The Consumer Complaints Blog

This is a lesson in how not to do customer service.

Okay so say you’ve never stolen a thing from anywhere in your entire life. And say there’s a store where you’ve been a regular for 7 or 8 years, spending thousands there in that time. And say they take your full shopping basket and say you can’t buy your products, in fact you’re banned, and they treat you like a robber. Isn’t there a communication/conflict resolution step that investors might prefer? Doesn’t common sense come in somewhere?

I am in my local Shoppers Drug Mart every two or three days, and spend upwards of $100 a week there.

A couple of months ago I was there buying concealer. There was no colour indicator on the package, no testers, and no colour indicator on the display, so I opened the package to check the colour. As I did, a store employee – with the name tag Aris – came up and began yelling. He was correct that packages are not meant to be opened, and I indicated that but also explained it wasn’t possible to know the product colour. He continued raising his voice and demanded the product, I explained that I was buying it, which I did. At the makeup counter, I said that I was shocked by the aggressiveness of the employee – and the behaviour, that immediate accusation with no discussion costs a business customers. I explained that I am a regular. The checkout person explained that there have been problems with thefts in the store, and so staff are very sensitive and angry about anything that might be understood as such, and the staff member therefore reacted inappropriately.

Later, I filled out the Shoppers Drug Mart survey online based on a till receipt with a survey URL. On the survey, I explained the incident and explained my extreme dissatisfaction with the situation. I recommended that staff training include better preparedness for situations like this. In my view, approaching a customer immediately with ‘Can I help you?’ at least allows for the possibility of a miscommunication and not losing a customer. Checking the Optimum card and seeing how much a customer spends there could be another recommendation before deciding that a regular customer is a thief.

I had no response to my online complaints.

Today, perhaps two months later, as I entered the store I saw the employee with the furious temper, whose name is Aris. I was surprised, I had not seen him and thought he may have been been suspended based on the previous incident and his people skills. I had a basket and went around the store getting things from my list, when a security guard identified himself and asked if I had ever been banned from the store. I was baffled, and said I’d never been told that I was. He was persistent. I was extremely offended. This is a dreadful way to treat one of your regular customers. I asked to speak to the store manager. The store manager Vincent Yeung asked for personal ID. I was puzzled, as I was there to complain, but passed it over. The staff member with the past-visit furious temper entered the pharmacy and spoke with the manager who then curtly informed me that I was permanently banned from the store, and could not make my purchases. No willingness to discuss, to look at my store card to see that I was such a regular, or to explain their situation.

The message suggested by staff, security and the manager was ‘the customer is wrong if we say so’.

I’m someone who’s never stolen in my life. I was escorted out by security and treated – well, as though I’m a robber. I was quite shaken, and I still am quite stunned and enormously disappointed that a customer could somehow be treated in this way and at levels up to manager treated as guilty.

I sent the company a complaint with my optimum number encouraging them to look both at my purchasing history, and the amount that not having me as a customer will be costing at this location.

I am enormously offended and humiliated that this happened to me in my community, appalled by how these incidents have been handled, disappointed that an earlier customer complaint was completely ignored, and so enormously frustrated. To be clear – I have never stolen anything in my life. I have been a very regular Shoppers customer, and am known to be an extremely honest person in my career and my charity work.

I feel that I have been accused of a crime I didn’t commit, verdict and punishment with just the humiliation and no recourse.

It’s awful business, and it is not fair.

Disclaimer
This article was submitted by one of our readers. Penciltrick cannot make any claims as to its authenticity but the article was accepted on a good faith belief that it is an accurate and truthful account of the events listed.

Is IRIS more concerned about profit margin than customer satisfaction? It certainly appears so to me. I am a single mom and have very little to spend on myself.

I finally spend the time and money to purchase much needed glasses from IRIS store at Tillicum Mall inVictoria, BC.

My budget was $400 but by time they finished razzle dazzling me with promises I spent over $1000. I was told there was a no risk guarantee and that my satisfaction was first priority.

Instead, I now have a pair of glasses I cannot see out of and the store has no intention of fixing them or refunding my money. Why? Because they have a policy that says they don’t have to if they don’t want to. I have been called names, ridiculed for complaining, and made to cry.

I highly recommend and urge consumers to think carefully before giving any money to IRIS in their community. We need to stop unfair business practices!!!

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When you and I spoke last week I confirmed for the final time that I am completely unsatisfied with the glasses I have purchased from your store.
I have requested several times that the glasses be sent back and the lenses corrected. You have not permitted this to be done therefore I am now asking that you provide me with a full refund. Please let me know, in writing, the dates and times you are available to meet so I can make arrangements to have the glasses returned to you. I have attempted to bring them in but staff informed me that they are not permitted to assist me, only you can. I am now on a project that has me traveling the province and providing training sessions. My time and availability is limited.

