The customer is always right, a slogan businesses use to show customers that they are prioritised by the establishment, was the topic of discussion following an altercation between a customer and the staff of the Bambalapitiya branch of House of Fashions. On Monday, 23 January, the management issued a statement on the incident, clarifying the events captured on video that soon went viral on social media.

Speaking to The Daily Morning Brunch, a House of Fashions staff member said: “We have shared details about the incident via our social media platforms. However, since a police inquiry is ongoing, we cannot divulge further information.”

The CCTV footage shared by House of Fashions shows the brawl between the customer and staff. However, the altercation is said to have taken place due to the customer’s vehicle being blocked by another. When inquired about CCTV footage from the parking lot of the Bambalapitiya branch, the staff member said it has not been uploaded yet “because we have not received approval from the Police to do so.”

He added that they will decide what to do next based on the ongoing inquiry.

The incident

The incident is believed to have occurred when the customer was unable to leave the premises as his vehicle was blocked by another. Despite multiple announcements, the owner of the other vehicle did not show up. The customer is said to have then assaulted the staff at House of Fashions, which developed into a brawl between the two parties.

According to the statement issued by the clothing store, the branch manager immediately attended to the matter when the customer informed them about his vehicle being blocked and found out that the owner of the vehicle had parked his vehicle in the House of Fashions parking lot only to go to a different location.

“While apologising about the incident, the customer began heavily berating the head of security and manager in inappropriate language before physically assaulting our security-in-charge. The other staff members intervened to break up the fight only to be assaulted back by the customer upon which the situation took a violent turn,” the statement read.

House of Fashions also posted “unseen footage” from their CCTV cameras. While the video itself is clearly edited in some places, it shows the customer angrily walking into the store with an umbrella in hand. He then shouts at the staff, before assaulting them. In the next frame, the customer is standing outside the main entrance, mostly out of view. We then see the female customer who accompanied him trying to stop him from assaulting the staff but he pushes past her. He later throws what is said to be a garbage can as well as another item at the building, before being led away from the store by the female customer.

While the “unseen footage” does not show the staff of House of Fashions assaulting the customer, a video taken by another customer and circulated widely on social media, which prompted a response from the management, shows uniformed staff hitting the customer multiple times with their fists. While the two customers walk away, a group of staff members keep verbally assaulting him, which is when the garbage can is thrown their way, and the verbal assault continues. The customers are seen leaving the premises.

“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to the said customer and any other customers present at the store and feel that this incident has damaged our reputation and goodwill maintained with our valuable customers,” House of Fashions said in the statement, assuring that the wellbeing of their customers as well as staff is a top priority, while also ensuring that their customers get the best at all times.

The response

There are usually two sides to a story, and likewise, there are usually two reactions to an incident. With the House of Fashions brawl, some argued that the customer is king, while others said a customer has no right to assault the staff. The middle ground some stood on is that while the customer is not always king and cannot assault staff, this does not condone the violence inflicted by the staff.

“Until all the staff that were involved in this fight, including the security guard and the manager of the branch are fired, I’m not stepping into any HoF branch. The customer is definitely wrong, no doubt. But breaking up a fight doesn’t involve gang assault with weapons,” a comment on the statement issued by HoF read.

A Facebook user pointed out that through the statement, House of Fashions was taking zero accountability for physical assault, with absolutely no transparency in “what steps were taken against the numerous staff who are blatantly caught physically assaulting one person”.

“There are two sides to every story. So please don’t justify. Also, the customer is not always right,” another comment read.

While the blame game shifts between the customer and the establishment, some social media users have pointed to the third party in this matter – the customer who parked their car in such a way that it blocked another vehicle but also then left the premises. Inconsiderate and careless parking is something we see not only in Sri Lanka but across the globe, and it need not be said that we must all be more mindful of our surroundings when we use public or shared parking spaces.

Other incidents

This incident has also shed light on other instances where House of Fashions has failed to behave in a way that provided their customers with “the best at all times.” On a post published on the House of Fashions Facebook page, a user commented: “I also have a bad experience with House of Fashions customer service. On that day, the customer service guy also tried to quarrel with me unnecessarily. They never want to respect customers…”

A Twitter user by the name of Ebrahim from Mumbai, India, in December 2022, posted a thread about his experience at the store.

“During a recent trip to Sri Lanka, my family and I experienced a disturbing incident at the House of Fashions shopping mall in Colombo. While waiting in line at the billing counter, another customer cut in front of us, causing confusion and frustration. When we complained to the cashier, the individual became angry and shouted at us. Instead of addressing the issue, the senior management of the mall joined in, shouting and telling us to leave.”

He added that the management called in additional staff and locals to threaten and physically assault them. “The situation escalated to the point where we were pushed and kicked out of the store.”

“It is especially concerning to see such aggression and disrespect from a business, especially given the current economic challenges and high rates of inflation in the country. The incident not only caused us distress but also resulted in a significant loss of sales for the mall.”