Had to pick up some things in Boots today. There's been a special offer on here this month. "Spend £5 in Boots and get a token for a stuffed toy." I LIKE stuffed toys monstrously!!! I'd managed to get 7 tokens earlier this month, only needed another 3 to get a Standard toy. (10 gets a standard toy, 16 needed for a large one). Thought I'd get a couple of gift vouchers - that would bring me 2 of my 3 tokens, right?
Bought my gift vouchers, shop assistant rings them up - I'm waiting anxiously with my wallet with my other 7 tokens in. The custonmer before me has just waltzed away with a stuffed giraffe (standard) and a stuffed elephant (large). But my tokens don't come up on the till! The shop assistant tries blustering - puts the receipt in, tries to tell me it's ok. I know it isn't. She's telling me that gift vouchers aren't included in the offer.
I've got the sales promotional literature in my hand. It says very clearly - "spend £5 in Boots and get your stuffed toy token..." - the sales assistant tries telling me that when the gift tokens are redeemed then THAT person gets the toy tokens. But I want the tokens, not the person who gets the gift voucher!!!!!
And I flip totally!!!!! I storm and rage. The sales assistant starts backing away... "I didn't make this policy!" she protests.
Me again..."I've come for my stuffed toy! I've made a special journey, in good faith, to spend my money to take advantage of this special offer. It's in here in black and white in your promotional literature! Now give me my stuffed toy vouchers or give me my money back so I'll get my vouchers in Marks and Spencers instead!!!!!"
There's a huge queue behind me in a busy shop. "Get your boss!" I storm. She's busy ringing her till to get her boss. Her boss comes speeding up. At this moment the lady behind me taps me on the shoulder and gives me two tokens she has that she doesn't need. I accpet them gratefully, so the shop assistant's boss isn't needed.
I go downstairs, pick up something else and get my last token. There's only one type of soft toy left, a stuffed rhino.
Meet Rrrrrrene the Rhino!!!!
/act Rrrrrrene the Rhino pipes up in a little voice, "Merry Christmas boys and girls!"
Boots has a lousy way with customer relations...
I create a storm over a stuffed toy!
Northerner
Good for you! What is it with customer service personnel at the moment, none of them have half a clue what's going on and arguing with the customer is not the way to keep a job. Mind you the minimum wage is appalling so I suppose if you pay peanuts, you (most often) get monkeys!
Hello Rrrrrene the Rhino!
I'm in the midst of making a complaint against the local post office.
Thanks Philomel! Christmas gets to us in some mysterious ways eh? Perhaps I overreacted slightly? Hmm, I can see the funny side though, in hindsight. I must have looked very funny barking out that I wanted my stuffed toy vouchers!!!!
/act Rrrrrrene waves a paw at Philomel.
Hmm. Better eat humble pie here. The wallet with the offer details DOES say exclusions apply - eg gift tokens. Of course it's in incredibly small print, right at the bottom...
Don't you think that there are just too many offers around when all we want is straight forward shopping. Sainsbury's is the worst it takes twice as long to shop when you have to work out whether an offer is really a good deal or not. I have some of the elusive tokens if you want them.
LOLOL Philomel waves a paw back at Rrrrrrene and another at Baa, who I think Rrrrrrene was really waving to in the first place *g*
I had a situation with Sainsbury's very recently. I spent over £60 the other week and when I got home the postman had very kindly left me a token which entitled me to £6 off a bill of £60, but I had to spend it before the following day.
Being busy I saved the receipt and token and took them down when I did the next week's shopping. They refused to honour it saying I should have taken it down before the date the token ran out - although the receipt was clearly dated the day before it did.
I've shopped there for ages as it's the only real alternative in my town, but I shall take every opportunity to shop elsewhere in future.
What they can't see is that, while trying to attract more trade, they have actually alienated a long term customer over a (to them) paltry amount.
Yep, no idea of customer relations as you say Baa!!
Glad you got your rhino Diane :)
I suppose it wa smy own fault really Philomel, i should have looked more closely. But it SUCH small print, way at the bottom.
/act Rrrrrrene waves his other paw to both Baa and Philomel.
I don't know where it is ever called for to treat a person working in a shop as badly as that. I'd be embarrassed by such behaviour, not telling everyone about it. The concept of 'customer relations' does not give one carte-blanche to be rude to someone who does not make the rules.
I wasn't rude Parcanda, I was just firm. And the small print was in extremely small print that I just wasn't able to see very easily.
Don't the shops realise that they have some disabled customers? I happen to be disabled - visually impaired. If they want to keep their customers then they should address the issue of making their material reasonably accessible to all their customers, not just the able-bodied.
It's edging near to discrimination, which I happen to take seriously - just now I'm fighting for software to be implemented at uni to help me study more easily - software that the RNIB had recommended I should have.
And a shop making their material accessible for disabled customers does happen to be important. This incident wouldn't have happened at all if the shop had put up decent notices that I was able to see.
"And I flip totally!!!!! I storm and rage."
Sounded rude to me, not merely "firm".
I am in total agreement with you concerning discrimination, however! Especially the not only tiny, but also pale grey type on the bottoms of charge card forms.
Not rude Parcanda. I said nothing that was rude, nothing personal in any way. I was angry, yes, but polite.
Just going by your own descriptions.