Walmart is a corporation worth BILLIONS of dollars...so why, I ask you, can they not invest in themselves and get their act together. Since an issue I had there last year, I rarely shop at Walmart, however, after today, they have totally lost my patronage all together.
On 11/11/10 I called customer service over at the Walmart on 92nd and Grant, and specifically asked for a manager. I young lady picked up who identified herself as the manager at the service desk, but wouldn't give me her name. I really didn't think anything of it, mainly because, I would like to think that a "manager" at customer service, would be knowledgable, honest and helpful, but that is another issue for another time.
I was calling to inquire about their price matching policy.
I explained my scenario, I have a CURRENT ad for Toys 'r' us, and it states that they have candy land and chutes and ladders for $1 after a $2 mail in rebate. Could I bring my ad in and have Walmart match the $1 price????
I was told YES....Yes, great, this will save me a trip. And honestly, if they said no, they wouldn't match it, there wouldn't have been an issue, and I wouldn't be writing this blog, blasting Walmart for their unprofessionalism.
So I got to the store with my ad and got the two games and headed for the checkout.
After waiting longer in checkout than it took me to get the shopping done. I got to the cashier, and explained the conversation to the cashier and showed her the ad.
She got on her headset and went to check with a manager to verify that they would honor the price match, and in my eyes, their word.
Sadly though, the manager said no, but they would honor the $3 price, I said no thanks, but the cashier rang it up anyways.
I told her again that I wasn't interested, but she informed me that they were going to honor the $3 price....OK.....I am patient to an extent, but after saying 'no' twice and getting told the wrong thing over the phone I was getting angry.
Walmart, a BILLION dollar company is arguing with me over essentially $4...four dollars...
For some reason the cashier calls the manager over, thinking that I didn't understand. When really, I just wanted to leave before I started yelling.
I explained to the manager the whole scenario that she already heard over the headset, and that I had heard from the mystery manager from this morning.
She told me that they were going to go ahead and honer the $3 price. I said "no thank you"
After all was said and done, the cashier and manager, neither of which were wearing name tags, looked annoyed that I wasn't going to get the games, after all the hard work they had not done.
There are several stores that do price matching, my favorite being Home Depot. And not once, have I been put through any loops to get the price matched.
I guess my point is, that Walmart should take a page out of Home Depot's book, and remember, that the customer is always right.
You should not be content with unhappy customers and uninformed staff.
Now, I will just head on over to Toys 'r' us and pick up the games for their advertised price of $1....it is unfortunate that I had to waste my morning with this issue.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The McDonalds on 120th and Colorado Blvd.
It is not too often that I go to McDonald's. For many reasons, but today there was one specific reason for which I will restrain myself from visiting that restaurant for a WHILE!
So, the food is surprisingly OK today. My aunt came over to enjoy a nice fun lunch with me and the girls. We sit down in a nice quiet corner to enjoy our meal before we go to play in the play place.
A table away and man and a woman sat down at a table, they were there to "meet" with some employees, thus begins the problem that ruined our nice lunch.
No one deserves to be talked down to in the first place. But to have to endure that treatment publicly, is a whole other issue.
I am sure that working at McDonald's is hard, demanding, and thankless. And for those who run the day to day business at each location, specifically managers, it must be hectic.
The last thing anyone wants, is for someone to nit pick every little aspect of their job, but when their superior decides to do this in public, around customers, and talk so loud, that anyone who isn't hard of hearing can hear, it is humiliating I'm sure. For a superior to conduct business this way is completely unprofessional, and rude. Not only to the employees but to the PAYING customers too!
If you have to conduct business you should do it in a professional manner, and, more importantly, respectfully.
Not only was our lunch spoiled but I am sure that the employees felt horrible. With nothing to do other than sit and listen to the tongue lashing that they were receiving, I am sure it made for an awful day.
It is one thing when you get constructive criticism and use it to build upon your mistakes but, to be treated the way that these people were being treated does nothing more than make for poor morale, to try to pick yourself up from something like that, would be hard, especially for what is most likely minimum wage.
After all was said and done my aunt indeed confronted the woman who was talking so loud and disrespectful. Surprisingly, this wasn't just a manager but she the vice president of operations for that franchise of McDonald's.
I feel bad for her because, I am sure she does not realize at the end of the day, the people that she was talking to like that, probably felt horrible and embarrassed. Every one deserves respect when working in a professional atmosphere, whether you flip hamburgers or are VP of operations.
In the end it is all about conducting yourself professionally. That, my friends, is what makes you credible. That, is what makes you an effective manger, VP, CEO, or person in general.
