Just When You Thought My Experience with Tongariro Water (Both the Product and the Management - If There IS Any) Couldn't Get Any Worse . . .

For my readers who were across this particularly unpleasant experience, as documented  here two weeks ago, here's the update . . . and it's a REALLY poor reflection on both Foodstuffs and its local Masterton outlet, New World, and the completely lost cause of Tongariro Water (who, their hard-to-understand receptionist advised, have NO senior management domiciled here in New Zealand).

So, a few days into the week following my initial post, I had had NO response, of any type, from my by-then, several emails to Tongariro Water.

Clearly, the local Masterton New World was uninterested in the matter (since they'd been cc'd fruitlessly on my emails to Tongariro Water), so - after some machinations and determination by me - I decided to reach out to some customer contact point within its parent company, Foodstuffs.

After some serious outsmarting of their useless customer complaints line and finding an unrelated corporate phone number, I finally found myself speaking with someone on the Foodstuff's national reception desk - and being given a commitment that someone would do something.

Which resulted in this:

Hi Jordan
 
Case No: 00997034
Type: Post Order Issue
Subtype: Product Issue

Opened Date: 2/12/2024
 
Thank you for your New World Masterton Enquiry. We appreciate you taking the time to get in contact.
 
Please note that your comments have been passed on to the appropriate team, and someone from the store should be in contact with you.
 
Kind regards
Tanya Chapman
The New World Team

That resulted in this:

Hi Jordan, 

My name is Lé-André, and I am the Compliance Manager here at New World Masterton. 

I have tried contacting you on the number provided on your Complaint Form, however I am not able to reach you. 

Are you able to please give me a ring on my mobile number?

I would like to discuss your concerns regarding the packaging of Tongariro Water. 

Thank you for your time.

Kind regards, 

Lé-André Robinson

Compliance/HR Manager

A Whole Lot of Effort for A Big Fat NOTHING 

Which ultimately resulted in a BIG. FAT. NOTHING.

No active follow-up with regard to anything to do with the MESS and the COSTS that I had been left with because of Tongariro's faulty product. No acknowledgment of subsequent faulty Tongariro products purchased and returned. And no concern evident for other customers who might experience the same highly costly and inconvenient outcome by unwittingly purchasing this product.

Regarding the subsequent returned Tongariro Water purchases, in a desperate attempt to continue avoiding drinking Masterton's fluoridated (read: neurotoxic) tap water, I had, the following week, bought a further two Tongariro water casks. AND . . . yep, you guessed it . . . BOTH also had the bladders plonked willy nilly into the cask in the same slaphappy manner that had seen the inaccessible, non-repositionable tap rip away from my previously purchased cask's foil bladder and piss out its 10-litre payload all over my kitchen floor (and run underneath my dishwasher, and lift the floor covering away from the skirting board etc etc).

I had promptly taken these two further problem products back to New World in Masterton. Here is an account of that, in the email I then sent to Ms Robinson - who has never even acknowledged that email:

Hi Le-Andre

You’ll hopefully by now have been told by James or the older guy at the Customer Service counter that I had to bring back the two Tongariro casks I bought there last night.

I asked them to please advise you ASAP so that you could come down and see for yourself what I’m talking about.

One of the taps was so off-skew that James, your duty manager, didn’t even want to risk positioning it because it was clear that if he did, the bladder on that side would almost certainly have split away from the tap.

You should take photos or a video of that one, for the Sales Manager at Tongariro, because he really doesn’t seem to believe that it’s the broader problem that it is i.e. broader than just one cask, one time.

Regards
Jordan Kelly

Are Foodstuffs & New World Supermarkets More Protective of Their Suppliers, Than They Are of Their Customers?

Again, no reply - whatsoever. Not even an acknowledgement. At this stage, you would have to forgive a customer for being of the distinct impression that any loyalty and protection that New World feels, is more for their suppliers than for their customers.

The same goes for New World's willingness - or actually, lack thereof - to conduct any form of mediating communication between a supplier and a customer who has experienced serious issues with a product of that supplier.

