| Author |
Message |
    
redY67
Citizen
Username: Redy67
Post Number: 218
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 8:02 pm: |     |
Target is one of my favorite stores, but on Saturday the customer service was SO horrible, I have to vent.
We went to the Target on Route 22 to do some shopping and exchange some items. I went to the Customer Service Counter to exchange a gift my daughter recieved. The woman at the counter said I could only exchange it for something in the same department. I explained to her that I didn't want anything from that department today and would like a store credit. She refused to let me do that. I then asked for the manager.
The manager comes over and stated the same thing. I explained I had been shopping at Target for over fifteen years and never have I had a problem like this before. She then stated the policy is changed and she was doing me a favor by even letting me return it, that now without a reciept you will not be able to return/exchange anything at all.
For a company this large, I think that policy is terrible!
Anyway, to make matters worse, I found an item and brought it back to the counter. A new woman was there and was taking care of the exchange. She then announces "$4.00 please." I told her I didn't understand both items were listed at the same price. So Miss Thing says "YOU ARE NOT LISTENING TO ME. IT IS $4.00! THE ITEM YOU ARE RETURNING IS $4.00 LESS"
I then stated to her that I was listening and she didn't say anything about it being less.
Miss Thing proceeds to say "YOU ARE NOT LISTENING, THE ITEM YOU ARE RETURNING WAS ON SALE WITHIN THE PAST 30 DAYS, SO YOU OWE $4.00"
I immediately said "How dare you speak to me like that, give me the address and phone number to your coporate office"
So I call today, complaining about both the new return policy, and the rude employee. Basically the woman could care less and was almost as rude. Stating they were doing a favor for me, and that is the way it is so deal with it.
If I didn't like the place so damn much I would boycott it, but I don't have the willpower. |
mimosa
Citizen
Username: Mimosa
Post Number: 93
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 8:09 pm: | |
Hmmm...aren't they owned by a French company? |
Cynicalgirl
Citizen
Username: Cynicalgirl
Post Number: 356
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 8:19 pm: | |
If you are really po'ed, consider writing 1 letter stating your complaint, and mailing the same text to each of the executive board of directors(http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=TGT&script=2200#board). In your CC line, show all of the others' names. In your copy, indicate that you are doing so. Has to be originals -- not photocopies.
Also, send a similar leter to the head of "Guest Relations." You'll have to call back to get their name/title.
What will this accomplish? Well, it'll help you vent but I have found that sending an actual decent letter, in an envelope, wherein you allude to your other, similar efforts will very likely get their attention. Some of their "family" of stores are very service oriented.
I have effectively complained to McDonald's in the past (at a corporate level), Ikea, Cigna and a couple of others when I was just plain fed up. I got call backs and action, but it did take something other than the phone. Some companies will "hear" you based on e-mail, but some need letters. I do not find that phone alone works -- too easy to forget about it.
Anyway, something to consider. You'd be surprised at the response you can get when you do it in a way that shows you mean it. Takes some effort but is very satisfying to stick up for yourself, and probably lots of others, too. Good luck |
bobk
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 4457
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 9:09 am: | |
The manner the customer service person handled the situation is not right. However, if you want to have a liberal return policy, shop at Nordstroms. Their prices reflect the cost. Target is, afterall, a discount store. I am also going to assume that you didn't have the receipt or a "gift" receipt that is now pretty common in the retail business at the Holidays. |
SoOrLady
Citizen
Username: Soorlady
Post Number: 324
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 9:15 am: | |
I suppose bobk is right.. I had a bad experience at Marshalls. Bought the husband some summer shirts, he liked them, I laundered them according to the directions, they shrunk from an XL to an M, took them back to the store, didn't have the receipt (thought I was keeping them), store would do nothing.. nada.. zip.., son enjoyed wearing the shirts the rest of the summer, I don't shop at Marshalls anymore because the don't stand behind the products they sell. |
mem
Citizen
Username: Mem
Post Number: 2684
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 9:37 am: | |
Red,
Find out who the CEO of Target is here in the States. Write a letter, output this thread and attach it. I did this with Home Depot and they responded very quickly. Granted, the improved customer service only lasted a few weeks, but I think our Home Depot is cursed and there's no hope for it.
