This past weekend I was in Texas (escaping Seattle’s cold, wet weather for Austin’s . . . uh, cold, wet weather) for SXSW. I attended several standout Interactive panels on Saturday, but my favorite by far was the presentation given by Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh.
You know Zappos, right? The online retailer that started with selling shoes, that offers great selection and free shipping and free 365 day returns? They now sell other merchandise and eventually aspire to be the leader in online customer service. Their vision:
• One day, 30% of all retail transactions in the US will be online.
• People will buy from the company with the best service and the best selection.
• Zappos.com will be that company.
Hsieh’s presentation covered some of the Zappos core values and discussed the paramount importance of customer service. Their belief is that culture takes care of brand, and that their employees are more engaged because of the shared company values and culture. From their website: “We’ve aligned the entire organization around one mission: to provide the best customer service possible.”
It was an inspiring talk, and I came away feeling like every company could learn a thing or two from Zappos.
Before I left Austin, I somehow managed to lose my wallet. I know, right? I wasn’t even drunk. So I tried to call my airline to see what my options were for flying with no identification, and the first problem I encountered was . . . finding their phone number. The American Airlines website actively discourages phone calls, by driving all inquiries to email or their FAQ.
The next problem I had was with the bag fee. AA was less concerned about my missing driver’s license, and much more focused on my inability to pay the $15 charge to check my bag. I was told they couldn’t waive the fee, and so I dragged my suitcase through security along with my personal bag and laptop — after, of course, throwing away all my over-3.4-ounce gels and liquids (so long, fancy salon shampoo, with your promises of lustrous, manageable hair!).
After a few hours of travel time with many more to go, I begged an AA agent in Dallas for a food voucher, explaining my pitiful no-money situation, but they told me it was against company policy. Then, as I was boarding my Dallas-Seattle flight, they chastised me for having too many bags, and confiscated my suitcase to be checked. Yes, the same suitcase they made me carry on the flight in the first place.
FYI, on an AA four-hour flight from Dallas to Seattle, there are no free peanuts, pretzels, or snack mix packets. You can purchase a box of crackers for $5, assuming you haven’t lost your damn wallet.
My point in telling you this rambling Airport Story of Woe is to marvel over the immense difference between the Zappos service model and American Airlines. The thing that really stands out to me is that Zappos is committed to providing you with amazing service for, say, a $30 shoe sale. AA charged nearly $800 for these round-trip tickets, and still couldn’t be bothered to step even one inch outside their policies to help a customer in need.
In the midst of this terrible economy, what business can afford to turn their back on customer service? Especially a sagging industry like an airline? The companies that deserve to survive the recession and emerge successful are the ones who pay attention to the people who are keeping them in business. Who empower their employees to provide great service even if they occasionally lose money in the process, who know better than to place revenue above all other things.
As consumers, we can affect these changes. AA won’t be getting my business again, but I’ll tell you what: the minute Zappos starts their own airline, I’ll be first in line to buy a ticket.
Tell me, have you experienced any rave or rant-worthy customer service lately? What companies have got it figured out — or not?
A Company who has it figured out: Staples. They really do believe in that “easy” slogan they advertise. Have only had positive interactions with them.
One who doesn’t have it figured out: Spirit Airlines. If you have a few spare years to read through the pile of complaints, feel free to google their company. We had our own, relatively minor encounter with them and feel lucky that they only tried to fleece out of a little bit of money.
g~ | March 18th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Yes! I emailed Zappos a thank you for consistently being awesome, and you know what they did? They upgraded my account to VIP status which means that I get free shipping all the time, not just some of the time. Now, I’ve never paid shipping through them anyway; they’ve always upgraded me to next day air shipping and waived the shipping charges. But now I know that when I order from them, all my money goes to the purchase. They are awesome.
I think all airlines need a customer service enema. But there was one time, ONE TIME, when Southwest did right by me. I was scheduled to fly for the first time to meet the guy I’d been talking to on the phone for three months for the first time (long story, but that guy ended up being my husband, so it worked out) and there was a snow storm in the way. The plane was leaving Kansas City with a stop in St. Louis, and then on to Louisville and Baltimore. I was getting off in Louisville, but the snowstorm was in St. Louis. After a three hour delay, Southwest got another plane and crew and flew the 14 of us that weren’t deplaning in St. Louis on to our destination, flying us around the storm. Fourteen people on the plane. I had my own SECTION, let alone row. I had four-teen cokes. They had the time to serve me that many. And they were awesome about it being my first time flying. Now, I always pick Southwest, if they have a flight that suits my needs. Because they made a decision to make their customers happy instead of saving their bottom line.
