Dancing through life...

I just had the most horrific "customer service" experience in my life, and I would like to share it with you all.

My mother and I decided to go to Woodbury Commons in Central Valley, New York, to do some shopping today. We were having a quite lovely day, until we went into the L'Eggs/Hanes/Bali/Playtex outlet.

That was the end of that.

Rich needed some new underwear, and I needed some stockings. I took a three-pack of men's boxer briefs off a rack labeled $8.99. All of the racks of this style underwear were labeled with that price. I picked out a packet of stockings, and went to pay for my items.

At the register, the underwear rang up $10.99. I pointed this out to the cashier, and she said that it was probably just a mistake. I paid for my purchase, went to the back of the store, and took the rack with the price label off of the wall. I brought this back up to the front of the store, and asked to speak to a manager.

The "manager," (more likely a supervisor of some sort,) came out, and I explained the situation. I showed her the rack, with two packs of underwear on it still, and told her that I had been charged an extra two dollars, and would like a refund of the difference.

That's when things got out of hand.

She told me that the $8.99 price was probably a mistake, and that the $10.99 price in the register was correct. They wouldn't refund my money.

I explained to her that it was their mistake, not mine, and that meant they were responsible for rectifying it. Still, she refused to refund my money. "It's just two dollars, it's not a big deal," she said.

At that point, I said to myself, "Fuck this shit. They're not getting any of my money." I told her I wanted to return my items, and I called to my mother to put her stuff down. When I explained to Mom why we wouldn't be shopping there anymore, she tossed her items over the counter.

The so-called "manager" interpreted this as my mother throwing the nice, soft, bags of pantyhose at her, and threatened to call security. Not wanting to cause more trouble, my mother left the store.

She was so busy trying to get the phone and call security, that she was taking forever to do my return. I kept saying, "Just give me my money back, and I'll go."

I shouted to the rest of the customers that they shouldn't shop there, as they don't honor their advertised prices.

This girl was terribly rude to me. I asked for her name, as none of the employees were wearing name tags, and she said, "I don't NEED to tell you my name." When I told her we wouldn't be shopping there any more, she said she didn't care; it wasn't going to affect her.

Oh, BOY, did she ever get that wrong!

I walked out of the store, sat down on a bench, pulled out my cell phone, and called the corporate number on my receipt. The girl on the phone was very helpful and apologetic, and said that a supervisor would be getting back to me.

When I receive that phone call, I am going to demand, in writing, an apology for the way I was treated, and a promise that they will honor their labeled prices from now on. I'm also tempted to ask that the employee in question be fired. No one talks to me that way and gets away with it.

They have one week. If I do not hear from them by then, I am calling the newspapers, the news stations, the Better Business Bureau, and anyone else who will listen. I will tell everyone I know to tell everyone they know to never shop there again. In my free time, I will go to Woodbury Commons and hand out fliers telling people not to shop there, with my story printed on them.

I will not let this stand.

I don't get angry very easily at all. Annoyed, yes. Angry, no. The following letter in yesterday's newspaper made me VERY angry:

Dear Abby,
I am writing because my 12-year-old daughter, "Dorothy," is pregnant for the second time. Due to our religion, we do not believe in birth control or abortion. We kept the first baby, but we're afraid if we keep the second, Dorothy will continue to have pre-marital sex. Should we abort this one or let her have this baby, too? Please reply soon.
-Concerned Parent in Texas

Dear Concerned,
Whether your 12-year-old daughter should carry her second child to term is not a decision I can, or should, make for you. Because of her tender age, there could be medical risks involved. Take your cues from her OB/GYN.
It should be clear by now that your daughter is, and will continue to be, sexually active. Unless you intend to keep her under lock and key, she must be educated about sexually transmitted diseases and birth control. Since you consider using birth control a sin, please consider that it's a bigger sin to bring children into this world if you cannot educate and support them emotionally and financially.
PS You haven't mentioned how old the father(s) of these babies are. If they are more than four years older than Dorothy, she could be a victim of statutory rape, and you should notify the police.

This pissed me off like you wouldn't believe. So I wrote my own letter to Abby:

Dear Abby,
Your response to the parents of the twelve-year-old girl who was pregnant with her second child shocked and horrified me. What has our society come to if our children are having children, and all we say is, “Use protection next time”? At the age of twelve, that girl is still a child, and cannot possibly be emotionally, mentally, or physically mature enough to be having children of her own. Therefore she should not be performing the one act that can create children.
You advised that her parents should accept the fact that their daughter is sexually active. I disagree very strongly. She is still a child. Her parents are still her parents, and are still responsible for her well-being. They have every right to say, “No, you cannot have sex,” or “No, you cannot date older boys,” and yes, Abby, they can keep her under lock and key. They have to make the rules to protect their child. In my opinion, they are just as responsible for that little girl’s pregnancies as she is.
Speaking of responsibility, the father of that girl’s baby should be forced to show some. I do not care how old he may be, he needs to see that his actions have consequences as well. That baby is as much his as it is hers. He should be paying child support, and if he is not old enough to get a job, his parents should pay it. They are responsible as well, for not teaching their son not to get twelve year old girls pregnant.
If that girls parents are really that opposed to birth control, they need to make their daughter stop having sex. That is really the best form of birth control.
That family needs to get counseling right away. The parents need to learn how to say no to their little girl, and the girl needs to be told that she should not be having sex.


Sincerely,
Concerned Student in New York


I think it works. Any comments?