So, the food is surprisingly OK today. My aunt came over to enjoy a nice fun lunch with me and the girls. We sit down in a nice quiet corner to enjoy our meal before we go to play in the play place.
A table away and man and a woman sat down at a table, they were there to "meet" with some employees, thus begins the problem that ruined our nice lunch.
No one deserves to be talked down to in the first place. But to have to endure that treatment publicly, is a whole other issue.
I am sure that working at McDonald's is hard, demanding, and thankless. And for those who run the day to day business at each location, specifically managers, it must be hectic.
The last thing anyone wants, is for someone to nit pick every little aspect of their job, but when their superior decides to do this in public, around customers, and talk so loud, that anyone who isn't hard of hearing can hear, it is humiliating I'm sure. For a superior to conduct business this way is completely unprofessional, and rude. Not only to the employees but to the PAYING customers too!
If you have to conduct business you should do it in a professional manner, and, more importantly, respectfully.
Not only was our lunch spoiled but I am sure that the employees felt horrible. With nothing to do other than sit and listen to the tongue lashing that they were receiving, I am sure it made for an awful day.
It is one thing when you get constructive criticism and use it to build upon your mistakes but, to be treated the way that these people were being treated does nothing more than make for poor morale, to try to pick yourself up from something like that, would be hard, especially for what is most likely minimum wage.
After all was said and done my aunt indeed confronted the woman who was talking so loud and disrespectful. Surprisingly, this wasn't just a manager but she the vice president of operations for that franchise of McDonald's.
I feel bad for her because, I am sure she does not realize at the end of the day, the people that she was talking to like that, probably felt horrible and embarrassed. Every one deserves respect when working in a professional atmosphere, whether you flip hamburgers or are VP of operations.
In the end it is all about conducting yourself professionally. That, my friends, is what makes you credible. That, is what makes you an effective manger, VP, CEO, or person in general.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Monkey Business isn't monkying around!
What a terrific idea, give kids a safe, clean, indoor environment to play and explore and at the same time give mom and dad a great environment to sip a cup of coffee and enjoy an afternoon with their kids.
Little Monkey business in Westminster off of 144th and I25 is the perfect place for you and your child to unwind.
The play equipment is clean and safe and the coffee ranges from good to superb.
Thumbs up!
Little Monkey business in Westminster off of 144th and I25 is the perfect place for you and your child to unwind.
The play equipment is clean and safe and the coffee ranges from good to superb.
Thumbs up!
Update on Carpet Exchange
Thanks you everyone for your feedback! I Hope that this website is a valuable tool on both sides in order to improve and to be educated!
I posted my blog about my experience with Carpet Exchange Friday morning at about 730 and by 915 I had a voice message waiting for me from Joe, the General Sales manager at Carpet Exchange.
I am not easily impressed, but after talking to Joe I really was. He invited me back to talk with him and see if he can earn our business back. He seemed generally interested in making me happy, and not making a sale!
So we made one more trip to the the flooring giant, and we gave Joe the opportunity to make it right.
When we got there, not only were we taken care of but also sold on what we were buying, which made it all the better. Concerning our upcoming carpeting and tile projects, we know where we will be going!
I urge you to take this not as an individual problem, but as a whole. Yes, I had problems, but they were addressed, and where would this world be if we didn't take our criticisms and grow from them and learn!
Thanks Joe, for taking this in stride and making it right instead of letting it get lost and forgotten.
p.s. Joe, you would be an excellent candidate for undercover boss!
I posted my blog about my experience with Carpet Exchange Friday morning at about 730 and by 915 I had a voice message waiting for me from Joe, the General Sales manager at Carpet Exchange.
I am not easily impressed, but after talking to Joe I really was. He invited me back to talk with him and see if he can earn our business back. He seemed generally interested in making me happy, and not making a sale!
So we made one more trip to the the flooring giant, and we gave Joe the opportunity to make it right.
When we got there, not only were we taken care of but also sold on what we were buying, which made it all the better. Concerning our upcoming carpeting and tile projects, we know where we will be going!
I urge you to take this not as an individual problem, but as a whole. Yes, I had problems, but they were addressed, and where would this world be if we didn't take our criticisms and grow from them and learn!
Thanks Joe, for taking this in stride and making it right instead of letting it get lost and forgotten.
p.s. Joe, you would be an excellent candidate for undercover boss!
