Is there no more customer service and basic understanding in shops anymore?

[cbryce2]

Bought a top from Zara with three other items and they were put in one of the Zara recyclable bags.
Got home had a closer look and changed my mind about all item and so decided to return them.
Got to the store with all items in the bag as was given to me but due to the nature of one the materials( the top)was all scrunched up as it was in the bag with the other items.
The manager comes round and tells me they can't refund the clothes because it's not in a saleable condition?
I pointed out this has nothing to do with me but it's rather the nature of the material but he throws a customer service card to my face, walks away and calls Security.
This was a Sunday so I called up customer service on Monday and they tell me to take the item back to the rude shop for assessment.
Is it just me or this is not right? Feel terribly disappointed by Zara!

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 "The majority of customers are dicks, quite honestly, so retail staff have a very low opinion of the majority of customers until proven otherwise. When a customer is genuinely nice it's actually a shock."

WTF? What a nasty attitude! I have worked in retail, in very busy shops (department stores in Oxford Street and Regent Street) and have never felt like that, even at such fraught times as sales and Christmas.

Zara have been reducing the hours budget in their stores for the past 3/4 years, and when management bring up the fact that they don't have hours to complete all of the things needed to run a store to head office, they are told to move customer service WAY down the list of priorities. Stores are struggling to have enough staff to put clothes out, and pick them up from the floor when they're dumped by customers.

The top needed to be in saleable condition. It may have been on a bag for you to take it home, as you requested a bag. However, it is YOUR responsibility to look after it and keep it in saleable condition- if the material is easily creased, this may mean hanging it up until you take it back. It can't be sold again looking like a bag of rags. Same goes for keeping it clear of marks and smells- cooking, smoke, pets etc. The T&Cs on the receipt state return within 30 days in saleable condition.

How is I'm obviously not going to leave until you've refunded me rude? It's being assertive. If you added you stupid fucking bitch then yes that would be rude.

He called security?

I feel like you haven't quite told us all the story there, OP.

They were trying to claim she'd bought 2 pairs and was trying to return the left ones - totally fucking nuts.

Well let's face it, it IS a clever scam - if you happen to have two friends who wear the same size shoes and both only want/need the right shoe and both want the same model

All those saying that the law states that shops only have to take things back if they're faulty - that's only true if they haven't stated otherwise. Shops that state that you can bring things back within a set time period (eg 28 days) can't just back out of that on a whim because of what the law says. They have agreed on a different contract with the purchaser and can't unilaterally decide that it no longer applies.

Yes Chump, but contract states saleable condition. They didn't feel it was saleable in its current state. So the customer has not met their side of the contract.

knobjockey that's a separate issue . People keep saying "they don't have to take it back just because you've changed your mind".

A bit of creasing may or may not be an issue but a few people have said it's irrelevant anyway as the law says blahblahblah. I was just pointing out that the contract is different in this case.

I knew it was going to be Zara.

How they get away with is proper mystery.

Laurie- that is ridiculous, I hope the woman got the shoe refund. How could anyone suggest she'd bought 2 pairs and only wanted the right shoes???
OP there is plenty of courteous and helpful service in the majority of shops as I'm sure you know. Don't diss the retail staff!

I'm obviously not going to leave until you have refunded me isn't exactly polite either

The above is perfectly polite (dh did similar, it went all the way to management at head office...took ages, children were bored senseless)

A creased top is not unsalable, it just needs a steam

Ah, OK Chump

While some creasing may not seem an issue, in reality it means a member of staff off the shopfloor for 10 mins, steaming an item to get it back to a not bad state. 5 years ago, it wouldn't be an issue. Now, they don't have enough staff to replenish the shop floor most of the time, never mind extra jobs.

I'm an ex Zara manager, with friends still there. The biggest reason that I left was that they reduced hours so much, leaving us with sometimes just me on my department, selling, processing a delivery and replenishing the shop floor. There was no point in the day I could have left the shop floor unmanned to steam an item, so it wouldn't have been saleable. Customer service is unfortunately the lowest priority to them now.

Zara is an awful store. They steal artists designs, use sweatshops to make their cheap clothes, underpay and overwork their staff, and shift profits out of the country to tax havens. YABU to ever go there,

knobjockey that's really interesting (not being sarcastic!) regarding a creased top essentially being unsaleable as there simply isn't anyone to steam it.

