UPDATED QUESTION:
It was suggested by the owner's child that I turn a cheek because the mom may have had an off day. I want to know how many people would turn a cheek at $65 because the owner who just admitted to putting the damaged item back on the shelf... I don't think so. My mom didn't teach me to cower when I was wronged. It is my right to go to Better Business Bureau and letting her know my displeasure and plan because she would not resolve the issue. Sadly the owner relayed to JR's mom in a follow up call today that BBB doesn't care about small things like this. Sad, that is her attitude still. Recommendations good or bad will certainly effect any business. Whether that is from an office agency or word of mouth.
And it's not about the owner as a mom, it's not personal. It was a bad shopping / customer service / professional experience. I did not attack her personally. I simply questioned the business ethic... And as I told the son (I figured out who he was), I have no problem updating every channel used as to saying this has been resolved, once it has... But, I still will never shop at the store or give a recommendation.
***********************************
Now the original post:
I warn all future and current shoppers of The Sea Witch in Fairhaven to beware of your purcahses...
JR's mom came up to recent visitly. While walking around the center of town we stopped into a locally owned shop, The Sea Witch. JR's mom purchased a cute beaded bag that she was going to use in St. Thomas at the wedding. When we got home that evening she noticed that there was a bead in the bag. After looking at the purse again she realized that the bead was from the exterior of the purse. Since she was returning to NC and would not have time to return the purse herself, we promised that we would take care of it. When I tried to return it back to the store on Sunday, July 29th seven days after the original purchase the owner informed me that she had a “no cash back” policy and she offered an “in-store” credit. I explained that this was a bag my mother in law had purchased while visiting, and that she had already returned to NC. I also explained that the bag was damaged prior to the purchase as the bead was found inside. When asked for cash back due to the circumstance of it being a defective product and my mother in law having already left and would not be able to use the in-store credit, I was told that is “how things are” these days, referring to store credits only.
I know many of the locally owned stores here in Fairhaven, and I have a mother & sister that both work in retail, and that is not how it works. When I brought this up to the owner, she said had she been there that day she would have given his mother a discount because she (the owner) knew the bag was damaged prior to our purchase. I stood there dumbfounded when she admitted that she was aware that another customer had previously broken purchased the purse while examining how the purse was made. The previous customer disclosed this to the owner. Yet the owner put it back on the shelf at full price with no note of the damage. I have never seen that before in any store. That is manipulative and very bad business. I took the store credit because I was not going to let the owner walk away with $67. However, I will be giving it to someone else to use. When I told her how displeased I was with her store and her business ethic, and that I would be going through appropriate channels to report this. This is when she rudely asked me to leave.
I walked out with an “in-store” credit I will never use and a sour taste in my mouth. This is not the way an honest business owner should treat valued customers or operate a local business. It tarnishes the name of all small business owners. With a policy that enabled her to take advantage of her customer, it may make more want to shop at a chain where at least customer service is better. This experience also tainted a new visitor of how business is done in our little sea side town. I have reported the owner and business to the Better Business Bureau, Fairhaven Tourism, the local newspapers as well as review site covering locally owned businesses.
I also warn all future customers of the Sea Witch, “Caveat Emptor“ (latin for - “let the buyer beware“), maintain a critical eye for defective or otherwise broken products on the shelf and poor treatment by the owner herself.
It was suggested by the owner's child that I turn a cheek because the mom may have had an off day. I want to know how many people would turn a cheek at $65 because the owner who just admitted to putting the damaged item back on the shelf... I don't think so. My mom didn't teach me to cower when I was wronged. It is my right to go to Better Business Bureau and letting her know my displeasure and plan because she would not resolve the issue. Sadly the owner relayed to JR's mom in a follow up call today that BBB doesn't care about small things like this. Sad, that is her attitude still. Recommendations good or bad will certainly effect any business. Whether that is from an office agency or word of mouth.
And it's not about the owner as a mom, it's not personal. It was a bad shopping / customer service / professional experience. I did not attack her personally. I simply questioned the business ethic... And as I told the son (I figured out who he was), I have no problem updating every channel used as to saying this has been resolved, once it has... But, I still will never shop at the store or give a recommendation.
Now the original post:
I warn all future and current shoppers of The Sea Witch in Fairhaven to beware of your purcahses...