Firstly, here is an excerpt from an email I had sent to both Foodstuffs/New World and Woolworths/Countdown prior to the above:

"To update you further from my end, I have now reached out to them (Tongariro Water) no less than THREE TIMES. I have also sought to have the management of the local district council forward on my email to any managerial contacts at the company, in case my emails are not reaching them.

"Will you be following this matter through?"

After further phone calls to Tongariro Water and several openly cc'd emails, I did get a call. From a Stan, who (a) didn't offer either his surname or his position title, (b) didn't respect the fact that I was not able to take the call at that moment and that I'd asked for his phone number to call him back on (instead just barreling ahead with his questions of ME), and (c)  had an openly hostile manner, sighing loudly and sarcastically when I tried to further explain that I couldn't take his call right then, but that I did definitely (and obviously) wanted to have the conversation.

'Sorry, But You're On Your Own'

By this time, I'd had the initial (and what turned out to be the completely worthless) email from Ms Robinson at the local New World, so - deciding that, actually, my calling this Stan bloke back probably wasn't going to have a happy outcome - I reached back out to "Le-Andre" for some intermediatory assistance.

Which was refused.

And that, as far as the local New World was concerned, seems to be the end of the matter.

But it's NOT. Because I was still left with:

1)  A flooded kitchen floor and related damage.

2)  A dishwasher that had had to be pulled out into the middle of the kitchen to get to the flood beneath and behind it . . . and now needed to be professionally reinstated . . . but before which, I wanted the local building inspector to bring his moisture meter around to check that no moisture was left in the cracks and crevices between cupboards, floor and skirting boards etc.

3)  A substantially inflated electricity bill for the three days I had to run both a fan heater and a large floor fan, to deal with the wet timbers etc.

4)  And, subsequently, the dishwasher now having been reinstated by the wonderful installation electricians at Newbolds of Masterton (without charge, as a Christmas goodwill gift to make up for the debacle that New World and Tongariro Water had left me with) . . . it was discovered that the moving of the dishwasher and operation of it in the middle of the kitchen floor, has created a deep and non-repairable dent in my floor covering.

'No-one here. All our big bosses live overseas.'

So realising that I was completely on my own to fight it out with NEW WORLD'S SUPPLIER, I rang the hard-to-understand woman at the only phone number findable for Tongariro Water. I asked who was "up the line" from this Tim guy (by the way, I'd thought his name was Stan, such was his clipped manner with me). She'd told me, "No-one here. All our big bosses live overseas."

Brilliant. I wonder if they're all completely fine with the way their company and its down-the-line personnel treats end-customers.

I explained that I needed a call back, but I was loathe to speak again to this "Stan".

She said the only alternative was "the other sales manager" (Stan being one of two, apparently).

So, with no other option, I waited for that call.

However, a slightly more congenial "Stan" rang back instead, the following day. He must have got the memo that I didn't appreciate his manner (which had felt rather bullying to me, actually. And in hindsight, the fact that I genuinely couldn't take his initial call had probably been a very good thing . . . because I do not respond at all well to a bullying or "cornering" style of manner.  I've never been much of a wallflower, if you get my drift).

In Convenient Denial?

Well, Stan asked a lot of questions that appeared to be largely coming from a place of denial that it was anything more than an isolated event. I was at pains to tell him that nearly EVERY cask of Tongariro water I'd ever purchased had had the same issue, to some degree or another.

My emphasis appeared to be falling on politely deaf ears, however.

Stan wanted to make up "the inconvenience" to me by couriering me some free product. While I provided my address for same, I told him firmly that my far greater priority was to have the Tongariro Water company NOT leave me bearing the cost of the damages (i.e. as I've listed above in this commentary).

Stan told me I should "claim it on (my) household insurance policy" . . . to which I had responded that I did NOT see why (apart from the gross inconvenience I had already experienced and was still dealing with) I should have to claim damages caused by HIS company's faulty product on my own household insurance policy . . . which would cost me at least a $500 excess, as well as a possible increase in future premiums.

