TURBINE | KAPOHAU

2 December 2019

Bed-e-Bye Shop

Park Road

Auckland 1142

The Manager Customer Services

Re: Customer Complaint about Superior Single bed.

I am Nellie Wetini. Recently I and my retired sister Ella had planned to upgrade her second hand and uncomfortable bed to a Bed-e-Bye Chiropractic Superior Single bed.  To her delight, the very one she was interested in would be part of a One-Day-Only-Sale (Saturday) 70% discount walk in sale. As you know there were only ten of that type available!

My sister is a retired school teacher and knows how to do her homework and planning.  She had me check the details on the Bed-e-Bye website, the competition sites and double-checking on price spy before she contacted the help desk.  She informed the help desk that as a Fragile Mature Lady, her knees were not up to the task and she would welcome the opportunity to make a pre-sale. The young man told her, ‘Bed-e-Buy has to be fair to everyone.’

Well! That was a silly remark to make to a born-again feminist on 28 November, the 125^th anniversary of New Zealand women voting for the first time.  She demanded to talk to the supervisor and worked her way up to management.  Ella horse-traded and nagged her way into a promise of a Chiropractic Superior Single bed that would be delivered to our local store on full payment.  However, the strict proviso was to arrange collection and delivery of said bed on the following Saturday morning before 10am.

On Saturday 1 December, my sister and I got up with the tui and we set off in the pre-dawn to swap my purple mini for our younger brother’s Subaru Forester; he’s the only one who owns a car with a tow-bar. Then we zoomed off to our middle sister’s house to collect the trailer and visited her daughter to borrow two teenage boys before speeding off to the Bed-e-Bye store at Highbury Views.  Imagine our distress when after we parked just outside the store we discovered that the Highbury Views Shopping Centre Bed-e-Bye shop was boarded tight.  There was a typed note on the door that apologised for the unforeseen closure of this shop because of a freak tornado ripping through the store the day before. The sign instructed us to phone the helpdesk or visit the downtown branch about the 70% off bed sale. 

What!  We clambered back into the Subaru Forester and headed for Downtown Bed-e-Bye, a forty-five-minute drive on the motorway to a branch that does not have a car park. A truly stupid place to have such a store. I stopped in the street as close to the store as possible and instructed the two teens to assist their Nanny inside the very busy store. It was now 9am and the store was opening.

I drove around for ages before I accepted that I could not find two car parks on the road and just jammed into the Loading Dock.  My sister had by this time worked her way through various staff members up to you, to claim her bed.  

I turned up in time to hear your loud ‘tough luck’ speech.

“Sorry Ma’am, the contract states that your bed must be picked up from Highbury Views before 10am and it was sent there. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, the bed was damaged beyond repair.  Due to limited numbers the bed cannot be taken from stock elsewhere and the last one at this branch has been sold. Nor can the price cannot be repeated or held.  As per your contract I’m sorry Bed-e-Bye can only refund your payment.”

My sister was prepared to slug it out, Fragile Mature Lady or no, but I dragged her out because I was worried about getting towed. However as you learnt, my sister is hearing impaired, but what you may not know is that she records all her conversations just in case.

Her soundbite records you talking to a staff member.

 “That silly, little old Maori woman wants a new bed . . no one wants her to spread those legs.”

One can clearly hear the reply from your assistant.

“Tell her don’t be a f**king selfish Maori… go back to her marae … just steal a mattress from there.”

I have sent you a copy of that soundbite that my sister is considering posting on our nieces Facebook and to your company website.  Perhaps she’s hearing it wrong?

Ella is happy to be contacted via her home phone to put this matter to bed.

Yours Sincerely,

Superior Singles

Nellie Wetini & Ella Jones.

c/- Oceania Village

Highbury Views

Auckland