How Carpet Exchange lost my business over 1mm
The debate in our house has been heated and long. Do we re-floor the downstairs? Carpet or laminate? To say the least, a lot of shopping has been done. Finally we selected to go with do-it-yourself laminate. Now where to put our money...
We looked everywhere. In a household with one income, two kids and the ever-looming thought of an unstable economy, we have to be very careful with the little spending money we do have.
So with what we have saved for this investment we decided to take our business to Carpet Exchange. We were referred by a friend, who was 'more than accommodated" and we felt like we would be taken care of too.
To explain, I am old school. So, if you do right by me once, you have my business for life and for whatever project I might have in the future.
I wish that more businesses would stop thinking of profit in this economy, and focus more of growing a customer base. It would be nice if they thought of us first.
Anyway, we go into the store, which is conveniently located off of I-25 and look at some options for flooring. Not a huge selection, but we can't have everything I guess.
The sales associate is really nice, and helpful, it seems, until he learns that this is a small job with a budget. Uh!
After that, it seems, we are hurried along and paid no special attention. Ok, whatever. I ask about their 'lowest price' guarantee and he hurriedly explains it and moves on...ok.
Still having faith that my dollar is worth something to them, I naively decide to shop around a little more and see if I can find a lower price on what we saw at the store and liked.
And I do. Online, on a little site I find a better price on the same product (I thought) with a better warranty AND more product per box. Then I look a little more and on an even littler site I find and even BETTER price on the same product.
I'm not talking a few cents here people, I am talking up to a $0.61sq/ft difference! Keep in mind, these boxes of flooring come with more per box and a better warranty than 'my floor store'!
So I call up Carpet Exchange, wanting to clarify the terms of their 'price match guarantee', still hoping to keep our money in Colorado, and this my friends, is where things start to go south.
I talked to the first guy, who gives me a vague answer to my simple question and then passes me onto the voicemail of the guy who 'helped' me earlier. Then, when he calls me back, this term, which if I hear never again would be too soon, comes into play...'apples to apples' I GET IT! I am not stupid. Apples to apples means you are comparing the SAME exact thing....so, guy at Carpet Exchange, if what I am explaining to you on the phone isn't the same as what you have, please don't waste my time. just tell me it isn't the same and that you won't price match. End of story, right? NO! Uh!
He tells me that 'they won't lose a sale over that' so he's going to give my information to his boss, who will see what he can do.
So the clock on my wasted time starts ticking, the next morning his manager calls me and asks to clarify some information...blah blah blah...I give him the same information that I gave the other guy. He tells me that 'we really aren't comparing apples to apples, but I will price match what you have anyway, just bring in your paperwork, so I can send it to corporate.' To clarify, at this point, I AM HAPPY with the customer service, I am thinking to myself, 'wow, it is great for a company to WANT my business' Literally to the point that I have my checkbook in hand, ready to buy!
WOW, GREAT! I am so impressed...for about 24 hours, and that is ONLY because I couldn't make it down there that day because my daughter was sick.
So I carve out some allotted time, about 30 hours after I talked to the manager, to go down 'get taken care of' and buy my flooring! YAY!!!
I walk in to this beautiful showroom of plush carpet and nicely lit hardwoods and laminate and confidently ask for the manager.
If I knew then, what I know now, I would have just lied to myself and saved myself the time and effort that I wasted on this whole ordeal, alas, my faith in man is sometimes misplaced!
I hand the manager my paperwork and he looks it over for a good long minute, and says 'ya this isn't the same thing.' The difference is 1mm thickness. I can't believe this Carpet Exchange, 'my floor store' is blowing me off over ONE MILLIMETER! But in all fairness he offers to knock off $0.15, hardly a comparison to what I believe I was told.
Hey guy, I knew that, we discussed that, and you said 'no problem' that you would match it anyway, do my ears deceive me? OH MY GOSH! What a colossal waste of my time!
Ok, well I decided to wait for my husband to show up and talk it over with me to see if we still wanted to buy there, but of course, no, it is the principle of the matter...'why invest with a store who doesn't want our money unless they get all of it?' Ya, I said it!
So I go back to the manager, and point out that the ad I brought in had a better warranty and more per box and could they come down on price a little more. At this point though, he didn't seem interested. So whatever. It is like offering a steak dinner to the first 10 people to get there and giving them a hamburger and saying, it just looks better with people in the restaurant, it really doesn't matter if they are happy and satisfied!
So here I am, after wasting almost a week on Carpet Exchange, I am back at square one, trying to find a good deal on laminate.
Would I spend with them if they offered to follow through on their promise? Ya, probably, the customer service wasn't great, but the money stays here, in Colorado, and in the end, that is what matters!
