Lotus’s Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Lotus’s Malaysia) has taken appropriate disciplinary action following an incident involving a pregnant woman who was allegedly accused of stealing at its Selayang outlet in Selangor recently.
In a statement, the company said it had completed its internal investigation and found that the handling of the incident did not meet the level of service and treatment expected by customers.
Lotus’s Malaysia stressed that no customer should have to experience such a situation while shopping at its stores.
“To the customer, her husband and their family, we would like to apologise for the incident that occurred.
“We deeply regret the experience they went through. We have also reached out to the family directly and remain committed to rebuilding their trust,” the company said on Wednesday.
The company added that it has strengthened its guidelines, procedures and staff training to ensure employees continue to uphold proper service standards and prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Previously, the media reported that the husband of the pregnant woman questioned the actions of a supermarket supervisor who allegedly asked his wife to stand for 20 minutes after she was accused of stealing an item supposedly hidden in her clothing.
The husband, identified as Fareez, 25, said his 23-year-old wife was heavily pregnant when the incident happened.
Lotus’s Malaysia also expressed concern over reports of personal harassment and online threats directed at the staff involved and their immediate family members following the incident.
The company urged all parties to respect the privacy, well-being and dignity of everyone involved while allowing the matter to proceed with mutual understanding.
“ This incident reminds us of the importance of treating every customer with empathy, respect and dignity.
“We remain committed to learning from this experience, improving our service quality and continuing to earn the trust placed in Lotus’s by our customers every day,” it said.
