We often say, “you get what you pay for” but do you really? My recent shopping experiences in some high end retailers has proved that you can pay a very high price to get very little. In fact, what you get for buying a £200 shirt is snubbed, tutted and a hand waiting for your credit card without even telling you how much you owe them.
Have they never seen Mary Portas in Secret Shopper?
I guess I have an expectation of the level of service depending on how much I spend. If I go and stay in a 5 star hotel, I expect 5 star service. Equally, if I buy from a designer boutique, I expect an exceptional level of service.
My recent experiences at a high end retailer in central London, left me complaining to their head office on poor quality product and customer service. I was about to buy a shirt when I found lots of thread ends on the shirt and the inside of the pockets were poorly made. I asked if there was another as this must have slipped through the net. Rather than an apology for the poor quality and a replacement shirt, I was merely asked “what was it that I wanted”. My reply was “a good quality shirt”. The sales assistant smirked at me, turned around and carried on folding his shirts. I couldn’t believe the rudeness. I felt extremely hard done by as I am obliged to spend a credit note in a shop that clearly doesn’t value my custom.
A friend who lives in New York talked about the fantastic retail customer service they have there. She is always reluctant to buy from shops that do not provide a refund as she feels that they do not care about the after service. I feel inclined to agree.
Bunty