Anyway, letters are better than phone calls. Good luck. Target always gave me the willies, the way they have that junky furniture and ugly underwear right next to each other. I prefer Drug Fair. |
eliz
Citizen
Username: Eliz
Post Number: 687
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 10:02 am: | |
Before the anti-french start boycotting Target - it is not owned by the french - it is part of what used to be Dayton-Hudson Corp - now Target Corp - same company owns Marshall Fields and Mervyn's.
My experience was just the opposite of yours btw - I had bought lamp shades on Route 10 and wanted to return them on Rte 22 without a receipt. They asked if I had used a credit card and managed to look up the purchase by swiping my cc and I was able to receive a full refund. They were very helpful and professional. I do empathize with you though, nothing makes me angrier than rude customer service. Go ahead and send a letter- the CEO is Robert Ulrich.
|
gozerbrown
Citizen
Username: Gozerbrown
Post Number: 321
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 10:50 am: | |
I had difficulty exchanging something from Target recently because I forgot my receipt. They proceeded to ask me for identification. Having a pretty common first and last name, someone with my name had returned items in the past without a receipt. Apparently, once you do it once, they don't let you do it again. Somehow, I was able to convince them that the other person sharing my name was not me and they let me do it. I'll never forget my receipt again.
In terms of going right to the CEO, I support that completely. I worked for the president of a well-known company; complaints such as these were taken very seriously as long as it was shown that you went through the appropriate customer service channels first. |
Duncan
Citizen
Username: Duncanrogers
Post Number: 1479
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 10:54 am: | |
Good lord how many Gozer Browns can there be in the world.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take"
Wayne Gretzky |
redY67
Citizen
Username: Redy67
Post Number: 219
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 10:55 am: | |
bobk-- I don't think it is liberal to ask a store to allow you to exchange without a receipt. It would be nice if the gift reciept were included every time, but it isn't. I am not asking for money back, or the full price of the item. Most larger retail stores do it such as Express and Gap. It is not just Nordstrom's. |
bobk
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 4461
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 11:15 am: | |
Without the receipt the store has no idea if they sold the item on sale or at ticket price. Given the sales last December, well, I kinda see their point. Should they take a loss? |
algebra2
Citizen
Username: Algebra2
Post Number: 1584
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 11:29 am: | |
I would never expect to be able to exchange anything without a receipt, especially a shrunken shirt! I love Target. Red -- was the gift for your daughter from you? If not, how do you know the amount it was purchased for?
Mem -- Drug Fair is NO Target. COME ON! |
mem
Citizen
Username: Mem
Post Number: 2687
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 11:38 am: | |
Tacky Target! |
jeffl
Citizen
Username: Jeffl
Post Number: 305
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 4:41 pm: | |
My customer service experience with Target has been shockingly positive. It ain't no Bed, Bath, and Beyond but they did good by me. |
greeneyes
Citizen
Username: Greeneyes
Post Number: 464
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 4:51 pm: | |
Dahlings, it is not TARGET, it's TAR-SHAY.
|
redY67
Citizen
Username: Redy67
Post Number: 221
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 6:49 pm: | |
algebra-- I didn't know the price. My point was the woman immediately got nasty with me, and never told me that the item was on sale. I didn't mind exchanging it for the lower price at all. I minded her attitude, and her failure to tell me that it was on sale in the beginning.
bobk--How is Target taking a loss? The item I was exchanging had the tags on it, and was still stocked on the shelves. By taking the item back they were providing good customer service. I have many friends that refust to shop there because of the policy.
