I have been shopping the Boulder, Co. Target for three years now and usually come away quite satisfied. I know I have even written at least one comment card praising an employee in the electronics section for doing a great job.
Today, about an hour ago I had a different experience. I bought an Eddie Bauer air mattress there last year, used it for a trip or two and put it away. It worked better than I expected and I was very happy with it. When I used it for the first time this year it required a refill at least once a night. It is battery powered so it was only a minor thing to do so but in the middle of the night... You know.
I brought it into the store today and explained the situation to Jenny at CS.in short terse sentences she explained your policy. It went pretty much like this after I explained my issue to her.
Do you have the receipt?
No.
Do you have the credit card it was purchased on?
Yes.
You will have to go find the exact item you are returning and bring it here so I can get the barcode.
What if you don't sell this one anymore?
Then you can't return it.
I found the warranty card and it said Eddie Bauer would take car of fixing it or replacing it within a year of purchase. They even cover the freight.
That's Eddie Bauer, not us.
I thanked her and with sarcasm told her how helpful she had been.
When I got to the section I found no product that matched mine "exactly". There was oen that was very similar but in a different size. While staring at the choices for a good while I was ignored by a staffer that was too busy stocking the product he had just brought out to even make eye contact. My first impulse was to go get a manager, hand the mattress to him/her and ask them to throw it away for me as it is now garbage that I have no need for.instead I went back to CS to get Jenny's name (she had moved to the Photo counter) and possibly get better help. I waited in a short line, watched another CS staffer leave and when the last one was free she just stared at me for a short time then offered to help. I decided she was not worth the trouble and asked for a comment card at which time she confirmed my first thought by not knowing what one was. Didn't even bother getting her name.
To say I was unhappy at Target today would be an understatement. Sorry so long winded, but I believe the whole story is the important part. It was not just Jenny, she was only doing the job, same with the floor staffer. I don't know WHAT the last person I dealt with was doing in CS. It was the combination of all this that really made me decide to only buy extremely cheap or disposable items at Target from now on.
As a qualifier, I worked for a company called REI for over 11 years and have seen a lot of time behind the CS counter as a staffer and a manager. I believe I have returned a total of two other items to this store and had a great experience both times, more than I had expected. I am not looking to get anyone in any trouble nor to change the crappy policy, but thought you should know.
Sincerely,
Dave Kaise
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