Shutter Bitch | March 18th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
A friend of mine got to visit the Zappos HQ a few months ago, and she was just blown away by the experience. Just hearing her talk about them was enough to make me go there first anytime I’m shopping for shoes.
Jaime | March 18th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Diapers.com has - BY FAR - been one of the best online companies I;ve ever dealt with. Their service is ridiculously fast: for any order over $50 (and with two kids in diapers, um YEAH) it’s free overnight shipping. I’ve ordered stuff at 3 pm and have had it by 11 am the next morning. They also carry a lot of other items too other than diapers, and some organic stuff I can’t find in the store.
They’ve only messed up my order ONCE in the couple of years I’ve been using them and when I called, they told me to keep the items they sent (wrong wipes) and they sent me the correct ones overnight.
Very easy to deal with, a person answered the phone, and I am always happy with their speed, price, and quality.
Wow, I sounded like a commercial.
AndreAnna | March 18th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Have you thought about writing a letter to American about your experience and cc’ing Consumerist on it? That site’s all over the airlines’ short-sighted fees-first-customers-last policies, and this will provide a great anecdote for how they have a tin ear for customer service.
(That said: stories like yours are why I stick to JetBlue and Southwest at this point; it is crazy to me that the so-called “discount” airlines treat me better than AA.)
Lisa S. | March 18th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
I would detail my rant on Comcast and their customer service, but my therapist told me not to fixate on things that make me irrationally angry.
I hate you, Comcast.
Jamie | March 18th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
I think all airlines but Southwest could use some customer service lessons. Other than screwing up the frequent fier rewards - you used to have no restrictions, now you have to use double the points if you want the no-restrictions option - they’ve been good to me. I hate every other airline I have ever been on.
Zappo’s is wonderful. I’m hoping that they can stay competitively priced, too, because good customer service is desired, but if I have to buy shoes I’m looking for the cheapest including all costs. (I usually get the brand and style and search it. Zappos wins maybe 1/3 of the time).
Grace | March 18th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
I, too, hate Comcast. May their new eyesore of a building be littered by pigeon crap for all eternity.
Mama Kerr | March 18th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
I’ve got similar complaints about Comcast. They try to be horrible, I’m convinced. I HATE them. And I hate that I still give them my money every month because it’s the only option besides satellite.
I’ve also had really good experiences with Southwest, although I’ve never had an emergency or special situation to really test their customer service. But I love how easy it is to use their frequent flyer flights. United and Continental basically make it impossible to ever use your miles… I’ve already flown free twice on SW.
Operation Pink Herring | March 18th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
My rant is on Charter One Bank (part of the RBS banking system). We’ve been with them for about 6 years with no problems and in the last few months all of a sudden we were getting hit with all kinds of insane charges. For instance, my paycheck gets direct deposited around 2 AM on Friday and I have always had several automatic payments made out of the account on payday; for 6 years this was never a problem. Apparently they changed their rules for deposits recently so that now the direct deposit (which is available immediately for a cash withdrawal and shows up in my available funds total) is processed at the end of the business day for to pay automatic withdrawals. So when those payments were automatically withdrawn the deposit technically (by their new insane rules) wasn’t there and my account was overdrawn. And here is the new kicker – they charged me TWICE for each overdraw; once when the payment was started and AGAIN when the credit card company actually took the money (even though by that time the money was available for payments). So a $100 payment to a credit card cost $80 in fees even when the money was THERE and AVALIABLE for withdrawal! This is rambling, I know…I’m still pretty pissed about it and it still doesn’t even make sense.
So I call to complain and they tell me I have to go to a branch to get assistance. I go to a branch and the teller is just as confused as I am over all the crazy fees so she calls the “banker” from the back office up to help me. The dude who walks out is no more then 24 years old and I hate to say it but this gets me even angrier. I explain the whole thing to him and he pulls up something on his computer that he won’t let me see and explains the new double fee rule and when I tell him this is total crap and ask for him to waive one fee he tells me he can’t do that and I need to call the 1-800 number from the website (the same people who told me to come to a branch!). I get the number for his boss can call the boss from the lobby of the bank. This guy looks at my account, is surprised by the all the fees and takes about 10 minutes to figure out what they are all for. He then apologies profusely and says HE doesn’t have the authority to waive fees but I could submit a formal request to have the fees refunded and in 6-8 weeks they tell me if they will even consider it. UGHHH!!
