I had a bad exsperience

It is the way they treated you that bothers you more.
But probably if they would of treated you with a little
understanding and respect and in a nice way explain that is against
policy to take it before time. You probaly would
have left happy. Some people are stupid talking! I feel for you
there's no excuse for her behavior!!

The dates are pretty specific. You can't use it a few days after it
expires why should you be granted the ability to use it before it
starts? Bleeding heart stories don't bend the rules.

While it is not right for you to be treated in a rude way....obviously
there are dates on the coupons for a reason. It would just snowball
out of control if there weren't boundries set. If the store manager
let you use the coupon early, she would have to let the next person
and the next person and the next person until all she was doing was
accepting coupons all the time.

Wow I really cant believe all the responses to this letter! While I
can agree with most of the posters that the store is not obligated by
any means to honor the coupon, I have to say to myself what kind of
manager would let 2 days and ten dollars come inbetween a big sale?
After all is the manager not there to keep customers satisfied and the
operation running smoothly? Unlike just a regular cashier who is sort
of a slave to the corporate rules, a manager has some kind of
authority to make minor bends in the rules. The manager's approach
seems very rigid. I would also think twice about going to this store
again if I had the OP's experience. Especially if the manager could
have been percieved to be so rude. A good manager would not only bend
a little in the name of customer satisfaction but would also have a
little tact.

And yes I have worked in retail many many years and while I do
understand that shoppers can sometimes pick fights, just because of a
bad day or sometimes even sheer boredom it seems, that it is always
better to let them leave with a smile on their face or at least less
of a scowl. There is nothing worse than a perceived bad shopping
experience except for a perceived bad shopping experience when your
already in a mood fit to be tied and likely to blow things way out of
proportion. Hell, we are all human, we are all guilty of it. Its part
of a managers job description to try and do something before that
happens.

Can you use it online, so you don't have to go back to the store?
You've already tried these things on and know what size to get, so why
not buy them online?

The fact that you live an hour away and you have three kids really
doesnt make you any more special then the avaerage shopper. What you
should have done is called ahead. You could have called the store and
asked them if it was possible to use the coupon before the vailidity
dates. You said you knew that it was not yet valid, and you went
trying to look for a freebe anyways, they didnt give it to you (as I
believe they shouldn't have) and now you are ungreatful. I wouldn't
want you as a customer.

Helps you feel better, not lingere! And spelling and punctuating
correctly helps you feel better. Both you and Evelyn need to work on
that.

But aside from that, I don't see why they just didn't use your gift
card a few days early. A gift card is the same as cash, so the date
thing is really messed up.

The thing that really gets me with this complaint is the line that she
figured it wouldn't be a big deal because it was only a few days until
April. Personally, I wouldn't waste an hour's drive and all that gas
on a maybe. I would have called the store and asked ahead of time if
it would be a problem.

I am very shocked at the replies to this post. Even though the shopper
should have noticed the dates for the discount, the store manager
could have easily given the woman $10.00 off of her purchase (even
without a coupon). Every company has to deal with problems. The
company which can fix problems quickly, will gain loyal customers. I
know of a casino which allows its front line supervisors to give up to
$500.00 to a guest to settle a dispute without having to call for
approval. I realize this is a different situation, but a manager
should have some room to make a decision on a customer complaint. Now
after saying all of that, I only know one side of the story. Maybe the
manager tried to help out this person, but was unable to do what the
customer wanted.

Maybe I've been desensitized due to years working in customer service,
but chances are, Erin P's sob story, complete with an hour drive and
children at home, would make me less inclined to "do her a favor."
Which is exactly what she expected here, regardless of her claims of
"poor customer service."

To accept a coupon that is not valid yet, or has expired, is not "good
customer service." It's doing someone a favor, and it often sets a bad
precedence for entitlement in customers who have trouble with being
grateful for a one-time favor, choosing instead to believe they're
forever entitled to similar treatment.

While perhaps the manager could have been a bit kinder in her
approach, telling you no is neither poor customer service, nor is it
rude. It's reality. And if you couldn't be bothered to read the coupon
before heading out on your hour-long drive to the mall, you shouldn't
expect them to do you that favor.

And as many others have said, and we so often suggest here on PFB -
clean up the letter. Misspellings (in the title, even) along with
netspeak and emoticons do not make a good business letter. They make
something to be thrown away, and not taken seriously.

