Customer Service...It just keeps getting better and better...

Let me preface this post by saying that this rarely ever happens to me. I mean rarely! To have two incidents of poor customer service in one week, really makes me want to shy away from the retail sector. (to see the first click Here) I’ve certainly lost my faith in good CS. Anyway….here is what happened to me today at a local CVS. (I will be going back to speak to the head manager tomorrow).

I went into CVS for a quick trip to buy the Excedrin 100 ct and get the $10.00 in ECB’s. I had some ECB’s that needed to be used before they expired as well as manufacturer’s coupons. Plus the $3 off $15 expired today as well. Well the Excedrin rang up as 8.99 instead of the advertised $6.99 So, the manager had to come and void the transaction. Not helpful at all, she had no idea why it was doing that and didn’t bother to see why either. Then the cashier pulled all my coupons and ECB’s out of the register to try again, this time altering the price to what the CVS flyer says. It came up to the right dollar figure, but only printed $6.00 in ECB’s not the $10.00 (again as advertised.) The manager comes over again, and looks at it shrugs and says “I don’t know, you’ll have to call and find out”. (I’m thinking, “why are you putting the burden on me, to find out and fix the problem, it’s your store and your register.”) Instead I say, “I'd like you to just void the transaction and I’ll take my coupons back” Do you know that she would not give me my coupons back? She said it was company policy. I was incredulous, and said, “But I’m not taking any merchandise. I should be able to leave the store with everything I came in with.” She would not do it at all. I said, “so I am losing my $3 in ECB’s and my two manufacturer’s coupons?” She kept saying, “Well you already used them, you can’t use them again”. But I’m not taking the merchandise with me!! I asked if there was a manager higher up and she informed me that he would not be in until the following day. I will be there first thing in the AM to speak to him. She kept two $3.00 Excedrin Manufacturer’s Coupons, $3 worth of ECB’s and my one $3 off $15 CVS coupon, which was expiring anyway. I ended up taking the merchandise, as I didn’t want to lose out on even more money by leaving it there. I’ll try to sort it out with the head store manager tomorrow. She was only going to refund me $4.00. Unbelievable!

I will be letting the head manager know the following:

• She was very rude and couldn’t be bothered to go out of her way to help a customer, or figure out a problem. Instead she put the burden on me, the customer, to do that.
  
  
• I don’t like the way she treats those who use any coupons or utilize ECB’s and CVS deals. I am doing nothing wrong; I never stack coupons, and expect nothing more than what they advertise. I know this isn’t the case at all CVS stores, many have very friendly employees, this manager has a history of this behavior.
  
  
• She was eating a big bowl of Lucky Charms behind the register area, with the box and a half gallon of milk there too, as if it were her kitchen counter, instead of a place of business.
  

I think CVS needs to know how their company is being represented. So, I will be breaking out my pen again, with a letter to corporate. It certainly has been getting a lot of exercise lately. But if I don’t inform someone, how will anything change? How many letters have not been written, as people just shrug their shoulders and chalk it up to rude behavior etc.?

Tell me am I crazy? Do you think this was good CS and management? Maybe my expectations are too high? Do you think I have a big magnet on my forehead, just attracting trouble? (sigh) I’ll let you know the sequel tomorrow……