Introduction
Guided by our policy of “contributing to the local community by earning our customers’ trust and offering a wide variety of quality products,” Home Center Kitayama strives every day to enrich our customers’ lives through our sales, upholding the principles of “bright smiles and greetings,” “sincerity and gratitude,” and “harmony among people.” However, we have observed that a very small number of customers have directed demands, behavior, or conduct toward our employees that exceed what is considered socially acceptable, including physical assault, threats, verbal abuse, unreasonable demands, sexual harassment, and acts that denigrate a person’s character. We view these actions as serious issues that harm the physical and mental well-being and dignity of our employees—who are dedicated to serving our customers—and lead to a deterioration of the workplace environment.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
We remain committed to responding sincerely to our customers’ feedback and requests. However, we believe it is essential to take firm, organized action against any behavior that constitutes customer harassment in order to protect our employees, and we have therefore established our “Basic Policy on Customer Harassment.”
Definition of Customer Harassment
In accordance with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s “Corporate Manual for Countermeasures Against Customer Harassment,” our company defines customer harassment as follows: “Complaints or conduct by customers that, when judged against the validity of the request, involve means or methods that are deemed unreasonable by generally accepted social standards and pose a risk of harming the working environment of our employees.”
The following are some common examples of customer harassment, though this list is not exhaustive.
[Requests from customers that are excessive or deemed unreasonable]
- If no defects or negligence are found in the products or services we provide
- If the nature of the request is unrelated to the products or services we provide
- Requests for product exchanges, returns, refunds, or monetary compensation without valid reason
- Requests for unreasonable or excessive services
- Demands for an apology without reasonable grounds
- Request for Internal Disciplinary Action Against an Employee
- Acts that require a long time or tie someone up
- Requests to be summoned to locations other than the office
[Conduct or statements deemed unreasonable under generally accepted social norms in the pursuit of a demand]
- Acts of violence, intimidation, threats, or menacing behavior
- Behaviors such as shouting loudly, making insulting remarks or writing insulting messages, defamation, and personal attacks
- Demand to prostrate oneself
- Restrictive behavior (refusal to leave, squatting, confinement)
- The act of nitpicking or finding fault with someone's words when one's demands are not met
- Discriminatory remarks and behavior, sexual remarks and behavior
- Constant, persistent remarks and behavior
- Attacks on and demands directed at individual employees
- Acts that infringe on the privacy of employees and others
- The act of photographing, videotaping, or recording the voices of employees or others without permission
- Behaviors such as unnecessarily flaunting one’s authority, demanding special treatment, or insisting on a written apology
- Defamation and slander on social media and the internet
- Any act of intentionally damaging or destroying our facilities, equipment, or merchandise
- Entering or loitering in areas restricted to authorized personnel only
- In addition, any conduct that we deem to be particularly egregious from the perspective of protecting our employees
Our Approach to Dealing with Customer Harassment
If we determine that your behavior constitutes customer harassment, we may refuse to serve you in the future, suspend our business relationship with you, or prohibit you from entering our store.
Furthermore, we will take appropriate measures, including reporting the matter to the police, initiating criminal proceedings, and taking legal action as necessary, and will deal with the matter strictly.
Our Initiatives
- Clarifying the Company's Stance Through This Policy
- Employee Awareness and Education
- Establishment of a Reporting and Consultation System
- Developing Procedures for Handling Customer Harassment
A Request from Home Center Kitayama
While most of our customers at Home Center Kitayama are very considerate and truly appreciated, it is also true that there are a very small number of people who fall into the category described above.
We remain committed to developing products and services that delight our customers and to creating an environment where they can shop with confidence and enjoyment. Therefore, should we observe any behavior that constitutes customer harassment, we will address it in accordance with this policy.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.