|
snshirsch
Citizen
Username: Snshirsch
Post Number: 123
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 7:32 pm: | |
Target, and any other business that accepts ANY returns without a receipt may quite easily accept a loss for these items. As has been discussed in another thread about Home Depot having items returned for store credit and then the people selling the credit for less to others is an example of when people return items that they have not bought. How easy is it to enter a store, pick something up from the shelf and walk up to the counter and ask to return the item? Home Depot has someone staged at the returns desk/entrance I believe to make sure that the people making returns are coming from outside the store. Costco does it perfectly, receipt or no, your returns are stamped with a tag upon entry into the store, which is done through a single secure location. If I was a store owner, I would have second thoughts about accepting any returns without a receipt. This is probably a big part of the reason that stores started to provide gift receipts. The fact that any store, especially the larger ones which are making incredibly small margins on huge numbers of sales would consider a return without a receipt is amazing. I believe that it will become more and more a thing of the past. How can the store know when you bought an item?, it may have gone on sale last week at which point the store may be taking a loss on the item in order to reduce its inventory. If they were to give you full credit for last month's price for an item you purchased last week, and then you used that to purchase something more expensive, you are in effect stealing. It is not up to the store to police the morals of its customers, that is why they issue receipts. Rudeness and policies that are not clearly stated aside,
No ticky, no shirty. No receipt, no return. |
Curious Onlooker
Citizen
Username: Curiousonlooker
Post Number: 21
Registered: 11-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 8:11 pm: | |
I've had such horrible service at the Target in Union that I simply refuse to go there anymore. Instead, I stay on 22 and head to Watchung, just beyond Blue Star and BJ's. Sure it's a bit of a ride, but the plaza there also has an AC Moore, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Borders, Stop and Shop, Pier One, Home Depot and a whole bunch of other stores. The staff there is always friendly, and the place is clean, which isn't necessarily the case in Union. If I want to go to a more local location, I head to East Hanover on Rt. 10. Never had a problem and Costco is right there, too. |
redY67
Citizen
Username: Redy67
Post Number: 222
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 8:14 pm: | |
snshirsch--No Target shouldn't be the morals of its customers; and it shouldn't punnish customers for the bad behavior of others.
I spend thousands of dollars a year at Target, and will no longer shop there as often. I will look for other places to shop and spend my money. I think in the long run the amount of customers they lose will outweigh the money lost on exchanging merchandise. |
Montagnard
Citizen
Username: Montagnard
Post Number: 387
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 9:02 pm: | |
It's not fair to blame the entire store for the rude behavior of one clerk. Besides, your value to the store as a customer far exceeds her value as an employee.
Only if the manager of the store refused to acknowledge your concerns would it be fair to blame the store itself.
You could, of course, then complain to the corporate level about the manager, but then again...
|
Reflective
Citizen
Username: Reflective
Post Number: 294
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 9:05 pm: | |
Bobk
nordstom's price maybe partly due to its liberal refund policy.
But I and others have found that their customer service is the best of all stores, from exchanges, to finding what you want at other stores to quality of merchandize. If what you buy isn't right they will make it so. Plus almost all of their sales people know what they are doing.
A little more yes, but you don't worry about followup.
By the way, for those on a budget, check their sales and you will still get the best customer service and quality.
I only shop there and don't own their stock. |
eliz
Citizen
Username: Eliz
Post Number: 690
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 11:43 pm: | |
Nordstrom's also pays their associates. That's why you can go back to the same department and find the same associate season after season.
I'm a very loyal Nordstrom shopper but I also love Target. Two diffent shopping experiences. |
bobk
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 4464
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 - 4:36 am: | |
Ref, return policies are only one part of the service a high end store offers and one way or another you pay for this service. This is fine. Nordstroms has a great business model that works for them.
The one that gets me is COSTCO. They have a liberal return policy and low prices. I guess this is part of their marketing strategy and since they do little if any advertising I guess they can afford it. |
clkelley
Citizen
Username: Clkelley
Post Number: 67
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 - 5:23 am: | |
Red,
I have also recently had an appallingly bad customer service experience at Target, virtually identical to your own.
I too didn't mind the return policy, which seemed reasonable - it was the rudeness of the clerks (two involved) that was appalling.
The first clerk was rude in her explanation of the store policy. Practically yelled at me. Now mind you, I am not at all a pushy person ... I bend over backwards to be nice, and I did this time as well. There was no need to yell at me.
Also, this rude clerk told me the wrong information: She gave me a store credit receipt and told me to bring it to the cash register. After standing in line a LONG time, the cashier told me she couldn't take it, I had to take it back to Customer Service.
