Covid-19 Update: Current Backlogs & Delays

The Covid-19 Crisis, lockdown regulations and the resultant knock on effect has and continues to affect every person and business, both large and small, in South Africa in some way or form.

TDSA, our suppliers and logistics partners are no different and we are currently experiencing massive backlogs in responding to queries and processing orders received both during the lockdown period when we were not able to physically pick, pack and despatch orders as well as queries and orders that we are currently receiving since Lockdown Level 3 Regulations came into effect.

We sincerely apologise for these delays and assure you that we are doing everything within our power to work through and clear the backlogs as quickly as possible. We are currently working 7 days a week and we have introduced a night shift to try and clear the backlogs. We are currently processing several hundred orders a week and we are trying to increase this capacity to over 1000.

Regrettably, many people are under the impression that since Level 3 Lockdown Regulations came into effect, that everything is now back to normal. We wish that it was the case, but it is not.

The reality at the moment, besides backlogs caused by the sheer volume of queries and orders that we have and continue to receive, is that there are nationwide and international supply chain delays including but not limited to many businesses closing down, suppliers and manufacturers not operating at 100% capacity or at all in some cases, suppliers running reduced/skeleton staff and reduced business hours, sea and air freight backlogs and delays, lack of accurate or any lead times or ETA’s from suppliers and manufacturers, suppliers and factories being forced to close after staff being tested positive for Covid-19, manufactuers having to catch up on 2 to 3 months worth of production schedules and still try and meet new/current demand, having to schedule appointments to collect from suppliers which can delay collections by 2 or 3 days. Our currency has weakened substantially against all major currencies and international freight pricing has spiked.

On top of all of this, morale and general sentiment is low among individuals and businesses alike. No one knows what the future or the next change in Lockdown Regulations will bring or how it will affect them. We are all worried about our friends, families, businesses, Customers, salaries and jobs. Every Rand and Cent counts more to us today than it ever did, yet everything cost more than it ever did.

These are tough and trying times for everyone. The unknown and the feeling that we are not in control of our own destiny makes it even worse. Tensions and frustrations are high. We know and understand this because we feel it too.

These problems are not unique to TDSA and many other companies operating in the ecommerce space and most other industries are experiencing the same challenges in the current environment. Major online payment gateways are also severely backlogged and experiencing delays which in turn affects our ability to give our Customers feedback and so on.

Over the last few weeks following the Level 3 Lockdown Regulations coming into effect, we have experienced an increase in Customers reaching out to us complaining about us not having processed their orders quickly enough or not having responded to their enquries quickly enough. As above, please understand that we are doing our utmost to work through the backlogs mentioned above and we are doing our best to reach out to each relevant Customer personally, but it takes time.

We go to great lengths to manage our Customers expecations regarding stock availability, lead times for back and special order items as well as shipping/delivery lead times. We display relevant stock availability information on our website and Customers need to read and acknowledge these several times before confirming an order. Despite this, it seems that Customers often forget or ignore this once their order is placed. If you are not satisfied with the lead times offered or the terms and conditions, please do not place an order. We offer a number of imported, specialised (Sometimes regulated.) and in some cases high value products. It is not logistically or commercially viable to carry stock of all of these products at all times and as a result, some products are ordered only once we receive an order for them.

In addition to this, we have been experiencing ongoing telephony issues at both Boksburg and Centurion TDSA Branches for some time. We are on our third telephony provider at our Boksburg branch and they can still not resolve the issue. Sometimes when an external call comes in and someone answers we hear someone for a split second and then it goes dead. The Customer then thinks that we are hanging up on them. Please note that we do not hang up on our Customers! The second issue that happens is that while in the middle of a call, the call just drops. Again, we apologise for this and we are trying to get it sorted out. Our Centurion branch is having a similar Telkom issue that has remained unresolved for some time now.

It is for the reasons above and the fact that we have an increased amount of calls coming in that we ask Customers to use the relevant contact channels outlined below so that we can provide our Customers with the best and most efficient feedback and service.

Some Customers have gone to social media and other platforms and have resorted to accusing TDSA and the staff who work here of being “scammers”, “fraudsters”, “criminals”, “thieves”, “liars” etc. It goes without saying that this is not true, but the problem is that it is very easy to make hurtful, harmful and damaging statements on social media without really thinking about the truthfulness thereof or the repurcussions that those statements will have not just on the business in question, but also the individuals who work for that business.

TDSA employs a number of people, each of which, just like every person reading this is a human being with feelings, friends and family that depend on their jobs. Not one of these people are criminals. We come to work at TDSA everyday with the aim to do our jobs and ultimately keep TDSA Customers happy to the best of our abilities. Yes, we drop the ball from time to time and once made aware thereof, we make sure that we rectify those issues.