A recap of my experience to date:
v In June I had my eyes examined and paid for a prescription. I have asked several times for an official copy of the prescription and have been denied without adequate reasons provided.
v I explained that my primary purpose for glasses is to reduce the eye strain experienced during working on the computer and while reading/writing. I explained the nature of my work and the need to have full peripheral vision and the ability to toggle back and forth between computer and written documents for the purpose of research and data analysis. I came prepared to purchase reading glasses but was hopeful that a prescription could be made to permit both reading and computer work to be done. My last set of glasses, (purchased from IRIS), were worn all the time, whether I was reading, driving or working on the computer. They were one lens with one view that met all three needs.
v It was explained to me in June and again recently by you that my prescription had changed so significantly that I could no longer function with one view and required 3 separate views or 3 separate pairs of glasses – I could not understand this and asked for technical clarification – instead I received a pep talk and told that my eyes had aged and ‘we all get older eventually’ and that the sooner I embrace the need for progressive lenses the better – I questioned this again because I function well in most activities other than reading fine print like you see on pill bottles. You told me that ‘the sooner I embrace the need for progressive lenses the better because my eyes are able to adjust quicker now than later on with a stronger lens’. This rationale made a bit of sense to me.
v I was recommended to purchase progressive lenses and told they were a huge convenience and that all your clients are amazed at how well they work because IRIS produces only the highest quality. I was told that it could take a couple weeks (a short time) to adjust to and that IRIS staff would work with me to ensure satisfaction. It was sold to me as a No Risk Guarantee – prior to making my purchase, my daughter and I were told on 3 separate occasions by 3 separate people at IRIS that if I was not successful in adjusting to progressives or did not like them for any reason, I could have the lenses changed to something that worked. I trusted what I was told and made the purchase, even though it was $600 more than I originally intended to spend.
v July 16th I picked up my new glasses with excitement and after a few quick adjustments and some general usage information I was off to enjoy my amazing purchase that was promised to meet all and every need. Within a few days I was back at the store asking for assistance to understand how they work as I was experiencing major dizziness when walking or moving about and having difficulty judging distances for stepping up or down curbs or walking down any stairs. The staff member was encouraging and helpful and off I went in good faith that things would continue to improve on a daily basis and that very soon my brain and eyes would suddenly ‘click’ and my entire vision would ‘open up’.
v As you know, I have come to the store for adjustments and have called in with questions weekly because I cannot see with these glasses. I cannot read with them and I cannot see my computer with them. My naked eye can perform both tasks better. Wearing the glasses to perform either task creates a lot of eye strain, I get headaches, I still experience vision waves, I cannot use my peripheral vision, I still cannot judge distances and cannot park my car without risking an accident.
v I requested to see the Optometrist to review the prescription and discuss alternative solutions and confirm the prescription is accurate – this was denied and instead I was encouraged to bring in my old set of glasses so you could get the prescription information from them and give us both a fuller understanding. I complied with this request and returned to your store for another meeting with you. After examining both sets of glasses you declared that the prescription provided me by the optometrist accurate and then did some more adjustments to the frame of my new glasses. I left the store puzzled and unsatisfied as I had not received answers to my technical questions. I wanted to know what was different between the two prescriptions.
v I telephoned and left a message for you to call and provide me with the technical details of each prescription. I received no call back. I telephoned again and left a message for you and specifically asked for the prescription information. I received a voice message from you saying you called, butno information was provided on the message. I came to the store to seek you out but you were not in and the sales person told me that no one was permitted to assist me other than you. I asked for a copy of the prescription document from my file and was told the file could not be located.
v You and I have talked on phone and in person about the transitions not functioning well. I have been squinting all the time as the lenses do not get dark enough to provide adequate protection from bright sun. It was my understanding that I spent the extra dollars to get the best quality of transition possible. It was my expectation that they would do all the things the sales person told me and my daughter – that the transition lens I was purchasing was superior quality and would replace the need to ever wear sun glasses. This of course has proven to be a very inaccurate claim. Each time you and I talk about them you give me another reason that the glasses didn’t work that day. Some of the examples I can recall are ‘the weather changes can affect them so some days they will not work at all’ – ‘in some places like Arizona, transitions work poorly’ – ‘some of my friends must have stronger lenses than me which could account for them being much darker’. If I had been told at the time of purchase that transitions do not work all the time and sometimes not at all well or that it was dependant on stronger prescriptions ………. I would never have chosen to purchase them, and I certainly would not have spent the additional dollars involved to ensure I had the highest quality of the transition choices! On my last visit to you to discuss this, you showed me my next option to consider which is to have a set of clip on sun glass lenses designed specially to fit my frame and the cost would only be $200 more. Oh my goodness!! Why should I pay more? I was sold something that does not work correctly. I have made several comparisons with several people with transition lenses. In every single case, their lenses are working better than mine. When I tell you this your response is that I need to stop talking to negative people. You have to know that such a response isoffensive and unkind.
v You made me cry on the phone at work one day in front of several coworkers when you suggested that I was being uncooperative and resistant to conforming to progressives. This cannot be further from the truth. I have had my glasses on constantly. I go on my dog walks to the park with them on, I drive with them on, I try as often as possible to work with them on. I have gone online trying to find positive, encouraging, how to use information. I have complied with every thing you have instructed me to do and have kept a positive outlook, expecting them to work.
v Recently you suggested it might take me several more weeks if not months before my vision ‘suddenly opens up’ and I can see correctly. This new information has made me very sad to hear. I came to your store in good faith, expecting to have glasses for business purposes well before my business travel started in September. Tomorrow it will be the start of September and my glasses do not function for the purposes they were purchased.
v Last week, in a final attempt to seek out a solution, I called you to ask another technical question, this time I wanted to explore whether I needed to upgrade to a lens that offered a larger corridor and the maximum mm drop. I asked you to confirm the specifications on my particular set of glasses. Your immediate response was to curtly say ‘I don’t know who you have been talking to ……we use only the best quality of lenses……’. I assured you my call was not intended to put you on the defense. You did not provide me the answers to my questions, you never do. It always ends up the same, I’m left feeling bullied.

