If there’s one thing I despise this time of year, it’s bad customer service. It’s Christmas and a very busy time and despite how tired you may be as a person providing customer service, you should always treat this extra load of customers with respect and courtesy. Chances are many of them are new customers and if they have a good experience the first time, they’re probably more likely to come back.
Here’s the story of my bad customer service experience today.
I’m a sucker for TNA jackets. I know, boo, hiss, but when you’re my size, you’re willing to spend the money for the XXS that fits better than any kid-sized jacket or any small petite women’s jacket, yet is warm and isn’t just an expensive brand. Granted, it’s expensive and not really anything high-end, but since when have I ever been into high-end anything?
Anyway, I have this jacket. I’ve wanted a long one for our cold winters for a while now, and I committed myself this year to getting one. I had initially intended on buying the 2009 navy blue one (it’s not as common a colour – you likely won’t see 5 of these in this colour in one day), but when they decided not to have that colour this year, I looked for something else. I found the “platinum edition” jacket, which made me happy because it was different from the usual one and it was grey, which would have been my next choice. When I bought it, it was the last XXS in the store, and so I felt it was meant just for me.
Last night, after work, I was walking and heard something fall on the ground and slide. I looked around and noticed something was missing from my cuff. It was the little TNA circle logo from the cuff of my jacket on the other side of the magnet. I picked it up and walked into the new TNA store at Eaton Centre to find out what I could do about this.
I spoke to the manager on duty who told me just what I thought she would – This has never happened before (it’s a new line of jackets, of course it hasn’t), I can bring it back with my original receipt and they can take it to a tailor to get it fixed and if that’s not possible, I can exchange it for a new one. I asked if they could keep an XXS on hold in case it can’t be fixed but she said they can only hold for 24 hours.
That was the plan. I dug up my receipt (which I’m happy I have because these days I’m teaching myself to throw out receipts, instead of keeping every single one to track my spending at the end of the month) and put it in the pocket with the broken piece and placed the jacket in a bag ready for inspection.
During my break at work, I called the location closest to me in case I could just do it there. It turned out that they don’t currently have a hired tailor at the store, but they suggested I bring it to any other location and they could take care of it for me. So I brought it to the TNA store since I spoke to someone there already. Maybe they were familiar with my case.
I got to the store, was greeted, and I asked for the manager. I was pointed to her (“the one playing with the dog over there…” – clearly not attending to the million other customers in the store…this was not looking good). I walked around the store waiting for her to remember that she was the store manager and approached her. I told her the whole story and this is how it went after.
Me (K): I looked at the piece and I don’t think it’s something that can be sewn. I think it might have to be welded or something.
Manager (M): This hasn’t happened before, were you picking at it or something?
K: No, it just flew off when I was walking yesterday.
M to Other Employee (OE): You’re into sewing, does this look like something that can be fixed by a tailor?
(Excuse you, I’m also “into sewing” and I just told you it’s not. But I’ll forgive you, you didn’t know I sew)OE: No, it’d probably have to be fixed at a shoe repair shop or something. Or maybe we’d have to order the part and get it repaired, but that might take a long time.
OE to K: We could order the part but it might take a few weeks, but in the mean time, you can hold on to the jacket and we can call you when we get it in.
M to K: Or you can exchange it, but the new one would be final sale, so if this happens again, you can’t return it.
K: Okay, if you have an XXS, I’ll exchange it.
M goes to check the rack, nothing, goes to the computer…click click click.
M: It doesn’t look like we have it here and they don’t have it upstairs [at Aritzia…which I won’t step in because they fudged up my girlfriend’s damaged coat last year. What are the chances? Ugh].
K: Are there any other locations that have it?
M: They might at Vaughan Mills, but we’re in a no-transfer period so you’d have to go there to pick it up.
K: Oh okay, that might work, I can probably go there this weekend.
M: They can only hold it for tonight and I’d have to check if they even have it.
(Why did you say anything about the other location if you don’t even know if they have it?! And this is a special circumstance where your product failed me, so why can’t you explain the situation and ask that they hold on to it for longer, even 24 hours like your employee told me yesterday?!)K: Okay, then what if we go with what she [OE] said and I can hold onto my jacket if you can order the part?
M: I don’t even know if we do that.
K: But she suggested it.
M: We could try, but you’d have to come back in January because they won’t ship the part to us until then.
(If you don’t know if you do this sort of thing, how would you know if I’d have to wait until January?!)K: Oh right, because you guys are so busy
M: Well, no, more because I can’t do this for you until then.
K: Fine I’ll take my jacket and maybe come back in January.
M: Okay, here’s your receipt *hands K her receipt which she’s crumpled up, rubs the inside of her nose and hands K her jacket*
SCENE.
And now I’m boycotting the TNA Store, writing a letter, and looking for a long XXS grey platinum edition jacket so I can buy it and use that receipt to return the broken one...or I'll find a way to fix mine because I'm just that handy. Grrrr...
This is our choice book club read. I bought it with my Yankee swapped Indigo gift card (more on that hilarious experience later) and my iRewards card (gotta love discounts!). I'm looking forward to it, not only because it's not fat and it's got a good sized font, but because I get to read it with intention and discuss it later with a bunch of moms whose memories are shot by the time we discuss it (haha, I'm just kidding!).
I've really been looking forward to reading this book. My sister's been talking about it for a while now, and I know that when we bounce good books off each other that we like, they're good ones.
I haven't purchased this one yet, but I'm looking forward to.