Later that day, I opened an account at a local Credit Union and started the process of switching banks. I left $20 in the Charter One account for about 2 weeks after the last automatic payment was made, just in case. I went to close the account for good this past weekend only to discover a new fee had been charged - $35 was charged for low activity (again, I had this account for 6 years and never experienced anything like this). Then, of course, since the money I had remaining in the account was less then $35 they then charged me an overdraft fee. Charter One Bank is a never-ending hellish vortex of fess. I pitched a fit, but no one would help so I ponied up the cash, closed the account and started writing letters to the BBB, Charter One, RBS Bank…just about anyone but haven’t heard a word of response. In my view, they owe me $155 and I’m going to keep throwing tantrums until they pay up.
ikate/kakaty | March 18th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Hmmm…I see at trend. Comcast and American Airlines are on my Top Offender List.
American Airlines- you can’t even get WATER on one of their flights without being charged $2 for a miniature bottle. Their policy of forcing you to pay $15 for your first checked bag has created an onslaught of everyone trying to pack their belongings into a carry-on. My result- getting put on an AIRBUS from PVD to Charlotte with smaller overhead cabins, and approximately 20 customers (including me) having to check their baggage from the plane due to lack of storage room. Granted, at least they didn’t charge me, but I still ended waiting at baggage claim after going through the process of dispersing all my expensive shampoos and gels into travel sized bottles.
Comcast- I have way too many stories of woe, many of which resulted in me taking vacations days to sit and wait in 3 hour blocks of time for technicians that never showed, and to make matters worse insisted they called me and I didn’t answer (therefore canceling appointments…at the end of their shifts). I would not be their customer if only my neighbor’s trees weren’t blocking the Direct TV satellite. They’ve got me suffocating and bound in their clutches, and they know it. They are also the reason why I no longer have a land line. Take that Comcast!!! Vonage makes me happy,
I can’t speak enough good things about Amazon.com. I’m a Prime customer, and in most instances what I’m looking for qualifies for free two day shipping. I have yet to have a bad experience with them, even with returns.
Maria | March 18th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
I despise American Airlines. Last summer I had a flight that took me from Spokane to Seattle, from Seattle to Denver, and then on to Baltimore. For reasons they never could manage to explain to me, after a three hour delay in Seattle, I was flown to Dallas where I was stranded for 14, yes, 14 hours. I slept on a cot in the “under construction” (no air conditioning… in Texas… in the middle of summer) terminal area, because security wouldn’t let me go anywhere else. Then, getting to Baltimore six hours past the event I was flying out for, they lost my luggage and I didn’t get it back for three days. No apologies, no vouchers, no nada. So yeah, I won’t be flying with them again.
Jen | March 18th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Nordstrom. Publix (Southeast regional supermarket). Chick-fil-A. The tiny, family-owned and -run produce stand near me, which I’m hoping will re-open soon since it’s warming up out. Wedding registry-wise, we had a great experience at Bed Bath & Beyond.
Jenny | March 18th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
I’ve always had good luck with Crate & Barrel. Their customer service has been wonderful and with furniture the delivery folks have always been punctual, friendly, and skilled. Post-delivery there is usually an immediate follow-up by the supervisor to make sure everything arrived and another call in a few weeks to make sure it is all working properly. I’ll definitely go there again.
heidi | March 18th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Love Nordstroms — customer service can’t be beat. And in general I hate American Airlines as well for all the stupid policies and “it’s not my problem” attitude but I have to give a shout out to an AA groundcrew lady in NY who really helped us out — we had stupidly bought duty free liquor in the airport (outside the US) and it was in our carry on. We had to transfer from JFK to Boston but of course at that point they confiscate all liquids in your carry-on. But somehow this woman convinced the TSA staff that there was a special rule (I think she made it up but maybe it actually exists) and that if SHE WALKED WITH US and all the way through security, to the gate, that we could keep the bottles. And it worked!! Yay to Lisa, a lone shining beacon at a lame-o company.