We looked everywhere. In a household with one income, two kids and the ever-looming thought of an unstable economy, we have to be very careful with the little spending money we do have.
So with what we have saved for this investment we decided to take our business to Carpet Exchange. We were referred by a friend, who was 'more than accommodated" and we felt like we would be taken care of too.
To explain, I am old school. So, if you do right by me once, you have my business for life and for whatever project I might have in the future.
I wish that more businesses would stop thinking of profit in this economy, and focus more of growing a customer base. It would be nice if they thought of us first.
Anyway, we go into the store, which is conveniently located off of I-25 and look at some options for flooring. Not a huge selection, but we can't have everything I guess.
The sales associate is really nice, and helpful, it seems, until he learns that this is a small job with a budget. Uh!
After that, it seems, we are hurried along and paid no special attention. Ok, whatever. I ask about their 'lowest price' guarantee and he hurriedly explains it and moves on...ok.
Still having faith that my dollar is worth something to them, I naively decide to shop around a little more and see if I can find a lower price on what we saw at the store and liked.
And I do. Online, on a little site I find a better price on the same product (I thought) with a better warranty AND more product per box. Then I look a little more and on an even littler site I find and even BETTER price on the same product.
I'm not talking a few cents here people, I am talking up to a $0.61sq/ft difference! Keep in mind, these boxes of flooring come with more per box and a better warranty than 'my floor store'!
So I call up Carpet Exchange, wanting to clarify the terms of their 'price match guarantee', still hoping to keep our money in Colorado, and this my friends, is where things start to go south.
I talked to the first guy, who gives me a vague answer to my simple question and then passes me onto the voicemail of the guy who 'helped' me earlier. Then, when he calls me back, this term, which if I hear never again would be too soon, comes into play...'apples to apples' I GET IT! I am not stupid. Apples to apples means you are comparing the SAME exact thing....so, guy at Carpet Exchange, if what I am explaining to you on the phone isn't the same as what you have, please don't waste my time. just tell me it isn't the same and that you won't price match. End of story, right? NO! Uh!
He tells me that 'they won't lose a sale over that' so he's going to give my information to his boss, who will see what he can do.
So the clock on my wasted time starts ticking, the next morning his manager calls me and asks to clarify some information...blah blah blah...I give him the same information that I gave the other guy. He tells me that 'we really aren't comparing apples to apples, but I will price match what you have anyway, just bring in your paperwork, so I can send it to corporate.' To clarify, at this point, I AM HAPPY with the customer service, I am thinking to myself, 'wow, it is great for a company to WANT my business' Literally to the point that I have my checkbook in hand, ready to buy!
WOW, GREAT! I am so impressed...for about 24 hours, and that is ONLY because I couldn't make it down there that day because my daughter was sick.
So I carve out some allotted time, about 30 hours after I talked to the manager, to go down 'get taken care of' and buy my flooring! YAY!!!
I walk in to this beautiful showroom of plush carpet and nicely lit hardwoods and laminate and confidently ask for the manager.
If I knew then, what I know now, I would have just lied to myself and saved myself the time and effort that I wasted on this whole ordeal, alas, my faith in man is sometimes misplaced!
I hand the manager my paperwork and he looks it over for a good long minute, and says 'ya this isn't the same thing.' The difference is 1mm thickness. I can't believe this Carpet Exchange, 'my floor store' is blowing me off over ONE MILLIMETER! But in all fairness he offers to knock off $0.15, hardly a comparison to what I believe I was told.
Hey guy, I knew that, we discussed that, and you said 'no problem' that you would match it anyway, do my ears deceive me? OH MY GOSH! What a colossal waste of my time!
Ok, well I decided to wait for my husband to show up and talk it over with me to see if we still wanted to buy there, but of course, no, it is the principle of the matter...'why invest with a store who doesn't want our money unless they get all of it?' Ya, I said it!
So I go back to the manager, and point out that the ad I brought in had a better warranty and more per box and could they come down on price a little more. At this point though, he didn't seem interested. So whatever. It is like offering a steak dinner to the first 10 people to get there and giving them a hamburger and saying, it just looks better with people in the restaurant, it really doesn't matter if they are happy and satisfied!
So here I am, after wasting almost a week on Carpet Exchange, I am back at square one, trying to find a good deal on laminate.
Would I spend with them if they offered to follow through on their promise? Ya, probably, the customer service wasn't great, but the money stays here, in Colorado, and in the end, that is what matters!
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