Bad honey

In early March, I shopped for our household goods at Naga Supermarket in Pondok Gede, Bekasi, as is my usual habit.

I bought three bottles of honey bearing the trade mark Ratu Madu (Queen of Honey) produced by Batu Tirta, Bandung, West Java.

I have been buying and consuming this honey for months. As I was about to open the second bottle on March 20, I began wondering about the quality of the honey because I saw something floating in the bottle, so, I decided not to open it. Instead, on March 22, I took the honey back to Naga to ask for a new bottle.

I was served by a lady who was said to be in charge of consumer complaints. While she was busy cleaning the cashier's machine she said that the honey could not be replaced because I had not brought the receipt of the purchase (I might have thrown it away).

My reasons for asking for a new bottle were:

1. The honey was still in the original bottle.

2. The "Naga" price label was clearly readable.

3. Honey does not go bad easily.

4. Consumers are entitled to get quality merchandise.

I was particularly disappointed because they insisted that the honey could not be replaced as I failed to show them the receipt.

Traditional markets have a different story; for example, I could ask the seller to replace a bad and broken egg which I had bought earlier. This is because the traders have confidence in their customers. I think supermarkets have to learn from the traditional markets how to deal with their customers. "Customers are kings" should remain the motto.

It is time supermarkets established a section to deal with customer complaints fairly.

MRS. KARLITA MULYADI

Bekasi, West Java