Businesses, no matter how large or small are run by people. Collectively, people can do great things, just because TDSA is a business, it unfortunately does not mean that we can achieve the impossible however. What we mean by this is that despite everything mentioned above, we have recently had Customers saying “That isn’t my problem, you are a business, sort it out.” Now while we are in no way or form suggesting that we should not act as a responsible business and assist our Customers to the best of our abilities at all times, what we are saying is that in the current new and very strange environment that we find ourselves in, there is unfortunately only so much that we can do and have influence on. We do and will continue to do absolutely everything in our power to assist our Customers, but that is currently limited to the current and ever changing landscape that we find ourselves in.

At TDSA, we value our Customers, but we also value our staff and will stand up for them when it is warranted and necessary. The Covid-19 Pandemic has affected everyone in different ways including ones mindset as mentioned. It has affected TDSA’s turnaround time on both responding to queries and processing orders for which we apologise and we are addressing this. It is not TDSA staff members’ fault that this crisis exists. We ask that those Customers who are so inclined to consider this before you insult, use profanity or make hurtful and disparaging accusations at a TDSA staff member whether it is in a TDSA store, on the phone or via email.

If you have a query or complaint, please make use of the relevant channels listed below and it will be escalated to the relevant person and we will assist you as quickly as possible.

We understand that you have placed an order with TDSA in good faith and you expect your goods. You, our Customers are our lifeblood, we would not exist if it was not for You. Why would we possibly purposely or intentionally not assist our Customers to the best of our abilities?

The sad reality is that things are not and will not be back to “normal” for some time and until then, we all need to adapt to the “new normal”, whatever that may be and do the best that we can given the circumstances. (And possibly show our fellow humman beings a little more understanding during these times.)

In addition to the above measures, we have just implemented a new Customer Service System which will allow us to better assist and respond to Customer questions, queries and communications.

Firstly, the new system will allow us to receive all Customer communications from various channels into a unified channel. Each enquiry will then be converted into a ticket which will be assigned to a specific person within the relevant department. Each ticket can be tracked by both TDSA and the relevant Customer at all times. Every ticket has strict SLA/feedback timelime criteria that need to be met in order to ensure that all Customer queries are responded to timeously and that nothing is missed due to high volumes of enquiries. When a ticket is created, the Customer will receive an email confirming the ticket # as well as how to track it. All future correspondence regarding that particular issue will be tracked using that ticket #. We will be implementing this for all Online Orders in the near future as well.

Secondly, we have implemented a Customer Help Interface on the TDSA website. The interface can be found on the bottom right of the TDSA website. This interface will allow Customers to both browse short and concise Help Articles aimed at answering common questions that we get asked on a regular basis and if Customers cannot find the answers that they are looking for there, they are able to to submit queries directly to the relevant department which in turn will be turned into a ticket and be dealt with accordingly. (Again subject to strict Service Level Agreement/feedback timeline criteria.)

The Customer Help Interface can be accessed by clicking on the Orange “Need Help?” icon in the bottom right of the TDSA website at any time. Alternatively, the TDSA Customer Help Portal can be accessed by browsing to support.tdsa.co.za at any time.

Please note that all of the TDSA Customer Help Articles can be viewed through the Customer Help Interface on the TDSA website or on the TDSA Customer Help Portal at support.tdsa.co.za.

Please feel free to make use of either of the above features at any time and please send us your thoughts, comments and suggestions on how it works and how we can improve it to feedback@tdsa.co.za.

We sincerely hope that the above provides a little more insight into the ongoing challenges that we are currently facing as well as how we at TDSA are addressing them.

Lastly, we would like to thank our Customers for their patience and understanding in this regard and acknowledge the efforts being made by the TDSA Team in order to get everything back on track as quickly as possible.

At your service,
The TDSA Team

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Visit & Contact Us:

Need Help? Got a Question?
Please visit the TDSA Customer Self-Help Portal: support.tdsa.co.za

TDSA Boksburg Tel: 011 823 2401  Email: sales@tdsa.co.za
TDSA Centurion Tel: 012 663 1185  Email: ptasales@tdsa.co.za
TDSA Maputo Tel: +25 884 428 0795   Email: moz@tdsa.co.za
Online Order Related: online@tdsa.co.za
General Questions & Queries: help@tdsa.co.za
Compliments, Complaints & General Feedback: feedback@tdsa.co.za
Website: www.tdsa.co.za

Visit us In Store or Order Online – Nationwide Delivery or Collect at Your nearest TDSA Branch!

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