Mika | March 18th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
I recently ordered my husband a new IPod for his birthday from the Apple Store’s online store. It was stolen during shipping… I received an empty box. With just one phone call to their customer service line, the Apple Store sent a replacement IPod to me that got to me the next day. I could not believe their speediness, especially since the IPod was personally engraved as well. I will definitely find more ways to spend money with them in the future.
Mimi | March 18th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Brilliant article! Makes me want to shop shoes at Zappo’s and never ever fly AA. Not that I have… I think…
The only company I know of that has great customer service is IKEA, that has even taken back an item we took out of the package and assembled before realizing it was the wrong thing. And we got a full refund. That is customer service.
Emblita | March 18th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Raves: have been very happy with my Capitol One credit card. Would definititely endorse them. Also; havedone several on-line orders with JCrew.com and a, very happy w/their customer service.
Rant: NEVER EVER PURCHASE ANYTHING FROM DIA?ONDS INTERNATIONAL. If you, like me, get caught up in a vacation-induced moment of shopping craziness, DO NOT INDULGE it at Diamonds International. the sell shit jewelry for too much money and do not honor customer service, despite cruiseline “guarantees.”
kabo | March 18th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
I was in Paris in February on a freelance job. My first one. My flight flew me in and out of Heathrow, where I stayed a few days before I went to Paris via Eurostar. The day after I arrived in Paris, my 10 month old daughter got sick. Very sick. I called Continental airlines (in tears ) simply to inquire how much it would cost to fly me out of London any earlier, since my flight was non-transferable/non-refundable. The cost was $1600, and I didn’t have it. I didn’t argue one bit. I told the women only that I couldn’t afford the flight change fee. She asked me what city I was in currently and put me on hold. A few minutes later she came back to tell me she could fly me out of Paris the next morning at no charge. I have never been more grateful.
Though I have flown with them before, that was my first positive experience with Continental. Ever. I typically only will fly Southwest, but they only do domestic flights so I am forced to go elsewhere for international . Still, that customer service representative made a loyal customer out of me.
USAA has phenomenal customer service. So does Anthropologie, and Amazon. Dell has possibly the worst.
Katherine | March 18th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Sorry about the wallet, that stinks!
Zappos always wins big raves with me…..What if they start an airline and let you pick a few pair of shoes which are then waiting in your seat at your boarding, OMG that would be heaven!!!
Rhea | March 19th, 2009 at 12:52 am
Zappos’ CEO was on The Apprentice recently. He had zero personality, terrible communication skills, and appeared sullen and arrogant. His company may be making money hand over fist and delivering goods as promptly as Amazon, but I sure as hell would not want to work for him.
Lesley | March 19th, 2009 at 12:53 am
Lesley: one of the things I liked about him at the SXSW presentation is that he wasn’t super polished and not a CEO rockstar entertainer type. I’ve known a lot of personality-before-skill CEOs and I thought it was refreshing he wasn’t . . . I don’t know, an egotistical douchebag. I didn’t get the impression at ALL that he would be terrible to work for.
That said, I didn’t see him on the Apprentice, sounds like he didn’t come across well in the Trump Environment. : ) (Although, gotta say: the Apprentice is like the worst show I’ve ever seen, so . . . NO ONE comes across well on there.)
-Linda
milkandcookies | March 19th, 2009 at 1:00 am
This was such an awesome post. Something similar happened to me when I flew to Florida last summer, except instead of losing my wallet (an honest mistake) I somehow left my DRIVER’S LICENSE home in a different wallet (re-TARDED). My husband had dropped me off at the airport and went on his merry way when I’d realized it and I couldn’t get ahold of him in time. I freaked out for ten minutes, then decided I better ask someone what to do. I couldn’t believe how helpful everyone was. Fifteen minutes and a special notation on my ticket later, I was on my way. The airline was Southwest and I wasn’t surprised to learn that they were the only airline who were not in the red right after 9/11. I wrote a gushing letter of thanks to them after I got back from my trip.
Kim | March 19th, 2009 at 11:56 am
I had a horrible time with Spirit Airlines. I will never fly them again no matter what. I have trouble with customer service everywhere as it seems that South Florida is notorious for horrendous customer service.
