I had a rather bizarre experience in Marks & Spencer’s on Saturday, when I went in to buy a new jumper.
I saw the jumper I wanted, seemingly one of its kind. I tried it on, and it fitted perfectly. I was pleased with it and joined the queue to pay. When I got to the counter the conversation went something like this.
Assistant: “I can’t sell this to you.”
Me: “Why not? The jumper was on the shelves for sale with lots of others, and here’s my money.”
Assistant: “I know, but sorry, you can’t buy it.”
The people behind me in the queue shuffled about and coughed. I wondered if my face didn’t fit or whether my bank card looked a bit dodgy. I tried again.
“Look. I have my money ready and the jumper has a price tag on, so why can’t I buy it?”
Assistant: “I will go and get the manager. Please wait.”
So I waited. About five minutes later the assistant returned with a grim-faced manager.
Manager: “Sorry, but you can’t buy that jumper.”
Me: “Can you please tell me why?”
Manager: “If you wanted to bring it back, then we couldn’t give you a refund.”
Me: “But I don’t want to bring it back… I want to wear it!”
Manager: “It needs to go back to the manufacturers. The others went back, but this one must have been missed.”
I couldn’t see anything wrong with it at all, and was becoming angrier by the minute. The manager took it from me, and I found a different jumper and joined the queue again.
Me: “Am I allowed to buy this one?”
The assistant smiled through half closed eyes and gritted teeth, as she rang up the purchase.
Who has ever heard of a customer not being able to buy something on the shelves that they want? Whatever happened to the ‘customer is always right‘ saying?
Cynthia Harrison said:
It’s difficult enough to find something you like, but then to not be able to purchase. Arghh
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Stevie Turner said:
Frustrating is the word, I think.
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petespringerauthor said:
That is totally weird! There has to be more to the story than what they were willing to tell you I think if they were honest, it would make you even more positive about wanting to do business with them again.
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Stevie Turner said:
I think they didn’t want to say anything was wrong with it in front of a queue of people, so they skirted around the issue for as long as they could. It was just the wrong way to go about it, I think.
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dgkaye said:
First of all, what a bitch. If it’s there for sale with a tag on it and I love it, I’m buying it! Too bad I wasn’t with you, lol, you would have purchased that first sweater LOL 🙂 That is just ridiculous!!!! xx
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Stevie Turner said:
Lol! Ooh – another thing where we’re different – I’m rather meek and usually do as I’m told!
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dgkaye said:
Lol, if I ever make it across the pond, maybe I can you hints how to be a more aggressive shopper, lol 🙂 xx
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Stevie Turner said:
Sounds frightening!
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dgkaye said:
Lolllllllllll 🙂 And sorry for the typo in my first comment. Fast fingers, late nights. 🙂 x
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Damyanti Biswas (@damyantig) said:
Very odd experience I must say
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Stevie Turner said:
Very!
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suzan khoja said:
I know don’t know what was wrong and I can’t relate to you but I do know this is crazy. Like seriously??? Who does this to a customer?? The best part of my life, people buy stuff for me and i buy books for them. 😊😊😂 even if they hate reading. 😂😊✌
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Book Club Mom said:
Very strange – they could have explained the reason to you – maybe it was a too flammable or had some other dangerous defect and they weren’t permitted to disclose it…
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Stevie Turner said:
Who knows? As you say… very strange.
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tidalscribe said:
We have lost our branch in town. There are odd things about M&S – do you remember how long it took before they would take cards of any sort?
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Stevie Turner said:
Ooh, no I don’t remember. I think they’re the last of the ‘old-fashioned’ shops. I like M&S, probably because I’m old-fashioned as well!
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jenanita01 said:
They could have explained why…
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Stevie Turner said:
Yes, but they left it a long while to do so. To start with I thought they didn’t like the look of me!
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jenanita01 said:
I would have been furious!
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Stevie Turner said:
I was becoming angrier by the minute, but you cannot fight computers!
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jenanita01 said:
Don’t I know it!
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Ellen Hawley said:
The customer isn’t always right. The computer is.
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Stevie Turner said:
Ha ha, and what’s really sad is that you’re probably correct.
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Jane Sturgeon said:
That’s bizarre and Darlene has a good point. It has saved you from it becoming unravelled no doubt. M&S have tied themselves up in knots recently with closures, as Jim says. A pun intended there! Hugs Xx
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks Jane. It was a really nice jumper too!
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Jane Sturgeon said:
Shame Stevie, it must have been so frustrating. A ‘Have I dropped into a parallel universe moment?’ xXx
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Stevie Turner said:
Lol!
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Darlene said:
Consider yourself lucky. It may have fallen apart in the wash the first time. Or burst into flames near a stove. Glad you found another one to buy. LOL
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Stevie Turner said:
Good point, Darlene. I suppose they didn’t want to tell me that, especially with a queue of people behind.
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jwebster2 said:
I suspect that sort of attitude to customer service has led to so many M&S shutting. Ours is going soon
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Stevie Turner said:
It’s such a shame that the big stores we grew up with are all closing. That’s Internet shopping for you…
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jwebster2 said:
Yes, we’re moving from mixed customer service to no customer service 😦
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Okaaay. That’s very odd.🤔
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Stevie Turner said:
It is. I suppose they tried not to tell me there was something wrong with it when all the people behind me in the queue could hear.
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