UPDATE - My Hugo Boss suit.

[LitigatorChick]

So you may recall my saga - the butt ripped out of my Hugo Boss pants and I got little help from the SA, other than commenting that perhaps my pants were too tight. They offered me $250 store credit and said see ya later.

So I contacted Hugo Boss directly. Their response was immediate, courteous, and professional. In the end, here is their note:

"I am proposing that you use the credit note that [Store X] gave you for the damaged pant and they will give you a new Hugo Boss suit of your choice with our compliments . There will be no further cost to you ."

Holy cow!!! I am incredibly impressed with Hugo Boss and this level of service! I will still never shop at Store X, except to get my new suit, but I will keep buying Boss (I have 3 suits of their already, and several seperates, which I love, there was just this one problem suit!).

Thought I would share the end of my story.

 

[Kay]

Way to go Hugo Boss!

It''s great to know they have that level of customer service. And

to the store and the SA who suggested your pants were too tight.

 

[LitigatorChick]

I had given up on the whole thing. The SA was so incredibly rude to me and told me that Hugo Boss would not deal with the issue - quite another story from Hugo Boss directly!!!!

Thanks PSers for encouraging me to push forward on this (esp. DiamondFan and Canuk!)

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Excellent!! Glad you went directly to the source and that it hasn't soured you on their product. I have long admired their fabric, style and tailoring.

cheers--Sharon

 

[LegacyGirl]

Wow what service!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Good for you LC!

 

[LitigatorChick]

Thanks everyone for your support on this silly issue! Off I go shopping!!!!

 

[diamondfan]

Glad to be of help! I consider myself a retail champ and that often includes trouble shooting.

I am being serious though...If I were the manager at that store I would have taken your suit, told you we would replace it with something similar or give you your money back. No attitude, period. I would then call Hugo Boss myself and take care of it. I would say, LC, no matter what, you will get a new suit. You will be hearing from us soon. If they handled things right, you would never have had to know what went on behind the scenes. Now they have lost a customer, over a few bucks, because whatever you paid, trust me they paid a fraction of that and one call to Hugo Boss (as you saw) made the difference. The store should learn a lesson from them.

I am a very loyal customer and I am always nice to work with. People bend over backward to give me nice service because I treat people well and even if there is an issue I am pleasant about it. But I also expect service. Whether I spend a lot or am browsing it should not matter. I have a choice as to where I spend my money, and I will not go back into a store where the service stinks. Small boutiques often suffer in that way because they do not have the customer service a big store does.

There is a fabulous boutique in my area, they have simply stunning clothes. However, two things happened that bothered me. One of my favorite stores which is within a couple of miles of this other store carries Lida Baday. The woman at this other boutique wanted the line and she deliberately lied to the rep saying she was MILES from this other store, because there was a rule about two stores carrying the line if they were not a certain distance apart. Of course the rep knew better and has a good rapport with the store I go to, but I thought it stunk. Also, I have been in there, browsing, not sure what I wanted, or looking for a very specific thing that they did not have, and the owner was a bitch. She happens to have the WORST rep in town. If you say, there is a store and the owner is bitch trust me people know it is her store. One day I met a lovely gal who now works there, and mentioned why I and many of my friends never shop there. She told me to try again, when the owner would be gone. I went in when the owner was out of town. I had a very pleasant experience. The SA told me that many people dislike the owner, shop only when she is gone, and that they encourage her NOT to be out dealing with customers. God forbid you have a problem she is a total jerk about it. My SA calls me now when they get stuff in that I would like and tells me when the owner is not there. But for years, I boycotted her store, and it was a shame on one hand because they have wonderful things.

Just sad that a local store would not at least try to have good customer service.

 

[divergrrl]

LC, ok....I''m dying to know...how did you rip the butt out? LOL...you are a rail, so, this oughta be good.

 

[monarch64]

LC, I''m so glad that Hugo Boss compensated you for the loss of your suit...that is great news. Happy shopping!

On another note: I agree with DiamondFan completely re. how the matter should''ve been handled originally. Not only is this an issue or poor customer service resulting in the loss of a customer, not to mention possible other business because we all know that a customer is much more likely to tell everyone they know about a bad experience rather than a good one, the whole thing is part of a bigger picture. By this I mean, the retail industry is suffering in the current state of our economy. Even the poor customer service of one SA can affect the whole chain, starting with you, the consumer, on down to where the loss of business results in employee layoffs. I myself am a victim of a retail layoff recently, maybe not due to this type of circumstance, but across the board customer service plays a huge factor in the bottom line, obviously. What''s more, people like me (and I am a self-described as well as employer-recognized customer service expert) are now having a terrible time finding jobs in the retail sector. Even in good economic times, businesses must be sure to hire and retain the best help there is to ensure that this kind of thing doesn''t happen in the first place and result in losses all around.

Off soapbox, and again, glad to hear your suit issue has been resolved.

 

[diamondfan]

Monnie, it sucks that they lose someone good like you. I know the retail axiom that the customer is always right is tough to really live up to, but yet, how can stores hire crap employees or not be explicit about how to handle things and then be surprised they go under?