One of the worst offenders for me is the Home Depot by my house. There is never anyone around to help. I waited once in the doors/window department and 3 other people were waiting too. We finally hunted someone down who simply paged an associate and walked away. No one ever came. 20 minutes later we were all told that the only person in the dept was on lunch and to come back in an hour. ?!?! Luckily I live around the corner so I went back later. Still no one there. I gave up and went somewhere else after waiting another 20 minutes. Another time, I was there and needed help securing a long piece of wood to my car, my husband was home sawing something - I forget the project. The cashier said someone would be out to help yet no one came. I went up to the only employee in the parking lot, who happened to be chatting with some friends to ask for help. I politely waited for her to finish talking and excused myself in and asked her if she could find someone to help. She glared at me, and turned around to continue talking to her friends. Some guys (customers) on their way into the store ended up helping me. They should watch their workers more closely, though, because I did return something on one occasion and they actually gave me the money (cash) back for the whole receipt - not just the item I returned. The stupidest part was that I didn’t even have the other items in hand, just the one I was actually returning.
The best service - that had previously been bad - was the car wash by my office. They had been a pain in the butt a while ago but the new manager has whipped into great shape. Just recently when I took my car, I went to pick it back up and the car was still pretty dirty. I spoke with the manager who, at first look, could clearly see my car was still dirty. She grabbed a guy, gave me a premium service with waxing, interior vaccuuming and dusting and didn’t charge me a dime. My car looked fantastic.
Oceans Mom | March 19th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Two:
1. Lands’ End did the monograms wrong on two of the four backpacks I ordered. I emailed them in a panic, because the backpacks had been on a huge clearance and were now out of stock. And they called me almost immediately, and said they DID have replacements available, and they shipped them out immediately, AND they apologized, AND they paid the return shipping on the wrong ones.
2. Amazon.com sent me the wrong pattern of a tablecloth I ordered. They shipped out the replacement that same day using overnight shipping, and they gave me a prepaid return label.
Swistle | March 20th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
And two BAD service examples: Old Navy and The Children’s Place. I do a TON of online ordering from both places. Every time something goes wrong, they send me form letters that don’t fix the problem, they have to be specifically asked to waive the shipping on THEIR mistake and then they often charge it anyway, they ship and order and THEN tell me that “unfortunately” they were out of stock on the thing that was the main reason I placed the order, the re-send the same wrong item, they claim to be out of stock on the replacement but I can still order it online (and pay the shipping again), etc. I’ve even sent typed business letters of complaint and I’ve gotten ZERO response. I HATE both of them. But…..love the clothes.
Swistle | March 20th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
As a travel agent I found your story most distressing and of course a bit humorous as we all need to laugh during those moments of shear frustration!
It is amazing to me how so few businesses, large and small, understand the concept of customer service first. Which we all know in the long run can lead to larger profits through repeat customers and referrals. Right now I am making every effort to provide that level of service to my clients despite the minimal commission I may be making. As there are many travel discounts available to the consumer; these discounts however, cut into the commission of the agents and for those of us working for an agency we are splitting the commission with them as well. I do not mean this as a sob story; I am most fortunate to have the job I have and to be able to work from home with my children. However, it is my philosophy that if I provide the most quality and timely services possible my clients will be happy and share my name w/ friends. Just because a family is traveling to Disney for the first time on a buy 4 get 3 free offer does not mean they should receive less of my time or efforts. It is crucial to share as much information with them as possible to make their vacation a relaxing, joyful experience filled with all the magic Disney has to offer. After all, who wants to be miserable in planning a vacation that you spend a long time saving money and vacation days to have.
I often think of this scenario when I bring our 4 year old to preschool. The parking is minimal at the church in which she attends school and the lot is shared w/ several retailers as well. One of the retailers is a children’s clothing store, a hair salon, an insurance company and a flower shop. All of whom have nearly 40 potential new customers per week. It is amazing to me how rudely the owner of the children’s clothing store is to the parents who may have parked in “her space”. We have all stated that we would not go into the store because of her attitude. Does she not need the business; because quite frankly, I see no one enter the store? Maybe retail is not the right career choice for her if she does not understand the basics of customer service and can not see the potential income sitting outside in “her parking space”!
I do hope this slow economy does one thing, and that is bring customer service back into the forefront of business operations as we can now see obviously making profits the priority has not been successful.
As for the airline headache I apologize and fortunately I do not frequently handle that piece for my clients as it is actually less expensive and more convenient for clients to do on their own unless it is a package deal. I also would not want my name attached to such headaches….even though it would not be my fault we all know who would take the heat!
