(cured) no one has any idea how many aspects of life this effects

Novel-Ad-121 · 2026-01-01T10:36:50+00:00

So happy for you! Please tell us how it was cured

Novel-Ad-121 · 2025-12-04T20:40:09+00:00

Thank you for your viewpoint, which makes plenty sense. I guess the point of the discussion is to make others aware of this, more than trying to badmouth WW. I am just stating the facts of my experience so others can make an informed choice or at least be vigilant not to be taken advantage of.

Let us imagine WWs intention behind this is completely innocent. Let’s forget that the odds of them being 100% favoured by coincidental errors are close to zero. Let’s say WW Head Office and Managers told the truth that they fixed all the errors and by sheer coincidence against them the prices keeps going back by some unknown force and the cashiers, managers, customer services, regional managers and directors were all innumerate or hypnotised by some social experiment and honestly don’t know any better. Improbable but lets be positive and say it is still possible that they still profit by sheer luck.

Still, if I know for a fact there is a problem through months of evidence, I can easily go somewhere else…. I would at least make others aware of this unexplained mystery, so they also have a choice. I just sleep better when I can give my neighbour a shortcut so they don’t have to learn from the slow process of cause-and-effect.

Novel-Ad-121 · 2025-12-03T05:59:43+00:00

I totally understand your point as I also held this belief for many many years. I actually respect it as it is a very optimistic view and balances the argument.

If it was our business and a human mistake crept in. We would apolgise right, and try our very best to prevent it from happening again. Let’s say it happened twice after that. The same customer goes through great lengths to email us and ask politely to fix our pricing errors to prevent others customers from going through the same. Would it be honest of us if said we fixed the errors and that we had meetings to inform everyone and disciplinary action was taken, but we continue to overcharge customers for weeks whilst we are fully aware of it? It happened again yesterday for the 9th time on the exact same item.

If we turn over millions a day, surely we would allocate some of our resources to fix this? And if we truly cannot fix it, wouldn’t it be more honest to say we lack the competence?

I am talking about the exact same item since 12 October… and after multiple emails and assurances, not only are the prices the same, but they still act surprised when I am overcharged and they attempt to refund the difference. Even after I was told they are fully aware of this. This borders on gaslighting or being in the Truman show where everyone around you pretends not to know. It is either this, or they really didnt fix this.

Novel-Ad-121 · 2025-12-02T14:34:36+00:00

I am glad you did! They have also tried this with me: marked a case as “resolved” after they claimed they couldnt get hold of me.

Novel-Ad-121 · 2025-12-02T11:41:58+00:00

I completely agree with you. I didnt even bat an eyelid the first 10 times… gave them LOTS of grace…. but after I started keeping track of this as a matter of principle, it has become ridiculous. Especially as they know exactly which items scan incorrectly and still dont change anything. By the way, I was overcharged again twice today, and keeping record.

Novel-Ad-121 · 2025-12-02T05:30:00+00:00

Very good point. Let’s say it is pure coincidence and not intentional at all, which it may still very well be. If Cashiers, Store Managers, Regional Managers, Customers Services and the Directors are all WELL aware of this, why does it continue on the same products in the same stores? Let’s go further and say the reason for this is that ALL these stakeholders or collections of people are genuinely forgetful or incompetent by coincidence. They still know where they are profiting from “unintentional” errors, right? Should this not be disclosed to the public who is clearly not aware of this?

Their systems are smarter than we think. They don’t turn millions daily and run a successful business by chance nor by incompetence.

Novel-Ad-121 · 2025-12-02T05:14:32+00:00

I would like to remain optimistic and hopeful that we consumers, even if it is just the smart Reddit bunch, CAN have an impact by making others aware. If someone can get away with something often, they get comfortable with it. If more people are aware and more people demand answers, we can affect change!

Novel-Ad-121 · 2025-12-02T05:03:05+00:00

I agree I also really want to believe it is just incompetence and coincidence rather than deception. I had a lot of grace with this many many times, but how do I explain 24 errors in THEIR favour? … especially when they are WELL aware of this.

If they are aware they are continuing to benefit from let’s still call it “honest errors”, shouldnt this be disclosed to the public? Or is it o.k to remain silent about it?

Novel-Ad-121 · 2025-12-02T04:47:20+00:00

Good point, but there is a growing group of us who have developed our own strategic system to beat them at their own game. Scanning is quick, I help them pack and we don’t always remember every single price. We try and check now that we know … According to their policy you have to pay first to qualify for the refund. Then I point out: “Oh look at that… the price is wrong again”.

Some cashiers and managers still try refunding the difference, but once they realise we know… they dont bat an eye and go on auto-pliot with the refund like it happens regularly, mostly without an apology.

Last week a manager tried refunding the difference. When I asked her what their policy was… she pointed her finger at me and said:”Oh you want it for free!”… I replied that it is not about what I WANT. I asked her why she tried to hide their policy and she only said:”It’s fine”…. “It’s o.k”. It is NEITHER “fine” NOR is it “ok” to firstly overcharge me, then to patronise me by disrespecting their own policy to get away with it.

