OK so i made me third trip to forever 21 and met my THIRD manager (oh, sorry they call themselves “co-managers”) today.
and here is how the conversation went as word for word as i can remember through my anger haze...
cashier (who sees me coming and has been there all three times i have gone in): hi, i will get the manager for you.
lea: perfect, you are a fast learner.
manager #3: how may i help you?
lea: can i have your name?
i write down her hame on my forever 21 sheet of names and times of my visit. then i get out my mall gift card and the manager sees it..
manager: oh, i know who you are and we are working on that.
lea: good, but manager #2 yesterday assured me that it would be taken care of in a few hours. she told me that she was faxing the info in yesterday morning.
manager: yes, and she tried. but the mall fax wasn’t working.
lea: and yet, there are many other fax machines in this mall or in several local stores like kinkos or office depot. and she had my phone number and name and could have called to let me know.
manager: well, she is going to try again today.
lea: in the immortal words of yoda, “there is no try, there is only DO.” (i attempt a weak smile and then my serious voice comes out, my kind of “jack bauer dealing with terrorists” voice...) now let me tell you what is going to happen in the next 24 hours. you have two choices. tomorrow morning there is $35 returned to it’s rightful place on this card OR my husband and daughter and i are coming into this store and there better be a manager standing behind this counter with a $50 forever 21 gift card in her hot little hand to give to my daughter. my daughter will then purchase $50 worth of your clothing and not a penny more and we will leave you alone forever. those are the two options.
manager: mam, we do not have a policy of handing out free gift cards.
lea: well, it would behoove you to work up that very policy in the next 24 hours OR to put the $35 back on my card.
manager: mam, we are sorry about all this, but you understand that this was a mistake.
lea: yes, i understand that a week ago someone made a little mistake BUT what has transpired since then is a TRAVESTY of customer service as i am the one doing all of the work to try to correct the mistake and your managerial staff is making excuses and not keeping their promises to me.
manager: what promises are you speaking of?
lea: first that the money would be back on in two days, second that you would hold the dress my daughter had tried on and wanted to purchase, and third that the fax would go out yesterday. you do not get a fourth round of excuses. it needs to be done or i want a $50 gift card handed to me in the morning or you will regret it. you have my name and number, i will see you in the morning.
and i turned around and left. and the cleaning lady (who was there yesterday when i was chatting with manager #2) caught my eye, winked and gave me a little thumbs up as she dusted off the rack near the front of the store.
oh, and there was a really cute skirt in the window.
i hope it is less than $50.... oh it is $22.80. i think that i will let millie try it on and try on 36 other items and she can leave them all there and announce loudly that we are going to buy them all on the website. it is SO much easier to shop on the website!
that will show them. they should never have messed with me! i know big words and i am not afraid to use them....