then on a Thursday morning, January 31, 2007, I came at around 9 am. I had my list of groceries that I needed to buy. I was halfway through, when I remembered that my husband has asked me to list down prices of items. We do this every year because we wanted to compare how much the prices of commodities have increased each year. I was just going about my business, shopping and listing down prices at the same time.
A staff came and asked if I was writing down prices to which I answered "Yes". He asked if I had asked permission from the customer service, I answered "No," because in all honesty I never thought that I needed to do so as I think as a consumer, everybody is entitled to know the prices of items you are buying. However, I stopped writing down prices as well and just proceeded with my shopping. But I called my husband to let him know what that they told me it was not allowed and would need permission from customer services.
I was at the cold cuts section when a tall guy approached me, bringing a walkie-talkie. He asked for my copy of the list. Of course at first I refused to give it to him, telling him that it was my personal copy. I showed the copy and I said that it even had the prices since 2006. Then he called a lady staff. I showed the copy to the lady but when she tried to get a hold of it i had to take it back. Then she started grabbing it from me. That was my list and not something that I stole from Lulu but I never cursed at them nor made any gestures to provoke them. I was just saying that "it was every consumer's right to know the prices and write it down if they had to". I even asked for the Manager so I could talk to him. They told me they would take me to the Manager. So i left my cart in one corner and followed them, hoping that this simple issue would end. I stopped writing as told and didn't do anything than to protect and keep what is mine. Then I was brought to an office at the back of the store, fully cooperative and willing to talk to explain my side but I was sure that I wasn't talking to the Manager as he never introduced himself as such. By now, there were four people in the room trying to question me. Just imagine how I was feeling at that time; there were four of them and I was just by myself. I was telling them that it was for personal use and there is nothing wrong with writing down prices. I also told them that I am a stay at home wife and am not affiliated with any competing company nor was a doing a survey for any other group. There the guy who just came was telling everybody that the list contained all the items found in Lulu, so I told him "you think those are all the items you have in the store, you think I could possibly write everything down?" He even added that I lied to the staff who first approached me when I told him that I asked permission from Customer Service. I was angry and told him that I never said anything like that and that I didn't even ask Customer Service because in the first place I think that it is my right as a customer to know the prices and I didn't know that I had to ask permission from Customer service to do that. Then the same guy started asking where I worked, as if implying that I am working/spying for someone or some company. I took my and my husband's passports which I was bringing at that time. I told the guy that I am under family status and I am not working. Then the guy who's apparently higher in rank was talking to someone at the other end of the walkie-talkie, as to what they were talking about I didn't know because they were talking in another language. They often talked in their own language while we were in that office making me feel even more afraid for myself. Then the guy who was holding the walkie-talkie asked for my ID. At first I gave him my ID and my passport but then I thought, what for; am I being charged for anything? So I got it back from him. Again, I never cursed, spoke of profanity nor made gestures to provoke them. In fact, I strongly feel that it was them trying to harass me.
I was led out of the office and this time they were telling me to go with them in another office upstairs without explaining what was it for. That's when I called my husband and we both decided that I had just better leave the premises. I told them, that I just wanted to leave, that they can have the list that they wanted. I did give them my list but apparently they wanted more than the list. They tried to stop me from leaving. The three of them, the tall guy, the lady staff and the guy who was high in rank were trying to corner me. They kept saying "just one minute" but never gave any reason for trying to stop and detain me.I was firm on leaving as I didn't like the situation and having the people come to you as if you stole from them or did anything wrong is horrendous enough let alone being seen by other customers as such. Then the lady staff started holding my arm. That's when I really started shouting. I was shouting for her to let go of me and not to touch me. She was trying to detain me against my will and with no legal reason to do so. But she kept restraining me that I had to hit her hands so she's let go of me. So she held my arm and the handle of my bag alternately. This happened from the middle portion of the store up to the area near the exit. Imagine being looked upon by other customers thinking this lady must be a shoplifter and is now trying to escape. I was shouting as 3 people ganging up on me and I would not let them take me, detain me nor force me to where they want to take me. They were forcing me to do something against my will, that to me is harassment. I even told the lady, "this is harassment" to which she answered "yes". I kept saying the whole time that "I am not committing any crime here and I am not being arrested so let me go." But they wouldn't let me go. The lady kept holding my arm and the tall guy kept blocking my way. When we reached the end part of the store near the exit, the guy who was high in rank gave me a mobile phone and told me to talk to someone. The voice on the other end was asking why I was nervous, why won't I calm down. I answered, "I am angry with what you're doing to me." It is unbelievable that after all the humiliation and unfair treatment they put me through, he still expected me to calm down. Then he asked if I needed to buy anything from Lulu, to which I said "No way, I am never going back to this place ever again". After the guy's conversation on the phone, that was the only time they let me go.
So you see Sir, this is no minor incident. I was just a regular customer doing my own thing. I am no spy. I am just a simple housewife trying to accomplish my chores for the day. That day, nothing was accomplished. I left the store empty-handed, stressed out and horrified. I am so disgusted with the way your staff has treated me, they simply ganged up on me and treated me like a common criminal after all the explanation and cooperation I showed. Would have this been solved if the Manager came? Probably, but he was nowhere in sight. They never did tell me to go to the office to file a formal complaint and after all what has happened, do you think I would be willing to go to their office and file a formal complaint there? If the security guys were already putting words in my mouth, saying I lied about asking permission from Customer Service and the list I have contained all the items in Lulu, do you think I'd feel secure about going with them to another office? I can only imagine what they could accuse me of once we got there. I never did provoke them or made any nasty gestures to do what they did to me. I complied to not writing when they asked me to stop. I followed them to the office on the ground floor hoping to talk to the manager and settle the issue but wasn't given an audience with the manager. But it seems they were intent to escalate the issue and detain me against my will. If Lulu doesn't have a problem with customers taking down prices, shouldn't they just have led me to Customer Service and asked me to get their permission instead of trying to take me to one office after the other?
I do hope you value your business as situations like this are unacceptable to someone who has been a loyal customer for years. Please don't let your business name be tarnished by people who can't respect the rights of any consumer trying to do business with you.
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Mavis Rueda San Juan
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