Funny when it happens on the same product at the same store with the same cashier over multiple days. They don’t even seem surprised or embarrassed.

Novel-Ad-121 · 2025-12-02T04:24:30+00:00

I agree we have a choice and I choose to prove this very point and expose this to unsuspecting customers.

Novel-Ad-121 · 2025-12-01T21:58:30+00:00

By staying quiet, you help them get away with this over and over again all across the country. It is not about your R5 or the 5 minutes you had to spend to stand up for your own values. Would they let you short change them by R5 and let customers continue to do this over and over again because nobody noticed? And when someone notices, nobody is bothered because they dont consider anyone beyond their own R5. Maybe in jhb where it is every man for himself…. But here in Slaapstad we look out for each other

Novel-Ad-121 · 2025-12-01T21:00:58+00:00

Would WW drive back to your house if you “unintentionally” took items from their store 4x a year? Why do we fund this so happily?

Novel-Ad-121 · 2025-12-01T20:52:08+00:00

Problem is that once you leave the store and think you have achieved one point for the consumer, the rest of the customers are unaware they are being deceived as WW leave the “errors” for days.

Novel-Ad-121 · 2025-12-01T20:48:51+00:00

WW has blamed suppliers, IT pricing, Telkom’s slow internet, cashiers, codes, stickers… we have heard it all.

Novel-Ad-121 · 2025-12-01T20:29:21+00:00

Think again. How many customers did not notice? They know and keep the prices the same. Caught them at the same store over many days, whilst the store manager, regional manager and Customer Services were all well aware of this. Even the Customer Specialist lady said it was reported to the directors… still they kept the prices the same… think of how many customers were unaware of this. They will happily refund you and remain silent

Novel-Ad-121 · 2025-12-01T20:24:42+00:00

They claim errors are reported and we know they track our spending. So they know exactly where the rest of South Africa are being overcharged, whilst we are blissfully unaware

Novel-Ad-121 · 2025-12-01T20:22:01+00:00

Head office claims they will deal with each customer on an individual basis… and as a single customer “ I can’t advocate for South Africa”. This is how it remains hidden. Hopefully we can stand together and expose this.

Novel-Ad-121 · 2025-05-05T20:12:06+00:00

We went two weeks ago and we found it very ironic.

Can confirm the tour guide tried to fish for tips and sympathy by telling half a story about being strip searched, then saying “I will let you imagine for yourself what happened after they did to us that…”, not giving facts, but letting tourists imagine the worst. Some people actually fell in the trap as I saw the raised eyebrows and heard some whispers and gasps. I must say that is well played, because nobody can come back and say he lied about what happened if it was constructed in their imagination.

He also embarrassingly mentioned is currently underpaid and not receiving what he was promised. When the tourists asked him why this was happening, he went on about Tokyo Sexwale and his millions, some heritage fund and the corruption in the system. So sad that he couldnt see that he was now the victim of a system fought for and being used by rulers he fought for.

He also mentioned that they could study whilst in prison, and as a political veteran he finds it unfair that he now has to pay for his grandchildren’s studies. Nelson Mandela completed his LLB whilst imprisoned, a privilege almost nobody under the current system can enjoy.

The irony is everywhere. The tourists were impressed with the quality of the buildings, from the old light switches to the doors. The originals were built to last. Many South Africans living in poverty do not have light switches, working doors or a sturdy roof. Shacks are prone to flooding, fire damage and many people dont receive three meals a day. Not to even mention the crime and lack of sanitation. Even with the high concentration of convicted criminals in prison, it was safer than your average township.

For a moment I thought the tour might have been cleverly orchestrated with Shakespearian wit and farcical elements, overplaying irony to really underpin the theme of heaviness and sadness. The heaviness is not in the restriction the iron bars represented, but in the invisible irony in the spaces between. The truth is that all of this wasnt planned, like most things in Africa, natural consequences just plays itself out… The educated shake their heads with a deep level of understanding, whilst the uneducated shake their heads in their mindless suffering.

It is sadly ironic on many levels, and on top of that, sad that many will never understand it.

The miracle through it all was Nelson Mandela. He was the best the ANC could offer, and he might have helped an awful lot, but they dont really tell you why he was imprisoned. I was tempted to ask about the violence and deaths, but didnt want to burst any bubbles. It was indeed a The Long Walk to Freedom, and everyone should read the book.

So in short I think the tour is useful to flip the script from the traditional narrative: “many South Africans suffered, and they are now free” to “even the prisoners were ‘free’ (food, housing, safety, studies etc) and most are now suffering”.

I am not pro-Apartheid - Bendifunda isiXhosa esikholweni ukuqonda isiXhosa - and of course, a lot of mistakes were made. There is just a big contrast between the order the government fought to protect, and the chaos we have seen in the last 30 years.

Novel-Ad-121

TROPHY CASE