This post is going to be a rant. You've been warned...
Now I'm a "Target Addict" for a reason. Love the store. Crazy for the merchandise. Customer service is pretty decent, and outside of a few rants here and there, I have little to complain about. But not so with the Bullseye's main competitor, Walmart.
I rarely shop at Walmart, and when I do, I do it online because the only thing I buy there (the Norma Kamali line) is no longer carried at my local store (REASON THEY SUCK #1). So every so often, I order a few of Norma's wonderful (and ridiculously cheap) yoga tops and athletic wear. The problem with the Kamali line, however, is that the sizing is all over the map (REASON THEY SUCK #2). Which means I have to go to the actual store to return things from time to time, as I had to today.
Unfortunately, I made the horrible mistake of trying to go on my lunch hour. BIG FAIL on my part. I should have immediately left once I saw the slow, snaking line at the Customer Service desk with just ONE person working there out of 4 stations (REASON THEY SUCK #3). I decided to try and wait it out, partly because a very chatty and entertaining woman ahead of me in line was about to blow her top at how long we were waiting. But once the lone customer service clerk called for help over six times while we were there, and the phone just rang and rang (she put it on speakerphone so the 20 of us or so in line could hear) with no one picking up (REASON THEY SUCK #4) I was beginning adopt my new friend's attitude. Especially when this poor old gray-haired lady who had been at the front of the line the whole time we were there waiting for a manager (REASON THEY SUCK #5) was finally turned away for trying to return something without a receipt (REASON THEY SUCK #6). She was trying to return a playpen for her grandchild, which was found to be broken/missing pieces once she got it out of the box (REASON THEY SUCK #7) and since she had no receipt and they no longer carried it in the store, they didn't even give her store credit (REASON THEY SUCK #8) and she was out $60.
But stay with me - it gets better. There was another guy in line that was a beer delivery guy, simply delivering a shipment to the store. And he'd been waiting there over an hour because he needed a manager (not just a customer service rep.) to sign off on the invoice. They'd called for a manager repeatedly, but no one bothered to come (REASON THEY SUCK #9). And, he said this happens regularly, and that sometimes he has to wait up to TWO HOURS.
When I FINALLY got to the front of the line, the clerk - who was still in training - did not know how to properly handle an internet return. So what she basically did was start to CHARGE ME for the items I was returning vs. credit me for them. Luckily I realized what was happening BEFORE I handed her my credit card. She then LEFT THE COUNTER to look for a manager herself because without one, she could not suspend the transaction (REASON THEY SUCK #10). When she came back 5 minutes later sans manager, I finally blew my top (after wasting almost my ENTIRE lunch hour) took all my stuff back and started to storm out. Ironically, just then, the manager showed up (!!!!) and when I complained about how long we were waiting there, he simply shrugged (REASON THEY SUCK #11). A kind man in line told me to ask for his business card so I could complain to his boss (and said that he'd do the same) but when I did, the manager said "we don't carry business cards" (REASON THEY SUCK #12).
At that point, I just left the chaos; people in line were yelling at the manager (in support of me) and vowing to flood Walmart's 1-800 line with complaints. But honestly, I don't think it's even worth it. The way they treat their customers is deplorable, and it's not going to change. And a quick Google search on "Walmart sucks" proves that point, by the number of sites devoted to that sentiment.