Gina | March 20th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Land’s End is a company that I have always had excellent customer service from - I don’t think they even have an automated answering system, at least not during business hours. I have never had them give me any trouble with a return or exchange. Every customer service person I have spoken with seems kind and eager to help me. I find their products to be of exceptional quality as well.
Kelsey | March 20th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Land’s End is definitely wonderful! Super super fast shipping, fast returns, and helpful call center.
Another, surprisingly, is the company that handles our prescription drug benefits - EHIM. EVERY time I call regarding questions on copays, coverage, etc A PERSON ANSWERS. A real live person. No automated prompts, no long hold times. They all speak English, and actually go out of their way to make sure you understand your benefits.
Fiona | March 21st, 2009 at 2:47 am
I agree more than 100% w/ all of you bashing comcast and their “customer service”. The services they provide are horrible across the board and their prices continue to rise frequently as the service continues to weaken. Old Navy is also another one of those places I do not choose to do business w/ their return policy is a nightmare and that is in the store I have never tried online!
I have found Kohl’s to be pretty customer friendly as well. Vista print has also been easy to work with and Staples is usually no hassles either.
Gina | March 21st, 2009 at 10:28 am
What a horrible experience.
I am always impressed with Amazon’s customer service. Whenever I am transferred to another CSR the previous CSR has always made it a point to update the person about my problem so that I do not have to.
Small things make all the difference.
Jenn D | March 23rd, 2009 at 1:25 am
I am the new store manager for Baby Bliss in Southlake, Texas. If you want customized service come see us. You will not only be instructed but build friendships too!!!
Heather Dungan | March 23rd, 2009 at 7:59 pm
Here’s an article from The Onion re AA–thought of you. BURST out laughing:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/american_airlines_now_charging
samantha jo campen | March 23rd, 2009 at 9:16 pm
I have to say I’m amazed with all the great comments on Southwest! I will never fly them again, they’ve been horrible the last few times we flew them, Delta was far better. I couldn’t believe the difference. Southwest just got annoyed with me struggling with two small children on my own, Delta did everything they could to help when I was pregnant with a small child. Not to mention Southwest trying to rip us off so we could fly home last minute for a funeral.
Charlie’s Soap has some of the best customer service, ever! We’ve always been impressed by Game Stop. They’ve always been great to us and we’ve seen them handle some very upset customers very well. They go out of their way to be helpful at every location we’ve been in.
I admit that I’m hoping that businesses will realize that they need to start working harder on their customer service. I know sometimes helping a customer out (or just doing the right thing) will lose them a bit, but if you don’t have any repeat customers or referrals…
Anonymous | March 24th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
i worked for pottery barn and they have 2 sides to customer service. if you are a celebrity, they will go out of their way to kiss your butt, like paying $8K to overnight an $800 table to the latest celeb du jour.
but if you are an ordinary joe, they could care less! received a table with an obscene cartoon drawn on the wood under the finish- too bad! bought an entertainment center that has some type of worms that have infested your house- your problem! twin beds put together incorrectly and your child wakes up in the middle of the night screaming because their bed fell apart- so sad!
i always got a ton of escalated calls because i actually went out of my way to fix things. when i suggested to upper management that the first step to solving any problem is to apologize for any inconvenience right off the bat so the customer will calm down, they told me i was too soft and would have to toughen up if i wanted to be a success at the company. well, i really didn’t want to be a success if it meant i had to be a hard-hearted bitch, so i quit. i found a job that appreciates my attention to detail and pays me almost double. yes, i am management now!
even though the williams-sonoma company has a strict sexual harrassment policy which is very pro-homosexual, they could care less if you are NOT gay and actually are married to the opposite sex and have children. twice a year HR had a seminar about how wrong it is to discrimate against gays, but one word was never spoken about how wrong it is to discriminate against ANYONE, not just homosexuals. i even had a manager tell me in a meeting that i should lighten up, open my mind and if i found the perfect woman for me, it would change my life, when i complained to HR, they laughed! of course the HR rep was gay!
i know they have all the cool things, but i stay away from williams-sonoma, pottery barn and any of their other entities. no one at target has ever told me to cheat on my husband and have sex with a woman!
blue cocktail | March 27th, 2009 at 2:17 am