Eventually, he undertook for the matter to be dealt with on Tongariro Water's own public liability insurance. I'd told him that for the probably less than $500 he could have gotten out of the matter for (i.e. if he paid the various related invoices direct), it surely wasn't worth the time, hassle or other consequences of having to make a public liability claim. Nor the delay for me in getting things reinstated and getting my kitchen back into a workable condition.

So What Happened to the Promise of Dealing With It On Tongariro Water's Public Liability Insurance Policy, Stan?

However, he was insistent that "that's what our public liability policy is for". He told me he'd be sending me "a form to fill in" to get the process rolling.

And NONE of that has ever happened. Nor has he acknowledged that, following his call, I'd had to return a further TWO Tongariro Water casks back to New World Masterton.

From: Jordan Kelly
Sent: Thursday, 5 December 2024 2:39 pm
To: 'water@tongarirowater.com' <water@tongarirowater.com>
Cc: 'Leandre Robinson'
Subject: Att: Stan, Sales Manager re Further Product Issues + Insurance

Stan,

Thanks for making contact yesterday afternoon.

To let you know:

This morning, I had to bring back the two Tongariro casks I bought at New World last night.

Again, both had very badly ill-positioned bladders. One of the taps was so off-skew that James (duty manager?) didn’t even want to risk positioning it because it was clear that if he did, the bladder on that side would almost certainly have split away from the tap.

I have suggested that someone at New World take photos or a video of that one for you, so that you will be able to readily and graphically see that this is a broader problem than just one cask one time.

Also, a reminder that if you’re not keen to pay the building inspector’s mould-check invoice directly, or that of the Newbolds installer that I’ll need to get back here to safely re-position the dishwasher back in its cavity, or fix me up for the extra electricity I’m going to be up for this month, would you please forward whatever you wanted filled in (hopefully it’s not onerous) so that your own Public Liability insurance will cover costs.

I would like to get that addressed ASAP, if you would, please, Stan. It is extremely inconvenient having the dishwasher out in the middle of the kitchen, plus I want to be sure that all the moisture is dried up, and this requires the building inspector’s moisture meter, especially as some of the linoleum at the back of the dishwasher cavity has now lifted away/up slightly from the skirting board.

Regards

Jordan Kelly

Shame Foodstuffs, Shame New World Masterton, and SHAME, TONGARIRO WATER . . . and "Stan" the Sales Manager

Shamefully, I have never received any acknowledgement either from New World Masterton, from its parent company Foodstuffs, or from Stan the Man at Tongariro Shonkyville Water Company.

And I certainly haven't received his company's public liability forms that he firmly committed to sending me. By the way, Stan, and the greater Tongariro Water company:  Are you aware that that verbal offer and commitment forms an enforceable contract . . . that you have wilfully broken . . . like some shonky backyard second-hand car dealer?

I did, however, eventually receive the following email from Foodstuffs:

From: New World General Enquiries <nwenquiries@foodstuffs.co.nz> 
Sent: Thursday, 5 December 2024 3:38 pm
To: Jordan Kelly
Subject: Thanks for your Website Query - 00997034: - Product Issue [ ref:!00D6F01gR5X.!500IS05zIoD:ref ]

Hi Jordan
 
Case No: 00997034
Type: Post Order Issue
Subtype: Product Issue
Opened Date: 2/12/2024
 
Thank you for your New World Masterton Enquiry. 
 
The Leadership Team have requested, if you can please forward your receipts from your purchases of Tongariro Water from the Masterton New World store.

Thank you. 
Kind regards
Toni Palmer
The New World Team
 
However, I haven't bothered to reply. Here's why . . . and let me count the ways:

1)  In overall terms, because I don't believe they're asking for me to go to this bother for any reason that will benefit me, whatsoever. They didn't have the professional courtesy to say what they wanted them for, or to indicate any intended "next steps". So, I think they're just very happy to put me to even more effort for reasons of their own  internal processes and benefit. Thus:

2)  Why the hell would I bother digging through the piles of receipts I regularly decant from my overflowing wallet but file away far less frequently? Then, take time to scan them, attach them to an email, and send them with a covering note? What's the bet the Foodstuffs non-professionals probably wouldn't have the professionalism or the basic decency to even acknowledge having received them, if I did go to the bother? Which would aggravate me even more than I'm already aggravated.

