Stores / Websites with the Worst Customer Service

[aspen]

I think Barneys.com has bad customer service only because it takes DAYS for them to reply to your order and twice they've canceled because they were out of stock. I could have gotten it somewhere else if they told me that right away, but by that time the items were sold out everywhere.

 

[Diorling]

Ralph Lauren still. I got a HUGE eyeroll when I wanted to return a $800 cashmere sweater...I was thinking to myself "You know, if you had any sense you would try to turn this sale over" it's not like Im returning pennies here, Im obviously a client of yours don't treat me badly. Whatever, Im glad Im over Ralph Lauren anyway.

Ralph Lauren!!!!!!

 

[cloud9]

thomas pink.

when you're a 20 something asian girl, they dont treat you seriously.

i mean.
me and my friends walk in to that store whenever we are BUYING. 100%.

and everytime we get the same treatment.
being ignored. SAs looking after other "wealthy looking, old enough, white" customers.

obviously i dont go to the store every day, so im not close to the SAs, but i do buy every time i go there (once every few months id say).....

 

[xjessiex]

I've had it with the H&M online shop. This week I finally got the chance to order the Viktor and Rolf trenchcoat. I filled in my discount code, which means the price went down from a 100 euros to 75. At the check-out the discount was gone. So I phoned them. The guy went crazy on me for using that same discount code several times. It doesn't say you can only use it once, also they're system allows is. So I don't feel it's my fault.

Anyway, I didn't care about the discount anymore, I just wanted the coat. A day later I checked my orderstatus, and they deleted my order. I phoned again. According to them there must have been more people trying to get the coat at the exact same time. I've heard that story before, but if that happens you get to see it at the checkout. If it's gone, it means someone was a little faster ordering it. But I even got an email saying my order had been confirmed.

I don't get it haha. But I'm not going to order anything from that site anymore.

 

[Trista]

I work in retail (Bath and Body Works) and these stories are horrifying.

Never once have I had to deal with rude, witchy salespeople at ANY place I have ever shopped. I always get treated with respect and happy people, even if I'm just looking. And great customer service is one of the tenets of our company and no matter how many people are in the store, we still have to offer the same customer service. That is what turns customers into repeat customers, not only the products, but the quality of the staff.

spinster-I have heard many stories about stores that base the looks of the candidate as a factor, and it tends to be more of the teen stores. I've heard the stories about how some people who apply at Abercrombie don't get far in the process because they don't have that look. That's why I do not frequent those stores.

 

[mkd1187]

Number (N)ine NY. But I guess thats their whole thing..f*ck you..?

 

[iLoveCouture]

South Moon Under...the girls that work there are way to snotty and never greet or ask you if you need help w/ anything. When you do need help they act like they are too busy to deal w/ you...usually at that point I have thrown everything back onto the rack. I will spend my money where people are friendly and respectful....not w/ a bunch of snots in Uggs and mini skirts.

 

[dsq]

Number (N)ine NY. But I guess thats their whole thing..f*ck you..?

i've been to the store when i was in NYC last year, they are a bit stoic (as opposed to laid back and chilling) but they will help you if you require it. so i wouldn't say it was bad customer service, it's just their whole i don't care attitude.

 

[Choisir]

all i ask is that when i walk into a store, you let me browse in peace.

given that, 99.999% of retail stores fail miserably

except maybe holts...if you dress 'poor looking' enough they will leave you alone

 

[miaou]

all i ask is that when i walk into a store, you let me browse in peace.

AMEN!!! I hate commission hungry SAs that freaking stare you down and follow you around like hungry wolves. This one SA at Neiman Marcus (ha, see a trend here with NM??) would not leave me alone while I was looking at handbags...she was making comments about the bags I was trying to decide between and I just didn't care to hear her babbling...I kept trying to give her clues to let me browse in peace but she was so thick that she going on and on and on. I wish i had the courage to tell her to shut up.

 

[Diorling]

^ Sweetheart, dont be confused, she wasn't thick, she just didn't care.

 

[markie]

Diesel in Dallas is terrible.

 

[youarearockstar]

I've heard the stories about how some people who apply at Abercrombie don't get far in the process because they don't have that look. That's why I do not frequent those stores.

I was under the impression that this was a thread about customer service in stores. Hiring practices do not have direct correlation with customer service. I cannot speak for every store in the nation, but I don't believe that hiring aspirational candidates who are passionate and inspired by the lifestyle that our company creates, is and indication towards the degree of customer experience that you'll encounter. I can only speak for my store when I say that I expect all of my associates to greet every single customer with the same enthusiastic and helpful service, no matter who they are or what they look like.

I'm not trying to be hardheaded or disrespectful towards Trista by any means. I'm just passionate about my career and my store, and I wanted to correct something that I thought was an over-exaggeration.

 

[Diorling]

I dont mind helpfulness in a way, like, show me new things. Like how an SA showed me a new way to wear the Vuitton Greenwich, I was like .

I just dont want pushiness. My sister had a pair of 18k gold hoops, the post broke w/in a week, so she took them in to be repaired, they gave her a new pair...Then the woman tried to sell her more!! I was thinking this woman must be nuts! She really cannot think she's going to buy more especially when she had a problem w/ her last item...

 

[reese06]

I was under the impression that this was a thread about customer service in stores. Hiring practices do not have direct correlation with customer service. I cannot speak for every store in the nation, but I don't believe that hiring aspirational candidates who are passionate and inspired by the lifestyle that our company creates, is and indication towards the degree of customer experience that you'll encounter. I can only speak for my store when I say that I expect all of my associates to greet every single customer with the same enthusiastic and helpful service, no matter who they are or what they look like.

