Behind the Customer Experience: A Former HR Insider’s Perspective on Digi Cars

It is genuinely encouraging when customers feel welcomed, supported, and well assisted during their interaction with a company.

Frontline teams often work extremely hard to create that experience.

What many customers would understandably not know, however, is that I was employed by Digi Cars / iCar Technologies as a Talent Acquisition Specialist within the HR division, responsible for recruiting and helping build the very teams delivering those customer experiences.

At the same time that the business continued operating publicly as normal, I became involved in serious internal employment disputes relating to unpaid guaranteed remuneration contractually due to me, unresolved payroll issues, and circumstances which ultimately resulted in a constructive dismissal dispute being referred for formal resolution.

These are not speculative allegations, but matters formally escalated through recognised labour dispute channels.

During the process of lodging my dispute at MIBCO, the Motor Industry Bargaining Council, I was informed by an official, in the presence of a witness accompanying me, that the company was already facing proceedings relating to non-compliance matters. I mention this carefully and responsibly because it formed part of the broader context in which I found myself attempting to secure basic accountability regarding remuneration and labour obligations.

What made the experience particularly concerning was the disconnect between the external image presented to customers and the internal difficulties encountered when attempting to resolve legitimate employment and payroll concerns through professional channels. Communication shifted, promised feedback did not materialise, documentation remained outstanding, and meaningful engagement only occurred after public escalation and regulatory involvement.

This is exactly why I believe these conversations matter within the South African legal and labour landscape. Too many employees suffer silently out of fear of reputational harm, unemployment, or retaliation, while organisations continue prioritising revenue generation and deal flow without equal regard for the people sustaining those operations internally.

My intention is not to attack customers or invalidate positive experiences. Customers are entitled to share their genuine interactions. But the public is equally entitled to understand that there can be another side to an organisation’s operations, one that employees experience behind closed doors.

Ethical business practice cannot end at customer satisfaction alone. It must also include compliance, transparency, lawful treatment of employees, and accountability when disputes arise.

Businesses should not only ask whether customers are happy, but also whether the people building the company are being treated fairly, paid properly, and engaged with honestly when problems arise.