"I'm never shopping here again!"

[dizzy_starshine]

I had a brilliant one who said 'After 10 years of shopping with you I will never ever come here again!'
I took great pride in telling him the store had only been built 5 years ago and before that was a car park and grave yard.

[ContraCorriente]

Does it not occur to SC that we'd rather lose their business than have to put up with it??

[Retail Associate]

I've only had maybe one or two people say this phrase to me. One time it was a woman who was being a complete b***h and after saying, "I'm never shopping here again!" I replied with, "Promise?"

She was not amused.

I have to wonder how many people actually keep their vows to never shop here again, I bet a year, three years, five, ten later they'll come crawling back.

I have a sister and a brother-in-law who refuse to shop at any Meijer store. I'm not sure why the brother-in-law won't but my sister was humiliated by a cashier many years ago and vowed never to step foot in a Meijer store again...and she hasn't.

My son also refuses to shop there because when he was a teenager one of the greeter's accused him of stealing. Heck, if I didn't work there I wouldn't step foot inside Meijer either. Mainly because of the way they treat their employees.

[greensinestro]

You know, it used to be easy to return a video game, but because of the millions of dishonest people out there that open them, play them, decide they don't like them, then return them, the rest of us suffer when it comes to a defective game. Yes, I love it when they say that, too, how their kid was just playing around and opened it by mistake. Let me tell you all something: Those video games are hard as hell to open, and it is usually a five step process!

As for "I'm never shopping here again!", I myself have used that phrase, but I always end up going back because I never had problems there before. I recently had this happen with K-Mart (I hate them, but had no choice but to go to return a defective toy). This clerk angered me so much to where I filed a complaint with them. From what I know, nothing happened, and I told them I would shop elsewhere. Being Sears owns them, am I going to never shop there again either? I probably will, because I have shopped at Sears for many, many years. That's where I buy most of my tools.

[wildcatgrrl]

.
Seen from the other way, how many times has someone posted right here on CS about having to have a BS story ready for customers who won't accept policy? I just read one a few threads ago, about needing phone numbers they'll never use for photos. There also have been posts about telling a customer about a policy, only to have a coworker break it (in this case, I can easily imagine having a policy against handwritten signs and someone making one anyway, especially if they used to allow them). Assuming they were completely wrong in denying the return, that would be *one* bad experience caused by *one individual employee* of a large chain. Meaning a different location, or even another CSR in that one, would likely have handled it to your liking. Why avoid the company entirely over something like that, and if you do, how have you managed to have any stores left that you *will* shop in?

Of course, there may be more to it, or it may have been a "last straw" situation... what do I know, I've never even set foot in a Dillard's, simply because I don't generally go to the mall.

Yeah, there was more to it. As I said in my post, long story short. Dillard's return poilcy, as posted in the store, as well as on the back of my receipt, stated 30 days with receipt. I had the receipt, and it was within 30 days. The clothing was clearly unworn, and in the same condition as it was purchased. So it wasn't an issue of my refusal to accept policy. Had I been the manager (which I have been before), I would have apologized, done the exchange, and then reminded the staff that handwritten tags are a nono. What other choice do you realistically have in that situation? Yes, it makes you feel (and look) stupid, been there, done that, but you have to.

The cashier who originally refused the return attempted to take the clothing with the handwritten tags away from me, and called her manager. The manager also denied the return. They would not give me the store manager's or district manager's name, claiming they had no business cards for them. I told them I could write the names down, a business card wasn't necessary. Then, and only then, did the manager tell the cashier to do the exchange, and informed me very snottily to remember their return policy in the future. She then watched me like a hawk all the way out their door, as if I might steal something.

I'm not stupid, I know I was treated that way because I was shopping in a t shirt and cutoffs instead of dressed all richy-rich. But this particular store was not in the rich end of town, anyway, so why that upset the manager and cashier so much, I don't know. Other people I know have had similarly bad experiences when not dressed to the nines in that store, such as being ignored by associates walking straight past them to wait on someone dressed nicer. When that store was a Bacon's, it was SO much nicer, staff-wise. Unfortunately, Dillard's pushed most of the Bacon's employees (most of whom had YEARS with the company) out in order to bring in cheaper help.

I realize it was a bad experience caused by *two* employees of a department store with several locations. However, it also happens to be the closest location to where I live, and if I go to the rich end of town, their malls have better stores to shop in, anyway. I was not nasty to the employees, nor did I even get any sort of tone to my voice until they refused to give me management's names. Even then, I did not curse or actually raise my voice.