Why do people feel that they can use a store coupon whenever they
want? It wasn't April yet, so why did you feel that you'd be able to
use it no matter what? You YOURSELF stated "I had NO clue it said for
items purchased April1-31." but Then RIGHT after said "I figured being
only a few days away from April it really shouldn't be a big deal"
::shakes my head:: I LOVE when people get mad when they can't have
their way.

If I were the manager, I would have done it. Why lose out on a large
sale over a $10 birthday coupon. $10 3 days too early. Big deal. It's
not like it was a percent off, which could have been a very large
discount. I agree with reading the dates, but if a coupon is mailed
early, I think it should be accepted. But expiration dates should be
enforced.

what part of "expired" don't you get? the gift card was, stay with me
here, EXPIRED! your kids are irrelevant, the miles you live from the
store is irrelevant. and it's "couldn't" care less, not "could" care
less. if she "could" care less, that means that she actually is
capable of caring less. business and personal feelings are not the
same thing. business is cold and impersonal and must follow the
rules. grow up and understand, it's nothing personal, it's just that
the card was EXPIRED.

What is it about the terms on the gift card that you feel shouldn't
apply to you because you didn't read it until you went to the store?
The fact you went with your husband and friend without your children,
the fact that you live an hour away, and the fact that you were going
make a big purchase because of this 10 dollar gift certificate
certainly have nothing to do with it.

Was the manager "rude" because they didn't let you use the card before
the offer went in effect? I'm sorry, but not hearing what you want
doesn't entitle you to reap the rewards.

You had a bad day. Someone had to put back all the things you picked
out, make them feel better :*(.

it is a reasonable assumption, but the OP did not make it clear. To
me the complaint is either valid or invalid based on that fact.

I don't think stores should be expected to cash cards early or late to
cater to a shopper's ignorance of printed dates. However, if the
dates aren't on the card, the store has some 'splainin to do, and
should just cash it.

Why should VS give you the discount? It's not their fault you didn't
read the coupon in it's entirety before wasting your time. Contrary
to what our parents teach us, please is not the magic word. It does
not mean the manager is going to say, "Oh, well, of course ma'am, you
did say please afterall." The workers are just following corporate
policy. Also, their registers probably won't even recognize the
coupon until the correct date, so they couldn't override your
transaction if they wanted to. And bringing your kids into it? It's
not their fault that you have three kids and can't get to their store.
You can hire a babysitter or shop online instead. You obviously have
a working computer with internet access, or, you wouldn't have been
able to write this letter.

If you're still crying about a measly $10 off a week later, maybe you
should check out what's going on in Haiti. There are people eating
cookies made out of dirt because they can't afford the food in the
grocery stores due to the high oil prices and their extremely low
annual salaries.

Here Erin....Hope this makes you feel better...Look what I found
online.


Special Offer
$15 off a $100 order
$30 off a $150 order
$75 off a $250 order
Enter offer Code TRENSDSVS at checkout

Valid through April 24, 2008 on US orders....

Now you can save even more money and do it from home

NOW PLEASE NOTE VALID ONLY>>>let me repeat VALID ONLY THROUGH April
24, 2008....

Also no Clearance, gift cards, previous purchases,gift wrap, shipping
and handling nor taxes count toward the required purchase. THIS
MEANS EVEN WHEN YOU ASK WE will tell you rudely NO. Also not valid in
stores or with other order-level discounts.

Also NOTE if you return it you will be subject to adjustments. That
applies to cancellations and exchanges.

Anyway if this does not make you feel better...we simply can't help
you my dear.

Were you the same customer that was upset Home Depot did not let them
use and expired 10% off coupon last week. Read the dates and don't
expect them to let you use them any other time. Would it really have
hurt them to let you use the card that today? Perhaps not. But then
this would mean that the dates of the offer were really useless.

I am not sure how the birthday gift card works. Was it the company
having a birthday celebration or your birthday? If it was a store
promotion company wide they might have had items on sale below the
price they would be offering the goods for during the gift card
promotion.

Coming from a retail background I know that sometimes the current sale
is just as good as the sale with the discount during a sales week.

Stores have all kinds of sales/discounts/hourly specials & rebates.
They really have to be consistent with how they redeem an offer.
Otherwise someone will find out someone else was treated differently
and got a discount on the wrong day. This could lead to all kinds of
problems.

Also companies have lost prevention teams and they might find it a
violations by even the manager approving a disocunt during a non valid
period.