JR's mom came up to recent visitly. While walking around the center of town we stopped into a locally owned shop, The Sea Witch. JR's mom purchased a cute beaded bag that she was going to use in St. Thomas at the wedding. When we got home that evening she noticed that there was a bead in the bag. After looking at the purse again she realized that the bead was from the exterior of the purse. Since she was returning to NC and would not have time to return the purse herself, we promised that we would take care of it. When I tried to return it back to the store on Sunday, July 29th seven days after the original purchase the owner informed me that she had a “no cash back” policy and she offered an “in-store” credit. I explained that this was a bag my mother in law had purchased while visiting, and that she had already returned to NC. I also explained that the bag was damaged prior to the purchase as the bead was found inside. When asked for cash back due to the circumstance of it being a defective product and my mother in law having already left and would not be able to use the in-store credit, I was told that is “how things are” these days, referring to store credits only.
I know many of the locally owned stores here in Fairhaven, and I have a mother & sister that both work in retail, and that is not how it works. When I brought this up to the owner, she said had she been there that day she would have given his mother a discount because she (the owner) knew the bag was damaged prior to our purchase. I stood there dumbfounded when she admitted that she was aware that another customer had previously broken purchased the purse while examining how the purse was made. The previous customer disclosed this to the owner. Yet the owner put it back on the shelf at full price with no note of the damage. I have never seen that before in any store. That is manipulative and very bad business. I took the store credit because I was not going to let the owner walk away with $67. However, I will be giving it to someone else to use. When I told her how displeased I was with her store and her business ethic, and that I would be going through appropriate channels to report this. This is when she rudely asked me to leave.
I walked out with an “in-store” credit I will never use and a sour taste in my mouth. This is not the way an honest business owner should treat valued customers or operate a local business. It tarnishes the name of all small business owners. With a policy that enabled her to take advantage of her customer, it may make more want to shop at a chain where at least customer service is better. This experience also tainted a new visitor of how business is done in our little sea side town. I have reported the owner and business to the Better Business Bureau, Fairhaven Tourism, the local newspapers as well as review site covering locally owned businesses.
I also warn all future customers of the Sea Witch, “Caveat Emptor“ (latin for - “let the buyer beware“), maintain a critical eye for defective or otherwise broken products on the shelf and poor treatment by the owner herself.
7 Comments:
Hi, that shop owner you are referring to is my dear mother. I know she is nothing but nice to her customers but maybe on this day she was short with you, I am not sure I wasn't there. I do however feel that it isn't the nicest thing to slander people either I believe turning the other cheek would have been the best thing to do. So In respect to someones Mother could you please take this down. My email is shampooandcereal@gmail.com if you want to talk about this
It is quite dishonest to place an essentially defective purse back on the shelf and look people in the eye and charge them full price for it as if it were in perfect condition. I will make note not to shop there when I am in your town. With so much competition from other retail establishments, every small business owner should appreciate each and every customer. Not claim that "thats how it is thesedays". I will spend my hard earned money elsewhere.
I would question first if the policy of only store credit was posted visibly at the register or noted on the receipt. If so then it is buyer beware and you should look things over before you buy. However, it was not posted then I would expect to get my money back and not just store credit.
If the owner was possibly "short" as suggested that is still no excuse. Sure we all have bad days, but if it is your business (and I've been a small business owner) you have to always put a best face forward. At the very least she should have discounted the purse since she knew it was damaged. By not doing so it appears to me that she was trying to deceive and hoped it would be an out of town customer so there wouldn't even be store credit.
I'm with you...I'd not shop there anymore and I'd be telling people not to as well.
Searching around and came across your site.
Well let me say that this son or daughter has no idea about business ethics. Since when should the customer suffer at the owner's lack of integrity! Some people I guess. I grew up in the area and will have to say I will not be shopping there.
Thank you for the heads up.
Deb
I applaud you for standing up to the store owner. What she did–first putting damaged merchandise on the sale floor and second refusing to issue a cash refund after admitting to putting out the damaged merchandise–is unethical, bad business, and and extremely disappointing for a local business owner. Thank you for alerting other shoppers to this problem and giving them the opportunity to shop elsewhere.
I agree with you. You know how I feel about karma. She put that defective bag back on the shelf at full price and look, it came right back!
Good for you for doing something about it. I think that smaller owned stores should be much more "forgiving" or let's say, reasonable with customers. That's their heart and soul. PLUS, if the lady knew this in the first place, she should have just given you the $$ back and apologized! How odd that the daughter found you....but, I guess this is what her mother gets for how she acted unreasonably! Now, I wonder if that $65 is worth it to her?
Post a Comment
<< Home