No accountability from New York & Co./Lerner's
Yes, it's a rare open blog from me... Given that I've had a miserable experience with a store that doesn't seem to believe it's remotely accountable for its errors, let me encourage everyone not to shop at the mall staple New York and Co. Here's the letter I just emailed, as they don't seem to have many people on the customer service end of the telephone today.
Good Afternoon,
On Wednesday, 12/23, I stopped in your store #407 and bought a couple of long sleeved tee shirts on sale as stocking stuffers for my mother and sister. The store was busy, and the clerk ran my debit card, I put in my pin, and waited. A few seconds later, she told me I needed to run it again. I did so, and she gave me a receipt.
When checking my online banking statement yesterday, I discovered I had indeed been charged twice for the purchase I made, with First Tennessee bank registering two payments completed to Lerner/New York&Co.
This morning, I telephoned the store, and one of the managers, Lindsey, told me she would take care of it. I gave her the transaction number, clerk number, date and time of the purchase. She called me about an hour later to say they were checking the files, but since it was a debit card, I'd probably have to come in to get the credit refunded.
As I had the day off and errands to run, I told her I'd brave the mess at the mall and be in within an hour.
When I arrived however, the experience was entirely different. The store manager, Lacey, made a copy of my receipt, then informed me they couldn't find the transaction and I was out of luck, and handed me the customer service phone number.
After calling it and waiting more than 20 minutes on hold, I gave up trying to reach customer service, and am emailing you instead.
As someone who's a fashion journalist and who works with boutiques and stores on a daily basis, I am completely unimpressed with Lacey's response. I walked in with my receipt, the numbers of the bank transactions, and good faith based on both my conversations with Lindsey.
Surely your customers deserve a little better than "I can't find the transaction, there's nothing I can do. Call this number...?"
While the transaction total is less than $20, there's a level of accountability here that isn't being met. When a clerk swipes a card twice and a pin is entered twice, the possibility exists that yes, the machines are going to charge twice.
When the customer returns in good faith with all the information, including the transaction numbers obtained from the bank, the store needs to go above and beyond in dealing with the situation. Particularly when the customer has come into the store amidst the insanity of after Christmas shopping.
Had the total been larger, I would be extremely angry right now. Fortunately, it's not, but I don't appreciate wasting my time and losing money, period - nor do I appreciate being told one thing on the phone and another in the store. "I can't help you" should NEVER be an acceptable response from a store manager when your company has received two payments for a single transaction, whether it's $5 or $500.
I would very much like my money refunded. The store number is 407.
The transaction number I have from the single receipt I received is 9554.
The cashier was #282488.
The time: 15:58
The date 12/23.
Register: 2.
The total was $17.46. I, however, paid that twice, so my two shirts on sale for $7.99 plus tax cost me $34.92 - rather more than the original cost of the items.
I hope to hear from you immediately with regard to this situation.
Needless to say, at the rate things are going, I won't be shopping in your store again, and I will be encouraging my friends to do the same.
Stephanie
(followed by assorted contact info).
Honestly, it's been a long time since I've had any kind of retail job, but sending the customer away with a phone number and that's it? That's just shameful.
Given that Lindsey, the underling manager told me they had a billion transactions for the same amount, since they had so much on sale for the same price, likely means that conveniently they'll never find the missing transaction.
I will never shop there again.