As far as not having anywhere left to shop...well, I'm 29 years old and that is the ONLY place I don't patronize due to bad service. I have had bad service at other stores, but this whole situation just rubbed me the wrong way, and was by far the worst experience. Otherwise, I probably would still shop there. Even the longer version typed out may not seem so bad, unless you were there to see the looks and the tones of voices I got. Kind of intangible, doesn't translate to a message board well. Probably the same overall feeling Retail Associate's sister got from Meijer's, so they don't shop *there* anymore. In a city of over 800K people, there's still plenty of places left to shop, so I'm good there. Don't think I'll run out of stores. Good for the stores, bad for my bank account.

[MadonnaC]

Had an awesome supervisor get back at the customer....

We had been offering some assistance to an out of warranty repair, but they wanted everything, including my job and compensation..

Not good enough. they still wanted a supervisor.

When the supervisor would not give them any more, they uttered the immortal lines: "I'm not buying [Appliance Manufacturer] again". Supervisor immediately said "Well, I've got no reason to try to keep you as a customer. I'm withdrawing all offers. We will not assist you. Have a nice day" and then sent the customer to Mr Dialtone.
Reviewing notes, customer did actually get something, but less than they had been offered originally, and they were evidently more humble

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

SC: "I'M NEVER SHOPPING HERE AGAIN!"
Me: That's the third time I've heard you say that. When can I expect you to next inflict yourself upon us?

[Jazz]

Yikes, all these stories and some of these customers still come back again. I get alot of emails from the online store that they are never shopping here again.

Then of course, a few days later, there is another order placed by them. You know...why waste your breath saying that when you're going to be back the next day or the next week?

[Arachne]

And they act like it's a threat!

What I love about the "I'm never coming back here again!" is that the nastiest SCs are always the ones who speak The Words with every ounce of confedance that they're uttering some apalling threat, like I'm not secretly thrilling behind my fake smile and hoping to god they're serious.

One great example came one night when I'd stayed open late because a co-worker was teaching a class, and I wanted to keep her company and keep the register open in case anyone wanted to buy materials mid-class. So it was a good hour and a half after we were supposed to be closed that I finally closed up the register. The closed sign was flipped. The store hours on the window clearly proclaimed that we'd closed almost two hours ago. But I was in the store, so I MUST SERVE THE SCs!

So this woman comes barging in with her husband and he loudly asks if she can buy anything. She knows what she wants, she'll be quick, blah, blah. I was really apologetic and told him I would have loved to serve him, but the register was closed, and I couldn't ring him up. They insisted that no, really, they'd be quick. I pointed out that we technically closed an hour and a half ago, and regardless, I really physically could not ring them up. He looked me dead in the eye and in this really menacing voice, the kind of voice you use when threatening bodily harm, says: "Do you ever want our business here again?!"

I was so stunned that I couldn't even speak. Before I got my wits about me, the wife, who had this look of horror and humiliation on her face, tried to laugh his comments off, apologized, and dragged him out. I really hope she gave him an earful.

One of these days, I'm going to snap and say what I'm always thinking: "With that attitude? No."

[Retail Associate]

...One of these days, I'm going to snap and say what I'm always thinking: "With that attitude? No."

That's my problem. I've talked back to SC's so much that I used to get called into the store director's office on a regular basis for a 'talking to.' When I think back on some of the things I've said to SC's I can't believe they never fired me! I even left for a couple years and they hired me back.

I remember one bitch who stole my cart that I was using to put cardboard in (I was stocking). I stood there and watched her unload the cardboard unto a pallet rack. When she finished, she looked right at me. I was pissed...it was one of my biggest pet peeves.

I said to her: "There are plenty of carts at the front of the store. I was obviously using that one. But it's okay. I'll just go up and get another one so someone else can do the same thing you just did."

She was irate: "I don't like your attitude! I spend hundreds of dollars a week in this store!"

Me: "A lot of good that does me. They don't even pay me enough to buy food."

I got to visit the store director's office...again!

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I had one idiot try this who wasn't even a customer. He was a trespasser who's car was illegally parked.

He pulled into our lot and parked. A girl got out and traipsed off to the bookstore next door (the most common illegal park.) Mr. "I'm so smart I'll beat the system" came inside and sat down, thinking we would think he was a customer. (You have to be a customer inside the store to use our lot. No exeptions. This is well and repeatedly noted in a dozen or more signs.) He sat there, loitering in our store for 10 or 15 minutes before I approached him.