A huge new Target just opened close to me, in a new mall that occupies what was a mehh area. One side of the street is nice, the other not so nice. A California Pizza Kitchen also opened there. I know the manager from the King of Prussia store, and he was there fine tuning things. He told me that to get 90 employees that were at all good he interviewed nearly 1000. Yes, 1000. He said servers there make $25.00 per hour and get to eat etc, and you cannot imagine how tough it was to find people. The Target, forget it, I LOVE it but this store hired the worst most unhelpful and rude people to work in it. I would rather drive to the one 10 miles farther away than deal with it. He told me that there have been tons of complaints about the service or lack thereof.

On one hand I am lucky because I found nice SA''s at the stores I frequent, and they know I am a loyal shopper. But to me, even if I never spent a dime, you simply must have a framework for how you are training your staff to deal with people. Little stores that only give store credit or are not nice or helpful, I pass on by. Just no reason to waste my time, and whether or not they know or care I will not give them a penny of my money.

 

[LitigatorChick]

Date: 4/8/2008 12:37:16 AM
Author: divergrrl
LC, ok....I''m dying to know...how did you rip the butt out? LOL...you are a rail, so, this oughta be good.

Oh Diver, I wish I had a good story to tell. But alas, none. I sat down. Yes, I am a wild and crazy woman in my suit with all the sitting and such.

The only funny part to this whole sad tale is that the SA said my pants must have been too tight. I would obviously not buy pants too tight, so I took that as her implying my ass had expanded since the purchase. It has not, so I offered to climb into said pants and show her the ample room that ought to have allowed me to SIT!!!

 

[LitigatorChick]

Monarch and DiamondFan, there are often so many problems in retail, but then so many shining stars as well. I experienced both in one week!!! While this small boutique treated me like crap (this is just the half of it - when I was there to pick up my suit jacket, I was in typical mommy yoga gear with my little guy, and they just treated me awful and very rudely told me to have my son stay away from the clothes!!!), Holt Renfrew treated me awesome. The result - I will not shop at the small boutique and Holt Renfrew has re-affirmed me as a loyal customer!!!

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Excellent result, LC! Glad you got what you needed eventually. Have fun picking out a new suit.

Jen

 

[pennquaker09]

I''m glad they took care of you, LC.

 

[diamondfan]

I am glad HB did the right thing, but the boutique was pretty short sited. They have gained nothing and made a customer upset and want to shop elsewhere. Pretty dumb in the long run.

I find it amazing in this economy that stores would be so cavalier.

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 4/8/2008 8:54:58 AM
Author: LitigatorChick
Monarch and DiamondFan, there are often so many problems in retail, but then so many shining stars as well. I experienced both in one week!!! While this small boutique treated me like crap (this is just the half of it - when I was there to pick up my suit jacket, I was in typical mommy yoga gear with my little guy, and they just treated me awful and very rudely told me to have my son stay away from the clothes!!!), Holt Renfrew treated me awesome. The result - I will not shop at the small boutique and Holt Renfrew has re-affirmed me as a loyal customer!!!

HI:

OK girl, what are, at least, the boutiques initials??? I need to know where to save my $$.......

cheers--Sharon

 

[LitigatorChick]

Date: 4/8/2008 8:51:00 PM
Author: canuk-gal

Date: 4/8/2008 8:54:58 AM

Author: LitigatorChick

Monarch and DiamondFan, there are often so many problems in retail, but then so many shining stars as well. I experienced both in one week!!! While this small boutique treated me like crap (this is just the half of it - when I was there to pick up my suit jacket, I was in typical mommy yoga gear with my little guy, and they just treated me awful and very rudely told me to have my son stay away from the clothes!!!), Holt Renfrew treated me awesome. The result - I will not shop at the small boutique and Holt Renfrew has re-affirmed me as a loyal customer!!!

HI:


OK girl, what are, at least, the boutiques initials??? I need to know where to save my $$.......

cheers--Sharon

No initials. Think Banker''s Hall, starts with a B.

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 4/8/2008 10:39:09 PM
Author: LitigatorChick

Date: 4/8/2008 8:51:00 PM
Author: canuk-gal

Date: 4/8/2008 8:54:58 AM

Author: LitigatorChick

Monarch and DiamondFan, there are often so many problems in retail, but then so many shining stars as well. I experienced both in one week!!! While this small boutique treated me like crap (this is just the half of it - when I was there to pick up my suit jacket, I was in typical mommy yoga gear with my little guy, and they just treated me awful and very rudely told me to have my son stay away from the clothes!!!), Holt Renfrew treated me awesome. The result - I will not shop at the small boutique and Holt Renfrew has re-affirmed me as a loyal customer!!!

HI:


OK girl, what are, at least, the boutiques initials??? I need to know where to save my $$.......

cheers--Sharon

No initials. Think Banker''s Hall, starts with a B.

HI:

Knew it.......

cheers--Sharon