Bottom Line is this – I want my money back so I can go to a small local optometrist who will take a positive approach to ensuring I get what I pay for – which is improved vision for working on my computer and reading volumes of data. He won’t sell me on features that cost extra and don’t do what is claimed.

Please email me back with your available dates to receive the glasses back. Please do not call me. I feel it is in both our interests that we communicate in writing from now on.

I look forward to a speedy reply.

Name and address withheld by editor

Disclaimer
This article was submitted by one of our readers. Penciltrick cannot make any claims as to its authenticity but the article was accepted on a good faith belief that it is an accurate and truthful account of the events listed.

So on August 3rd, I bought some Leonard Cohen tickets. For that reason, this may start a Leonard Cohen flamewar. Cohen’s awesome. But that’s not the point.

I bought the tickets on StubHub for almost five hundred bucks. Four tickets, Leonard Cohen, and my parents kind of met through his music–it’s a gift for them–so I’m cool with that. Now, on August 10th, StubHub charged me a second time for the $500.

“La dee da!,” I thought, a naive smile crossing my fresh, handsome face. “I’ll call them and sort this out.”

I call StubHub, and sit on hold for five minutes.

“One moment,” a voice said. I sat on hold for half an hour, then a dude picks up.

“Yeah, I was charged twice for a transaction.” I gave the number.

“Sir, it shows here that we tried to charge you 50 times.”

“Well, then, you messed up.”

“No, none of them have gone through except the most recent one.”

“OK, something’s wrong with the system, but I can prove it, I’ve got two emails from Paypal and I can send you screenshots of my Paypal and bank account.”

“I don’t have email, sir.” This is an Internet company. Head asplode.

I asked for someone with an email address, and was given the general support email. I emailed them all of the proof I had of the double-charge, then called PayPal, got an email from them confirming the double charge, and sent that to them. I then called back. Nobody would read the emails I’d sent, and kept saying they’d only charged once. The next day, I spoke to a manager, and he told me the situation had been “resolved” but would not say how. No refund to this point. Eventually, I told them I planned on posting on the Internet about this, and they said, quote, “you’re not the first person to say that sir.” I explained that when people say that, it’s not because you’re doing a good job, and the reason they’d heard it before was because they’re horse’s asses. I may not have used this exact language.

Finally, I went to my bank and filed fraud papers (my teller laughed and said that “they(StubHub) were really screwing with me,” which isn’t a great sign), which as a result stopped my PayPal account from working with my bank account. I work through Paypal, so this is a problem for me. Luckily, my bank’s pretty good, and they gave me provisional credit and waved overdraft fees that had resulted.

Last night, I emailed them with a request to cancel the tickets–friggin’ Craigslist would be safer–and links to a few places I’d posted this story online. Today, without any explanation, apology, or anything else, they refunded the second charge.

So my situation was resolved (sort of) after a bunch of threats and waiting on hold for over four hours, running around to banks and talking to Paypal customer service multiple times (btw, Paypal CS is awesome, though you do have to wait on hold for a little while). The purpose of this incessant griping is to try to let your readers know not to use StubHub, and to see if you guys had any similar stories about ’em.

I’m hoping this could on the site, because I was really screwed by this and want to cost a bad company some money. Fun, eh? I’ve got emails from Paypal and Stubhub if you’d like to see them.

