Good, the Bad & the Ugly
You've likely had at least one memorable customer service experience. That moment when you either wanted to shriek in anger or shout for joy over the type of service you received. Well, we asked our readers to share their stories -- the good and the bad -- about the best and worst retail experiences they have encountered.
Click through our gallery to see which stores got it right, and which got it very, very wrong. (Please keep in mind these are accounts of individual experiences and may or may not be reflective of any retailer's overall customer service or policies.)
Worst: Victoria's Secret
Reader prprincessO8 says:
"A few years ago, a friend [and I] were shopping at the mall. We decided to go into Victoria's Secret [to] browse. I was overweight at the time. I had seen a really nice bra and panty set, and I said to my friend, 'They shouldn't be so discriminatory. They should make this in our size.' I then heard the manager tell us, 'Maybe if you lose some weight we would have things that fit you.' That was the last time I was in a Victoria's Secret, and I have no intention of going back in one."
Best: B. Dalton
Reader DDMoffitt says:
"My son had requested a book for Christmas ... The young lady looked in the computer inventory to see if they had the requested book. It showed there were some in stock, still packed. She went to look through the packed books and could find none. The next shipment was arriving in the next few days, however, arrival time uncertain. This young lady then called the competition, Borders, and requested they check their inventory. She gave me the contact name at Borders and told me to just go up to the counter and my book would be waiting."
Worst: Books-A-Million
Reader JSM1295 says:
"Last year I went to Books-A-Million to buy a children's book for a grandchild. I went to the customer service podium in the center of the store and gave the title to a clerk and asked where to find it. She waved her arm in the direction of the children's book section and said, 'Over there.' As I walked away, I heard her turn to her co-worker and say in an [aggravated] tone, 'She didn't even TRY to find it on her own.'"
Best: Office Depot
Reader Red5781 says:
"My mother was creating a book for all four of her children that was a combination autobiography and memory book. It was just a jumble of typed pages and loose photos. She took this material in a plastic bag to an Office Depot in Sanford, Florida, and in about a week had a beautiful gift for all of us. We were so impressed with the book's quality and creativity."
Worst: Dillard's
Reader KRSRSS3 says:
"When I was 18 years old, my mother died of lung cancer. She had clothes that she had purchased during her illness that she had never even taken the tags off to wear. My father asked me to return the clothes to Dillard's ... I did not have the receipts ... [The cashier] was very rude in the way that she was asking me, 'Why can't you just get the receipts from your mom to get the credit?' I then told her that she had just died and she proceeded to look into my face and say, 'Well, you don't look too sad about it.'"
http://www.walletpop.com/specials/best-and-worst-customer-service?icid=200100397x1216937407x1201063817I am convinced that the customer service that I grew up with is long dead. They don't even try anymore.