A few friends in various occupations (office work, customer support, teaching) have been overworked through systematic staff cuts, to the point where they ended up off work on stress leave. It's absolute insanity - especially when you consider that many staff on low to medium pay are effectively subsidised by the government anyway (through tax credits). It's as if even that isn't enough for some businesses and they just have to keep pushing it to see how far it can go.

To be honest, it may well be that the manager was just having a bad day and refused it when somebody else would have said yes. Especially as Sunday is delivery day, and the sale starts next week, so they would have been very stressed!

I wouldn't often refuse refunds to be honest, unless I believed the item had been worn or smelt really strongly - even not so bad smells, I would just hang the item in the stockroom for a week. But some people really don't take care of things, and something like a linen or silky shirt will NOT handle being in a bag for a while without looking worse for wear. If you're having s bad day and somebody wants to return something they've clearly not looked after, the temptation is to say no.

As for how bad it is- retail is not worth it any more. The wages (or at least the commission) is Zara is really competitive and quite good. But the stress and expectation level is beyond reasonable. I was off sick with stress, the amount of work expected with no support is unreal, and it's awful hours to boot.

I do miss the discount though!

KnobJockey thank you for explaining stuff because I thought I was crazy. Never before I've heard something like that.
I pointed out that I'm sure Zara has a procedure for dealing with such fabrics but he wasn't even prepared to listen to me.
Yes he called the security because I said I won't move until I'm refunded and was well within my rights.
Security was also so useless; telling me he's checked CCTV and the top was not in the same state it was sold
Sadly though I struggle nowadays to fine anything nice for myself from Zara, but it's been my first stop shop for my daughter. Shame I won't be spending my money there anymore as I felt bad and almost cried at the refusal reason and treatment mated out.
Don't usually swear but wish I did.
This to me has not been so much about the money anymore but the principle and the appalling service
I feel so much better now having heard the majority of people understanding me.

cbryce

It isnt all shops though

The shop i work in is very short staffed at times and there is no way we would be able to refuse to take back something that just needed a steam

Not obviously that knob was saying that it was all stores

Rufus**
Thank you and thank goodness we still have shops with people that care.

I once bought some boots from New Look and after wearing then once the buckle broke . Took them back and the manager asked me to go to the cobbler stall outside the store and ask how much to fix a buckle... I still would've refused coz after paying £30 For a pair of boots I don't expect to have to take them to the cobblers after one wear !

And that's why I shop at John Lewis, the only retailer which appears to still have some understanding of the concept of customer service.

I work in a supermarket in customer services, and whilst I would have taken back your top if you'd bought it from my store, it is not unusual for customers to come in with clothes that have obviously been worn or absolutely stink (often of cigarette smoke) and there's no amount of steaming or airing in the store room that will make them saleable, but the customer always has a good excuse for the condition and have definitely not ever worn it outside of the house, even when there's a clear red wine stain down the side and it smells of stale alcohol.

I love my job and I know that I am often the brunt of a customer's frustration as people rarely come to me to say nice things, they always come with complaints/problems/issues and I know not to take it personally. That doesn't mean some customers aren't supremely difficult and just rude for the sake of it - or come in wanting far more than the sum of their problem and get pissed off when I will only offer them an exchange or equivalent value - and they do jade your view sometimes.

YANBU. Had an issue with some boots I bought from Office. Took them back to the shop I bought them from and the manager denied that they had ever sold those boots..? I said I would speak to their head office on social media and sat down in the shop while I messaged them. Had my refund within 2 minutes

And that's why I shop at John Lewis, the only retailer which appears to still have some understanding of the concept of customer service.

Is it any coincidence that John Lewis staff have some of the best pay and conditions in the sector.

I worked in the tourist industry for six years whilst completing my MA & PhD and in between management who had no clue of how the venue actually operated on a day to day basis, yet still insisted on foisting their demoralising and impractical ideas on us, minimum wage zero hour contracts and a significant minority of visitors who delighted in treating you like shite on the sole of your shoe, your enthusiasm for doing anything more than the bare minimum soon wanes.

The service your received was shoddy to say the least, however, one occasion in one shop is certainly not enough to title your thread with such a sweeping statement i have had far more good service than bad and I and the majority of my colleagues take great pride in making a customer feel happy and valued. I don't work for Zara so cannot comment on their practices, but please don't tar all of us with the same brush.