Me: Sir, I have to ask you to please remove your car from our lot.
Idiot: I'm a customer! Customers can't park in your lot????
Me: You aren't a customer and we both know it. I've watched you since you came in, saw your friend go to the bookstore, and saw you loiter here in an attempt to fool us. You need to move your car.
Idiot: Well, do you want me to ever BE a customer?
Me: I don't know. Are you always like this?
Idiot: I'm sure as hell not coming in here again!
Me: Well, if you are just coming here to park illegally, I guess that's for the best. Please move your car.

He moved it. What a jerk. I hate people who think they are soooo clever.

[protege]

The only place I don't go back...is a certain auto dealership in town. For months, I had no problems getting the car serviced there. I'd drop the car off in the morning, and walk the few blocks to work. When 5:00 came around, I'd walk back and drive home. That was the routine...

Except for the last time. I dropped the car off, and never heard from them again. No phonecall in the afternoon, no word from them at all. Until, I said 'screw this' and called. Turns out that the car had been sitting around all freaking day...and they'd just now gotten around to it. Nevermind that nobody was there in the morning... What was the problem, you ask?

For the past few months, the car's suspension was making some odd noises. I'd never had that happen, even on the rusty Tempo I once had. This should *not* happen on a nearly-new car, especially one that's taken care of. Anyway, it had been in there multiple times for the same problem. The shop would do something, and all was good for a few weeks. Then the noise came back. Lather, rinse, repeat...

Anyway, that day, the shop had the car on a lift, with the entire front suspension apart. Keep in mind that it's 5pm (shop closes at 6), and I have no way to get home! Now I was pissed especially since I had to rent a car just to get home and to work the next day.

When I went to pick up the car, I asked if there was some way I could get reimbursed for their mistake. Shop manager said it wasnt' their problem, and the dealership was *not* taking care of it.

At that point, I lost it, and said I wouldn't be back. Imagine my surprise when I had the car at a different shop, and had the work done. 3 years on, the problem hasn't returned. I don't know what that dealer's problem was, but I'll never go back--I'm not about to let idiots work on my cars!

[AirHostess]

"I'm never flying YOUR airline again!" Yet you'll see them the following week with their £20 ticket.

[HYHYBT]

I had a brilliant one who said 'After 10 years of shopping with you I will never ever come here again!'
I took great pride in telling him the store had only been built 5 years ago and before that was a car park and grave yard.

So basically, he was threatening to stay with you for five more years!

Wildcatgrrrl: Thanks, that makes a lot of sense.

MadonnaC: They must not have read their "Cheapscate Scammers" checklist correctly. It plainly says not to make that threat until *after* you've gotten all the freebies!

[simplyanother]

I have a customer tell me that she was never EVER shopping where I work again. She claimed I was rude to her. This time, I wasn't.

EVIL, SNOTTY...NASTY nasty nasty woman. It's one thing to go off on people because you've been provoked, it's another to snap, for no reason. Which caused me to screw up her transaction. Which meant she had to come back in... She, of course, complained to the manager, who bitched at me. The fact remains, in the orginal transaction, I was not rude to her, I was trying to be helpful. She flipped out. Her flipping out caused ME to screw up.

Seriously, there was NO provacation. None. She asked me a question about a product, I told her I didn't think we could do what she asked. She said she hadn't ever heard of that policy, so I decided to ask someone who was above me...what they thought. That person told me that she'd never heard that policy either, and I repeated that to the customer, while pointing to the co-worker I spoke to. The woman FLIPPED out. "Well, I won't buy..."..etc. It was ridiculous. Then she accused me of being rude. Y'all, seriously, I didn't do ANYTHING to this woman. I was actually trying to be helpful to her.

At first, I thought she was JOKING. Then I realized she was actually seething with anger. WTF? When she said "I'm never EVER shopping here again". I was perfectly find with it. Anyway, in the confusion, and my trying to get the crazy nasty evil woman away from her, I screwed up. My mistake, of course, but that was a mistake that I'm sure anyone could have made. If I had have been any slower, I would have gone off and been fired. Because this woman was just EVIL.

There was a man behind her in line who said..."man, I wonder what she was so bitter about.." and I turned around to look, he said "don't worry she's gone".. I asked him if he thought I was rude, and he agreed with me that she just snapped. I wished he'd have been back in when she came back.

The woman had a legitimate complaint with me overcharging her. She was refunded her money. I am actually sorry about that. But I REALLY hope that evil nasty nasty disgusting awful beast never ever ever shops in my store again.

I think if she would have come up to my register, instead of going to the service desk...I might have flipped out on HER. "Maybe if you weren't such a nasty human being..."