Movie Gallery - Elain Loftin
(Store Manager) Told I had to buy defective game disc even with damage protection and my account was close

After being a customer for years, i mean years! I was told my account was cancelled and I had to buy a defective game! Even though I did not damage the product AND I had damage protection!

Here is my story! I sent this exact email to customer feedback on movie gallery's website! Excuse the run-on's and such, I was upset when I wrote it!

I would like to file a formal complaint on a rude and unprofessional store manager. I have had several problems with her being rude and unprofessional since she first began working at our local movie gallery. Before but I have always bitten my tongue due to an understanding of the stress involved with dealing with the general public. I, myself, am a nurse and I love dealing with the various types of people life has to offer and I know everyone is not "nice" but I always just consider underlying issues when tempers flare.

Anyway, I will be calling the district manager on Monday to file a complaint. I had the store manager call the police tonight in attempt to protect me and my rights.

I have been a loyal customer since the store opened in our town and I have never EVER had a problem with any employees OR any merchandise until now. Tonight the store manager was very rude and upset me in the worst possible way.

I rented two games last evening around 7 or 8 pm for my childrens XBOX 360. Our xbox 360 is an expensive piece of equipment, as you know and it remains in our living room area for close supervision. I normally don't rent games at all but due to Christmas just passing purchasing anymore new games right now is on hold due to the fact we purchased (4) sixty dollar games with the three hundred twenty dollar xbox360 system (extended warranty included in price). I told my boys since I was not purchasing anymore games for a few more weeks I would allow them to rent a couple of the games they were wanting me to buy, to 'test drive' them and if they liked them we would buy them later.

Well last evening when we rented the two games we came home immediately and the games were stored properly on my entertainment system in their cases. Tomb Raider Anniversary was taken from the case and put directly into the game console. From that moment it did not leave the game console until tonight (1-4-07) when it froze up three times in a row. After the third time it froze up, (I) removed the game and proceeded to take it back to my local movie gallery to report the problem. WHen I entered the store, the manager was in the corner with carpet freshener poured all around the floor, she was cleaning the windows, had the vaccum plugged in (not turned on though) and sitting beside her. This is the same lady that has been rude before when I have rented from the store.

I walked in and told her that the game kept freezing up on my children. She said, "SHE will help you!"... The other employee was all the way in the back of the store replacing movies to the shelves. Now, if she were a "good" manager she would have been polite and said something to the nature of, 'I'm sorry let me assist you' but NOT EVEN CLOSE! She yelled across the store and told the other worker to come help me then she said, "OH FORGET, I WILL DO IT!"... She walks behind the counter and took the game and told me, "JUST GO GET ANOTHER ONE".

As I walked toward the game section I was telling her that I guessed after all these years of good luck with their rentals I was going to start having bad luck. I was merely attempting to develop rapport with her since she has never been personable during any of my visits to the store. Nothing was any different this time either. She didn't even acknowledge that I was speaking to her.
After I got to the back of the store with the games she yelled, "OH NO WAIT! YOU CANNOT GET ANOTHER GAME!"... I walked towards the front and asked why... She said, "YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BUY THIS GAME! I told her I certainly was not. She argued with me and told me I sure would have to. She said I was the only person to ever rent it that it was a brand new game. I told her that may be the case but I did not break the game nor did my children. "THIS GAME HAS A SCRATCH ON IT!"

I told her we didn't scratch it. It went directly from the case to the game console and directly from the game console back into the case and back to the store. She basically called me a liar and told me that I DID do it. I got very angry and I told her to call the police when she asked me to leave the store. I was NOT leaving the store after being told I was going to have to purchase a game that I did not damage so I wanted the police to come and help me resolve this problem. Once the cops arrived she started tooting a different horn. The other worker in the store kept whispering "I'm sorry!" and I truly felt bad for her not being able to say anything because I know she was scared that she would lose her job if she did. As I was trying to explain why I was upset and what had happened to the cops — the manager kept interrupting me. When I told her to please let me talk, she told me to get out of HER store and she was closing my account!

I have NEVER had a problem with my account or any other employee EVER until ELaine *! EVER!
While the cops were at the store I explained to them that I had purchased damage protection and it was never explained to me that I would have to buy the merchandise if it were defective or damaged (due to no fault of my own) whether I had damage protection or not.
I explained to them that we have hundreds of our own DVDs, hundreds of video games, PSP's, game cubes, PS2, xbox 360 and a computer and as a purchaser of this type of equipment in knowing how expensive it all is, I am very protective of it all. I ESPECIALLY take care of my rentals.

I feel I was disrespected in the worst possible way. I was never allowed to explain my side of the story to the store manager after being accused of damaging the property. I was not given any say-so in the matter at all and was treated like a dog!

In the times before when she was working, she would always be talking on the phone when I am renting your products. Once she forgot to scan one of my movies because she was so busy talking on the phone and due to talking she missed one of my movies but grabbed my debit card and scanned it and printed the receipt before I even noticed she had not scanned that particular movie (this can be traced back on the computer too). When I asked her if she had scanned my other movie she said, "OOOOH, you wanted that one too?" She scanned and gave me a total... I told her I had already paid with my debit card and I didn't appreciate having to run another debit through. She didn't apologize BUT she continued to talk on the phone. I told her maybe if she would wait on her customers instead of talking on the phone she wouldn't make a mistake like that. She jumped my bones right away and never once apologized. What ever happened to employees being courteous and respectful to customers. Should a good employee refrain from fueling confrontations in businesses?

I know as a nurse, if I yelled and griped at every patient that is upset about something, I would be standing in front of state board trying to keep from having my license jerked away!

This is unacceptable and I am very disappointed in myself for not reporting her sooner. I will buy the game but after this incident I will no longer visit ANY movie gallery ever again. I try to support all of my local stores but with employees like that, I assume shop online. My business will now go to NETFLIX! I will also be notifying my attorney of the treatment I received tonight. I just had a newborn baby and three days ago one of my 8 year old sons best friend lost his mother. SO I really do not appreciate that I have been nice enough to refrain from ever complaining about her behaviour YET still got put through the stress I went through tonight over something that COULD have and SHOULD have been handeled in a more professional manner.

Very, very sad and disappointed customer!

Company: Movie Gallery - Elain Loftin
Country: USA
State: Louisiana
City: Homer
Address: 800 West Main Street
Phone: 3189274309

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