Then I got into the Customer Service line, and when I got served, mentioned this misinformation to the customer service clerk (a different clerk this time). She snapped at me and told me I wasn't listening.
Excuse me?????
Who gives ANYBODY a right to talk to a customer this way?
The thing that kills me about Target (and Home Depot, and Walmart) is that they push all the smaller businesses out of business. They do it with low prices, better service, etc.
Then, once they're the only game in town, they jack up the prices and ratchet down the service. Remember when Target first opened? You NEVER had to stand in line - I think they even made a promise to this effect. What happened to that?
I hate Target. I still shop there though - but more & more looking for alternatives, because who wants to put up with that.
|
redY67
Citizen
Username: Redy67
Post Number: 225
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 - 10:32 am: | |
Montagnard-- I am not shopping at Target less because of one rude clerk, that would be ridiculous. Yes it frustrated me greatly, but not enough to stop shopping. I am not shopping at Target because of the refund/exhange policy.
It is my own fault, but I am TERRIBLE about keeping receipts. I also don't want to purchase a gift for someone that they would have a hard time exchanging if they needed to. (bad about the gift receipts)
Now I will look elsewhere for items, like Costco or Wal Mart that accept items without a receipt. |
gozerbrown
Citizen
Username: Gozerbrown
Post Number: 329
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 - 5:13 pm: | |
I have an ongoing issue with customer service in general (though low wages can be part of the problem, what is wrong with doing a good job regardless of the pay? Believe me, I've worked plenty of menial jobs and tried to act pleasantly while waiting on customers). But surprisingly, I had a really pleasant customer service experience last week in Target. (I actually picked up the "red phone" and the guy came in about 30 seconds! And he was nice! And helpful! Truly shocking.) Maybe there's some hope... |
Cynicalgirl
Citizen
Username: Cynicalgirl
Post Number: 366
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 - 7:34 pm: | |
gozerbrown, I surely do agree with you. Other than Target, I shop at Lord & Taylor -- during the sales -- pretty much exclusively because their service people are so excellent. Macy's, Penney's, Sears (other than appliances) all stink. At these stores, they're on the phone, our personal cell phone, or talking to their hangers-on -- everything but doing the job. Seems to be regardless of age, too. I once asked a L&T person how it was that they were SO nice when others were so not. Did they pay more? Nope. Seemed to have to do with training, screening and attitude towards their sales people... |
sportsnut
Citizen
Username: Sportsnut
Post Number: 872
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 - 9:49 pm: | |
I generally avoid stores on rte 22 like the plague. Much rather schlep to rte 10.
Also, beginning to dislike Livingston Mall even more than usual. Around the holidays it was really depressing, almost like shopping in my old stomping grounds in Queens. Stores all a mess, nothing of any quality, new stores all catering to the Hip hop crowd. Its not for me. As much as it pains me to say it I prefer the SHM on those rare occassions when I mall shop. |
Wendyn
Citizen
Username: Wendyn
Post Number: 100
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, January 29, 2004 - 8:27 am: | |
Last year Gap and Old Navy (owned by the same company) changed their return policy. Now I shop at ON for MOST of my kid's clothes, as does my mom, and I get lots of gifts for the kids from Gap. Both stores stated that if you only had a GIFT receipt you could exchange for the same item in a different size or wait for a store credit BY MAIL. I don't remember the policy for no receipt but it was even more limiting. This apparently was due to shoplifters and receipt-sellers as mentioned above. I immediately told my mom to stop buying gifts from them and complained both verbally and in a written email to customer service. Probably because of all of the complaints they have gone back to their old return policy. Now mom and I can go back to spending way to much money in those stores! |
Tom Reingold
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 1909
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, January 29, 2004 - 10:22 am: | |
I went to Nordstrom's a while back and was put off by the prices. But recently, my in-laws sent me a Nordstrom's gift card. I went to buy some shoes with it and found that they were reasonably priced for Ecco shoes, i.e. normally high priced but justifiably so, for the long wear and comfort they give. I also found the salesfolks to be very attentive. Now I see they earn their money. Of course, you can't use a place like this for everything you need, but I have a renewed appreciation.
Tom Reingold the prissy-pants
There is nothing
|
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page