I'm not trying to be hardheaded or disrespectful towards Trista by any means. I'm just passionate about my career and my store, and I wanted to correct something that I thought was an over-exaggeration.

While I can't say that all Abercrombie stores don't hire "aspirational candidates who are passionate and inspired by the lifestyle the company creates", a majority of the ones that I have been in(and I even was employed by one), do not hire such candidates. The associates or as Abercrombie likes to call them, "Models" are not helpful, we were not pushed to be helpful and most times when I buy from Abercrombie they are not helpful. I wish I could find the interview from that weird looking guy that's like the CEO of Abercrombie. He basically says himself that people are hired based on looks. Hell, I was hired on looks I know for a fact.

But as far as stores with bad customer service, I would say Abercrombie, Saks has not been that great on many occasions. But I've really had great customer service at most of the stores I shop at.

 

[dreamecho]

I don't have an especially juicy story to tell, but here's a recent bad experience of mine: A couple of weeks ago, I went to Le Foot Sportif, a sneaker/trainers store, in Harvard Square (Cambridge, MA). It's a very small store, and during the 40 minutes that my boyfriend spent trying on shoes, the two male SAs sat on their butts and gossiped amongst themselves about how terrible the owner/manager of the store was. My boyfriend and I heard the whole conversation. How tasteless and irritating!

As my boyfriend was paying for his shoes, I decided to take advantage of the 10% off sale and picked up a pair of red hi-top Converse. I already have a bunch of Converse, so I just asked for my regular size and planned to pay without trying them on. As I always do when purchasing from a place that I've never shopped at before, I asked about the return policy and how long the sale was going to last. The SA replied so rudely, as though I was BOTHERING him. The SA would only answer with grunts and other monosyllabic noises (i.e., yes, no). I had to DRAG the full details out of him. I was thinking, Um--NO, you're PAID to answer my question, jerkface. It's your darn JOB to answer these questions. Anyway, when I paid, the SA would barely acknowledge me. He took my credit card and stuff, but refused look me in the eye or talk to me. As I took my shopping bag from him, I looked him in the eye. "Thank you," I said, hoping that I was imagining things. What did I get in return? Daggers of hatred and anger!!! His eyes were so malicious looking, he looked like he might kill me!! After that, I was just upset with myself that I had done him the decent courtesy of saying thanks!

That night, I went home and tried on the shoes...turns out that Converse has modified their shoe sizing since I bought my last pair 4 years ago . I decided to return the shoes (thank goodness I had asked about the return policy!--"must be returned in 3 days for full refund"). So I went back the next day and returned the shoes. Of course, the SA was a jerk again, acting like I was bothering him. Blech! I am glad to be rid of those shoes. That store doesn't deserve my patronage. I can get Converse anywhere.

 

[shoexgal]

^ good for you!

 

[erin_k]

except maybe holts...if you dress 'poor looking' enough they will leave you alone

SO true!

Also, I was in bcbg the other day and the sales girl would not leave me alone. I ended up in the dressing room with her, critising everything I picked. She was cold and pushy and waited outside the dressing room and glared. So...I left. I didnt have the nerve to complain (or yell, which is what I wanted to do). I just left.

 

[gingeraunt]

Ralph Lauren SA's always gives me the icy treatment. Its the main reason I don't shop there (South Coast Plaza, Orange County, CA)

i think everyone in South Coast Plaza is a little snotty, the sale's assistants and the customers too. it's one of the best malls, but i hate dealing w/the people there. "bloomingdales spring 2007", maybe that will lure me back.

 

[gingeraunt]

I don't have an especially juicy story to tell, but here's a recent bad experience of mine: A couple of weeks ago, I went to Le Foot Sportif, a sneaker/trainers store, in Harvard Square (Cambridge, MA). It's a very small store, and during the 40 minutes that my boyfriend spent trying on shoes, the two male SAs sat on their butts and gossiped amongst themselves about how terrible the owner/manager of the store was. My boyfriend and I heard the whole conversation. How tasteless and irritating!

As my boyfriend was paying for his shoes, I decided to take advantage of the 10% off sale and picked up a pair of red hi-top Converse. I already have a bunch of Converse, so I just asked for my regular size and planned to pay without trying them on. As I always do when purchasing from a place that I've never shopped at before, I asked about the return policy and how long the sale was going to last. The SA replied so rudely, as though I was BOTHERING him. The SA would only answer with grunts and other monosyllabic noises (i.e., yes, no). I had to DRAG the full details out of him. I was thinking, Um--NO, you're PAID to answer my question, jerkface. It's your darn JOB to answer these questions. Anyway, when I paid, the SA would barely acknowledge me. He took my credit card and stuff, but refused look me in the eye or talk to me. As I took my shopping bag from him, I looked him in the eye. "Thank you," I said, hoping that I was imagining things. What did I get in return? Daggers of hatred and anger!!! His eyes were so malicious looking, he looked like he might kill me!! After that, I was just upset with myself that I had done him the decent courtesy of saying thanks!

That night, I went home and tried on the shoes...turns out that Converse has modified their shoe sizing since I bought my last pair 4 years ago . I decided to return the shoes (thank goodness I had asked about the return policy!--"must be returned in 3 days for full refund"). So I went back the next day and returned the shoes. Of course, the SA was a jerk again, acting like I was bothering him. Blech! I am glad to be rid of those shoes. That store doesn't deserve my patronage. I can get Converse anywhere.

u should call the store and ask for the manager/owner. then tell the manager all the crap his employees were saying about him.