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SHAH ALAM - Lotus’s Malaysia has apologised to a customer and his family after an internal investigation into an incident at its Selayang store found that the situation was handled below the standards expected by the retailer.
The company said appropriate disciplinary action had been taken against those involved, in accordance with its internal policies, while additional measures had been introduced to strengthen staff guidance, procedures and training.
“We have completed our investigation into the incident at our Selayang store and have concluded that the handling of the situation fell short of the standards our customers rightly expect of Lotus’s, and those we expect of ourselves,” the company said in a statement issued today.
Lotus’s extended its “sincere apologies” to the customer, his wife and their family, saying no customer should have such an experience while shopping. The retailer said it had reached out to the family directly and remained committed to rebuilding their trust.
The statement follows allegations by Mohamed Fareez Shah on social media, who claimed his 38-week pregnant wife was publicly humiliated after staff at the Selayang outlet wrongly suspected her of concealing stolen items beneath her clothing.
Fareez alleged that after the couple had paid for their groceries, his wife was stopped by a staff member who questioned what she was hiding around her belly. He claimed employees later asked her to produce her maternal health record and expose her stomach to prove she was not concealing stolen merchandise.
When contacted by Sinar Daily earlier, Lotus’s said employees handling suspected shoplifting cases were expected to respond professionally and respectfully while following company procedures designed to safeguard the dignity and safety of everyone involved.
In its latest statement, the retailer also appealed to the public to stop harassing its employees and their families online, while reaffirming its commitment to treating every customer with empathy, dignity and respect.