So I say kids or no kids..read the coupon and don't expect to get
something that is not being offered during those dates. You can
ask...but when they so No...say well it didn't hurt to ask...I tried.


30 days is a long time for something to be valid..so perhaps you would
of been back in the area (even unplanned and could of used that card).
Maybe even online perhaps now that you know what fits and you liked!

How many PFBers does it take to say how cool I am and not post
anything about this horribly written piece of poo?

ALL YALL is the answer.

WOOT WOOT.

Uh huh.

You're all stupid and stuff.

Are you writing a business letter or an e-mail to your friend?
Emoticons and excessive puncuation do not belong in a business letter
nor do abbreviations and "anyways" is not a word.

When I get a coupon or gift card, I make sure I read the paperwork
that comes with it before going to use it so I'm sure it will be
valid.

No does not equal rude.

You probably should rewrite your letter as it's not professional at
all.

But, I think I agree with you. I think Victoria Secret dropped the
ball on this. You came in three or four days before the gift card
event started. You live quite a distance away. If I was the manager, I
would have made an exception in order to save the sale.

Sometimes we have customers that come in from quite a distance. The
next nearest store to mine is an hour away. Sometimes people forget or
don't remember when sales begin, come in just when sales end, or
forget coupons, etc. We have made exceptions for these people, because
to us, keeping their business is more important than losing them as a
customer.

So, if I was the manager at that VS, I would have accepted your gift
card. However, they weren't doing anything wrong by refusing your gift
card. It was just a bit of poor customer service, I think.

I also have three children and I do not believe this entitles me to
perks! So why should you? The coupon is dated and you came before it
was valid. Case closed.

Here's the problem: You had a card you weren't able to use because it
was not valid at that time. You expect that every time you play
the,"If I talk to the manager they will automatically fulfill my
request" card and it would automatically work.
When you ask an employee, the manager should back them up when they
follow store policy. Bad customer service is actually when a manager
makes an employee look bad when the employee is doing what is required
of them by the company.
This will make it look like the employee was wrong and worthless, and
not customer-friendly. This also conditions the customer to think
asking for a manager will always result in getting whatever
out-of-line request/freebie fulfilled, setting the customer up for
future confrontations with the employees following their required
guidlines.
The fact that you used 3 gallons of gas (about $10.90) to use a $10
gift card is a poor defense too.
Bottom line is they offered you $10 during certain dates, and you
tried to change the offer to suit you.
That is no different than asking the manager to make that $10 gift
card a $50 gift card just because.

I feel VS should have just gone ahead and taken your gift card. But it
also depends on how their registers are set up. If its before the
date, some registers will not let you take the coupon and theres no
way to override it. That may be the case in this situation. I
definately think the manager could have been nicer in this situation,
but then again, we don't know the entire story.

Holly and everyone else who cares...there is not a register here in
these United States that will not allow a Manager or cashier to
overide. Discount an item on th spot etc. This is a machine, mistakes
happen. They absolutely are correctable. Usually it takes the person
in the store with the most intergity to do so and make the prospective
customer happy. Store managers choice not the register.

Just because the store didn't bend the gift card rules for you doesn't
make them un-customer friendly. Just because the manager told you no
doesn't necessarily make her rude.

The gift card is for a certain time frame. You weren't shopping during
that time frame. You neglected to read that before you drove an hour
to a mall.

That's not VS's fault.

Erin,
When writing a letter to a business, it's important that you leave out
the "netspeak" (ie: pls, lol) and the smiley/sad faces. This reduces
the professionalism of your letter and it may not be taken as
seriously. As well, it's important to put paragraph breaks in, as it
makes it a lot easier to read.

The way I interpret this (the OP specified what the *envelope* said,
but not the card) is that the OP failed to inspect the card carefully.
That is my inference.

If the card did have the dates printed on it, the complaint is not
valid. If the card did not have the dates on it, the OP's complaint
is valid.

This is one of those cases where a critical piece of information is
missing, unless I missed it. Were the dates printed on the card or
not?

Why don't these stores print, on the card, what the restriction is.
For example, "Only good in the calendar month of your birthday."

If the card didn't carry that restriction, then how can one possibly
know.

Which leads me to the following question: how did the employee know?
Did she check your driver's license to determine your birthday? Was
the card encoded in a way that she was able to find out only after
swiping the card?

Given that the card didn't contain this information, the employee must
have had some information available to only her.