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Who doesn't know Old Navy, Gap and Banana Republic? They calm that they value customer service and places their customers at the highest priority; I would like to argue with that! Please be prepared for a full out rant of my terrible experience at the company. You have been warned!...
So for those who follow my Twitter know that I had tweeted about the incident last week. After filing an official compliant to them through email, I finally received a phone call from them. Let me first fill you in about the incident and what I wrote in the email:
Dear Old Navy Customer Service,
I’m writing this email to you in hopes that it will raise awareness of the terrible customer service that I had experience at one of your stores this past week. I had never felt so stripped of my rights as a consumer. This is the background information that I took down about the store:
Date: Wednesday March 14, 2012
Location: Markville Old Navy
Store #: 9054793155
Associates involved: Manager - Greg, Sales/Cashier - Peter
Item#: 865960004 (CDA DOWN SH JKT)
Incident:
I was just strolling through the sale section of the store and came across a coat that was clearly labelled as on sale (with a sale red sticker on it) for $9.99. When I had gone to the cashier to purchase this item, the cashier (Peter) rang up the item on the till and told me that the jacket was actually not $9.99 as labelled but it was instead $24.99. I then told him that it was labelled as $9.99 so it shouldn’t be $24.99. He had then quickly ripped off the tag and told me that the tag comes off very easily, so we didn’t label it. (With a tone of voice that implies that I was the one who had illegally put the label on the jacket). However, I had repeatedly told him that the tag is the EXACT same tag as all the other sales items and it was stuck on it properly and firmly. I even specifically told him that I didn’t put the sale sticker onto the tag.
I was quite upset by this because I have worked in retail for over 4 years and in the store that I work at, where we value customer service, if the item is tagged wrong we will always sell it to our customer for the wrong price. It is the company who is at fault for false advertisement! And it will give your company a terrible reputation.
So I told him that I would like to speak to the manager. When the manager (Greg) arrived, Peter explained the situation to him. He looked at the jacket and the tag and then said that he’ll go back to the Clearance section to see if he can find another one of the jacket. (I’m assuming that he’s going to try to do a price match) However, when he came back, he said that the jacket is the only one that’s left. He paused to think, and then told me “Yeah, it’s $24.99”! This is where I get very confused! If this is the only product that’s left and there are no other ones to compare the price to, how can he tell me that it is $24.99? Was he there when the wrong label was placed? If the company has labelled something wrong, shouldn’t they take the responsibility for it? I explained to him my thought and told him that as a store that values customer service, I feel like I have been mistreated.
I didn’t want to argue with them, so I just took down all the information about the store and the item. Without my consent, Peter had already ripped the sale sticker and threw it into the garbage. (I had wanted to take a photo of the tag for reference) I have also included a photo of the tag along with this email, however, please keep in mind that when I had found the tag, the sticker was in perfect condition. Like I had mentioned previously, Peter had fold and rip the tag and threw it in the garbage.
This incident has really made me question whether or not the company values us, the consumers. I am very saddened at the fact that not only have I been accused of putting the sale stickers on the tag, but that I have received the worst customer service of all time. The two gentlemen did not know how to handle the situation and made it seem like I was at fault. They had no way to resolve this problem and allowed me to walk out of the store, unhappy. I hope that you’ll raise this situation with the store manager of that location because I do not want other customers to have to go through the same situation.
So that's pretty much the email that I wrote (I left out some contact information that I had left with them) and honestly, I was already pretty cooled down about the situation. But then today, I finally got a hold of their customer relations rep today. I JUST hung up the phone with him and I'm even more pissed than before! Let me explain...
First, the customer relationships rep HAD NO IDEA what the incident was! He said he had never read the email and when he tried to pull up my email through my email address, he said he couldn't find it. I had never called Old Navy Customer Service (I had only send them an email & left my phone number with them), so I KNOW that someone had read my email, or else they would not have been able to contact me on my cell. Old Navy have been calling me for the past week and leaving me voice mails on my phone, trying to get a hold of me. So I KNOW that they have read through my email. So HOW DARE HE SAY THAT HE HAD NOT RECEIVED MY EMAIL! He tried explaining to me difference between phone reps and email reps, well, if there are email reps, why haven't I received ANY emails from them in the past week? And if there are other phone reps (cause clearly that's how you got my number) who have read my email, why can't they talk to me instead of you WHO KNOWS NOTHING?! So naturally, I had to tell the entire story ALL OVER again to him...(I don't like retelling stories)
Second, after I had finish telling him the incident, he said "I'm sorry about that, I don't know why it was labelled wrong and it is something that we have to deal with internally. I will give you a $10 thank you card, not to tell you to forget about the incident but to show you how we value our customers"....Okay, if I need an apology, is NOT from you, it should be from the two people that I had dealt with in the store who accused me of putting the sale stickers on the tag. AND UHHHH....if you are trying to buy me out with a gift card, WHAT THE HELL CAN $10 DO! You can't even buy a T-SHIRT FOR THAT PRICE AT OLD NAVY! And 10 bucks is suppose to make me want to step into the store again? Do I look that CHEAP to you? Like WOW! I can't even say that they are trying to buy me out cause the amount is so insignificant! Plus, you CAN'T BUY ME OUT! I'm not that type of person that nobs whenever there's money or prizes!
Lastly, when I did not agree to take the money from the customer service rep, (because really, I don't want $10) he asked me what solution I had in mine? (Are you seriously, you are asking me FOR A SOLUTION to YOUR company's problem?...Isn't that kinda your job?!) But anyways, I told him that I had wanted to raise a point with the incident that customer service like that couldn't go unheard. This incident needs to be reported to the store manager at that store. When the manager and the sales associate don't know how to handle a situation like this, then something is seriously wrong! Please don't try to push the problem away by giving me money or compensation. I'm asking you to PLEASE let me know that some changes have been made! The customer service rep didn't really have anything to say to that. He merely said "your point has been made and we will take note of it"...(can I sense a bit of insincerity?) Please if you are going to LIE to me, AT LEAST PUT SOME EFFORT INTO IT!
At that point, I thought to myself, WOW! not only are the associates at the store horrible at customer service, but the customer service reps are terrible as well! (Aren't they supposed to be specialized in it?) But anyways, the incident is done and over with! And I have had enough of Old Navy and their services! I don't think I have ever had a more upsetting retail experience! Even my years working at H&M does not equate to this! I'm putting a ban on Old Navy for a really, really, really, long time!
PS: feel free to tell me about your worst retail experience(s) in the comments below!