3)  While I probably have kept the various receipts in question (and certainly, I furnished the receipt for the last two faulty casks), if it so happened that I'd bought any that I hadn't kept the receipts for (because, sometimes, if my wallet is stuffed full, I don't bother to take the receipt, just as many shoppers don't bother), then why would I bother engaging in a debate with these people, when their intention is not likely to be to use the receipts for anything of benefit to me, anyway?

4)  Asking me to go to the bother of digging them out, scanning and emailing them is -as they would (or SHOULD) have been informed by "Le-Andre", totally unnecessary - because Zack, the friendly and helpful young bloke that often totes them out to my vehicle for me and helps me load them in, told her that he does so. So clearly, I'm not buying them anywhere else, am I?

Shonky, shabby and shameful.

And what it makes me wonder is this:

If a product bought at a Foodstuffs outlet were to cause a serious injury to a customer, is this how they would put up a brick wall for that customer, too? Maybe they have done so many times. Maybe this is just their standard playbook.

Why then, does a corporation like Foodstuffs even bother to have public liability insurance? And why does Tongariro Water bother with it, for that matter? (Notwithstanding that the "sales manager's" own words were to tell me that dealing with damage like I had experienced from his product was precisely why they did have it. Except that's not quite how it's turned out in my case, is it? And if not in mine, very likely not in any other case, either.)

Woolworths / Countdown A Total Joke, Too

Meantime, Woolworths / Countdown were even more useless and evasive. Their system of responsibility avoidance is even more diabolical:

(NB:  After enquiring whether the local Masterton Countdown sold Tongariro Water casks and being told by them that they did, I had wanted to advise them of what I had experienced as a broad-scale problem with this product, despite the fact that I'd been purchasing them at their competitor supermarket.)

But the local Countdown won't take a complaint. You have to ring their national Woolworths complaints line. 

The problem is, when you do, it's almost impossible to obtain an answer from that phone line. If you don't know how to use some journalistic nous, that is.

So, I finally got through to someone in the complaints department by fooling their system. This resulted in a promptly broken promise made in a template email from this initially very promising-sounding sheila (who - like the rest - turned out to be a complete flake) saying they'd investigate the product for the sake of anyone purchasing same through their stores.)

A week or so later, unbelievably, I get a brief, template-style email simply telling me that if I wish to advise a problem with a product, I should tell the local Countdown.

Err . . . didn't the local Countdown specifically instruct me to call the NATIONAL complaints number????

A Merry-Go-Round Clownfest In Place of An Actual Customer Complaints Process

Frigging clowns inventing a merry-go-round in place of an actual customer complaints process.

And it doesn't even stop there. I then received a survey form under template-signed by a "Rittu Gounder, Woolworths Customer Care Manager" (whose job should be re-advertised, too), with a link that doesn't work. Then, a few days later, yet another survey form from the same woman, with yet another link that doesn't work.

I'm wondering if the incompetence is deliberate . . . in that it forces even the most tenacious customer to give up on their mission to be heard and maybe even, just maybe, treated justly (rather than with total contempt). Because whether such clown-worthy incompetence is intentional or not, it certainly serves the purpose of getting both the supermarket and the supplier off, scot free.

Meantime, I await the public liability paperwork that "Stan", Tongariro Sales Manager promised two weeks ago (and that is clearly never going to arrive), the "goodwill" delivery of free product that also never arrived and for which he took my address (what was the ACTUAL reason you wanted my address, Mr Tongariro Water?), and any follow-up or concern whatsoever from Foodstuffs nationally or the local Masterton New World.

Looks like I'll be waiting for a while.

Like I said, I wonder how many far more serious cases of public liability have been evaded over the years by this uber-unprofessionalism and outright shonkism.