Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  01/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Wednesday, Nov 22, I purchased 5 pairs of shoes, a sweatshirt and a color-coordinated hat at the Athletes Foot at ********* Mall in *********. I spent over $300. The gentleman who checked us out (I had 3 of my 4 children with me), explained the final sale policy on red tagged items (shoes). I did not understand this to include every item in the store. Thats part 1 of my issue. The hat was for my 12 year old son. The clerk clearly grabbed the wrong sized hat (it was a size 8 which doesnt even fit 99% of adults let alone a 12 year old). We didnt catch this until later that night. This is part 2 of my issue. Part 3 of my issue is when I went back to the store to exchange the size of hat (not requesting a refund). Thats when we met the Store manager, *******, who could not have been less helpful if she tried. I was cordial throughout the entire conversation (nor did she elevate her voice), but she was incredibly passive aggressive, almost taking joy in standing behind a policy that was misrepresented to me AND denying that a mistake had been made, putting blame squarely on me and my son for not double checking. I told her I have shopped many times over the years and that this inability to do the decent thing would cause of loss of customer. She told me that was my choice and never once tried to empathize, offer an apology, or try to be helpful in any way. I am not one to disparage another, but I know what good management and customer service looks like and she was not that. I asked for a regional manager and phone number. She said there wasnt a number, only a email address. She said this location was a franchise and that corporate wouldnt help me either (I hadnt even brought this up). It was like she was taking satisfaction in her rigid stance. She was right: I have also been rebuffed by the ** franchise owner. I then emailed the National/corporate as well and havent even gotten a reply. All Im seeking is an exchange.

  Business response

  01/05/2024

  The customer purchased items during a promotional sale. One of the items, a hat purchased at a promotionally discounted price of $29.24 (subtotal) is the item being disputed.

  The customer was informed of the terms of the sale while making their purchase in-store, which they admit to in their initial message to the customer support email, and "FINAL SALE!!" is printed on the receipt along with our standard terms of return/exchange which reads: "ALL SALES FINAL ON PROMOTIONAL DISCOUNTS AND CLEARANCE PRODUCT". This information is visible on the image of the receipt that the customer provided to the ********************.

  When the customer attempted to return the hat, they experienced what they described as "passive aggressive" customer service from the store manager, who could not issue an exchange or return on the item, following the company policy. The customer received our customer support email and sent an email describing their experience and desire to exchange the hat for another one.

  After acknowledging their experience and checking our inventory across the company for the same hat, we informed the customer that the hat was no longer in stock in any of our locations and we therefore could not make an accommodation to exchange it for another size. The customer was also informed that we are unable to exchange the item for another item. The customer was not satisfied with the response they received.

  Customer response

  01/09/2024

   
  I am rejecting this response because: the clerk from the initial purchase stated final sale items were red-tagged items, not the entire store inventory. The hat was not red-tagged. In addition, my son didnt pick the hat that was given to us. A size 8 doesnt fit 99% of the population. Its so oversized it looks like a clown hat. The fair end result is an exchange for a different hat in the correct size (or an adjustable one) of the same value. I am not asking for a refund although I should be *********** that. The Athletes Foot doesnt lose any money allowing this exchange and it satisfies my quest for a hat - any hat - that fits. 
  
  

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