Kokstad is chilly but Bathandwa hurries so fast she is sweating by the time she gets to her grandmother.
“Gogo, why are you outside in the cold?” She sits down next to her granny on the pavement, and hugs her.
“They are closing so they asked that I wait outside.”
“They are still inside?”
“Yes, some,” says Gladys.
Bathandwa drops her bags and bangs on the closed door until a security guard opens.
“Can I speak to someone who was doing the payments?”
“They are all gone, Miss. They left thirty minutes ago.”
“Is there no-one who can explain what is going on?!” Her voice is high from anger. “How can you make my grandmother wait outside in the street? There’s must be someone in there who can help?”
“No-one. What is the problem?”
“She can’t get her grant money. There is a problem with her card.”
“Let me see the card, maybe I can help.”
Bathandwa gets the card from her grandmother and hands it to the security guard. It is only when he returns the card that she notices the name on it, in bright red letters: EasyLoans.
Bathandwa feels sick as she stares at the card.
“Kwenzenjani? asks Gogo.
“It’s nothing, Gogo. I am going to call this number.”
Bathandwa doesn’t even have to read the customer care number. She has told it to hundreds of people she signed up for loans.
The line is engaged. She runs out of airtime. She buys more and tries again until she has used up R90. Then she calls Uyanda in the Grahamstown office.
The receptionist answers. Bathandwa can just imagine her sitting at her desk, bored and filing her nails. “How can I help you?”
“It’s me, Bathandwa. Is Andy in?”
“Hi Bathandwa. No, Andy is not in.”
“Do you know when he will be back?”
“He won’t be back until Monday.”
“Help me out here, Uyanda. My grandmother has a problem with her EasyLoans account. She did not receive her pension grant. I need her EasyLoans statements to see what’s going on.”
“Have you called the customer care line?” She can hear Uyanda chewing gum down the phone.
“I can’t get through. It’s eating my airtime.”
“Have you been to the offices there in Kokstad?”
“Not yet.”
“Try the offices,” says Uyanda.
“If a customer wants statements what should they bring?”
“I don’t know. I am just the receptionist. Let me ask someone, hold on.”
Bathandwa’s cellphone beeps the ‘low battery warning’ tone. Uyanda is taking her time. Bathandwa imagines her walking leisurely to the back office and back to the phone.
“Everyone says the only way to get statements is by calling the customer care line.”
“How can that be–?” Bathandwa’s battery dies. But she knows that it is exactly what she has told customers before.
Bathandwa turns to the security guard, her face awash in frustration and says, “Where can I find the EasyLoans offices here in Kokstad?”
***
Tell us what you think: Do you think some companies deliberately make it difficult to make queries about things that have gone wrong? Or are customers too impatient?