Disclaimer
This article was submitted by one of our readers. Penciltrick cannot make any claims as to its authenticity but the article was accepted on a good faith belief that it is an accurate and truthful account of the events listed.

I am remodeling my house and I purchased a rather nice bathroom vanity ensemble made by Magick Woods Ltd. located at 111 Creditview Rd., Vaughn Ontario, Canada, L9T1. This purchase was made at Lowes in Florence, KY. This was a closeout model, according to Lowes, and was offered at a substantial discount. I took it home and put it the closet until I was ready to install it. This came as a complete set with the cabinet, marble top, glass sink bowl, and vertical faucet. When I went to install it, I found that the inner works to the faucet were missing. I called Lowes and was told that since this was a closeout sale, there was nothing they could do and I would have to contact the manufacturer.

The installation guide that came with the ensemble clearly states on the cover page to “[email protected] if any parts were missing. I emailed [email protected], a Canadian company, and was told this unit came from their office in India and there was nothing they could do. I emailed them again to find out who in India I needed to contact and I was told “Unfortunately there isn’t anyone that you can contact. The agreement between Lowes corporate office and our office in India is that there are no replacement parts available for this product. I’m very sorry about this. The only other suggestion would be is to purchase a new faucet”

I would like to know who produces or markets a product that is not repairable? Who ships products which are apparently missing parts? Who would make an agreement with a retailer to “not have replacement parts”? Who basically tells the consumer to pound salt when they contact them with a problem about their product missing parts?

MAGICK WOODS Ltd, that’s who!!

I suggest if anyone out there plans on buying one of their products, insult and embarrass the retailer by asking them to open the box, remove everything, take apart anything that is assembled, and inspect every piece to make sure it’s complete. Then ask them to reassemble it and put it back in the box for you. If they ask you why, tell them you read about this company on www.penciltrick.com.

Disclaimer
This article was submitted by one of our readers. Penciltrick cannot make any claims as to its authenticity but the article was accepted on a good faith belief that it is an accurate and truthful account of the events listed.

I am currently experiencing a situation that seems to be unheard of to anyone that I have talked with. HHgregg had a Toshiba laptop on sale the week of March 15, 2009 at a great price. When I called the store on Sunday March 15, I was told that they did not have any of the computers in stock but they have some in the warehouse that would be delivered to the store on Tuesday and I could come in a pay for the computer and then pick it up on Tuesday. After paying for the computer I was told by the salesperson that it would be in the store on Tuesday and to call after 2 to make sure that it had arrived. On Tuesday I contacted the store and was told that the computers were still in the warehouse in Ellenwood and would be delivered to the store on Saturday. Since the computers were in a warehouse in GA I decided to call back on Friday to see if they had been delivered prior to Saturday and was once again told that the computers would be there Saturday after 2.

On Saturday I arrived at the store after 5 pm and after giving the salesperson my receipt I was told that my computer had already been picked up on Tuesday 3/17. Of course I did not pick it up nor authorize anyone to pick it up and I questioned how someone picked it up when I was told that the computer would not be delivered to the store until Saturday. After waiting for about 20 minutes for several people to attempt to research the invoice the manager walked by and he was informed of the situation. He looked at the info in the computer and also told me that the invoice shows that the computer had been picked up. I told him that I did not pick it up and he offered to go in the back and check the surveillance video. After waiting about 30 minutes the manager comes back and tells me that there is a problem and he is unable to download any video feed and offers to call me on Monday. I questioned how someone was able to come into the store and pick up my computer without my receipt and without showing id and he stated he did not know and he would need to verify with the video that it was not me that picked it up on Tuesday. I was forced to go home without my computer on Saturday.

The next Monday I went back to the store to see if any progress had been made since I did not receive a phone call as I was told that I would. I was told by the manager that there were people in the store working on the camera system. I also inquired about how long the surveillance had been out and the manager stated he did not know. I then asked what happens if he gets the video feed but the date and time that the computer was picked up is not on there and he states that he doesn’t know. I then ask to speak to his boss and I am told that he is not there but he will get him to call me. At this point and I beyond infuriated, he can’t answer my questions and is now getting an attitude with me because I keep questioning him and he then walks away from me. Once again I walked out of the store without a computer and no knowledge of when I can expect to have my problem resolved. At this point I have been without my money for 8 days and without a computer that I was told that I would have 6 days ago. My major issue is the fact that someone walked out of the store with my computer without showing a receipt because I had it in my car the entire time and obviously without showing any id to verify who they were. Second the store manager can not answer any of my questions and I am just told to wait. I have never experienced anything like this before and I wanted to share this with others.

Disclaimer
This article was submitted by one of our readers. Penciltrick cannot make any claims as to its authenticity but the article was accepted on a good faith belief that it is an accurate and truthful account of the events listed.