Target Customer Service Let Me Down

I guess my question is...Why do you feel like it was the manager's
responsibility to apologize for your neglegence? I mean, she didnt
spill it on you. I personally travel to several Targets(job related)
and other retail stores and I would honestly have to put Target's
customer service on top and I dont even shop there. I think you
should've have been satisfied that they offered you anything. If
there really was a hole already in the bleach container, why couldnt
you smell it? I mean, a leaking bleach container will give off a
strong smell. I'm not convinced that the hole was already there, at
least not since it was something such as bleach. The manager was
probably irratated that you would approach her expecting a miracle
although it was really your fault. I mean what did you expect, a
check for the cost of your jeans?

I just read something in Redhead's blog about remembering that
everyone has things that bother them that don't necessarily bother
other people. I know there has been a lot of discussion about
apologies, and I've revised my original though process somewhat.

At first I thought that the lack of an apology wasn't really a big
deal here. But since Redhead's latest blog posting, I think an apology
is one of those things that really bothers the OP, and could make or
break his customer service experience. And...that's fine. To me, this
isn't a "total breakdown in customer service", but to the OP it is.
And we shouldn't fault him for that.

There are many reasons why an apology may not have been forthcoming.
Maybe it WAS an admission of guilt to the employees. Perhaps they just
didn't feel they had anything to apologize for. (It was an accident
after all.) Or maybe they were so flustered, because they've never had
to deal with something like this before, and were so busy dealing with
the situation that they didn't think to apologize for it. I know I've
been in customer service situations where I didn't apologize, even
though I probably should have, because I was focusing all my energy on
dealing with the situation.

We never get the full story in these letters, and we'll never really
know what was going on from Target's end. I do think that Target
handled the basics fine. They didn't know how much the OP paid for his
jeans, and they were right to offer him a pair of their own. And the
OP was right to ask them to replace the full value. And if the lack of
an apology is really what bothers him...then...okay.

I have other thoughts about this letter which I won't share here. But
I think Target should've just apologized and been done with it.

Soooo Kari have you gotten your new pants yet and did they reimburse
you without any further issue???

At least you're doing Target the favor of not returning. That a huge
plus for them.

Was the more senior manager rude because "She then eyeballs me from
toe to head..."? She was probably assessing the damage done to your
clothing. I am not familiar with the product that ruined your clothes
(I thought gels weren't as harsh as liquids), but did you mention that
it was burning you?

Unfortunately, in this sue-happy country, retailers have to be
extremely careful about apologies in such instances. Not that one
wasn't due, but I would think it would be Clorox, the manufacturer, to
apologize for a faulty product rather than Target.

One thing I'm curious about - what are lunch-counter, slaughterhouse
dungarees?

Question for Karl:

While I was in Target tonight, I looked at the container of bleach you
had the problem with, and I can't understand how it spilled. The
spout is not only underneath the cap, but it's recessed and surrounded
by a moat specifically designed to prevent spillage and direct the
flow back into the container. Also, the bottle is not filled all the
way to the top. Even with a hole in the spout, unless you turned the
bottle almost upside down, I don't see how the gel could spill out.
Was the cap on the bottle when you grabbed it off the shelf?

This has nothing to do with the treatment you received, but I was just
curious how this happened.

Target's return policy stinks also. They will not give you a gift card
or use the returned items value towards any purchase if you don't have
a receipt. I had purchased a baby item and losr my receipt. I was told
I could only purchase an item in the specific baby item section of
equal value or greater. I could not get diapers, or children toys or
shoes b/c that was a different dept, that is where WalMart has a much
better and forgiving return policy, plus Taregt only allows 2 returns
w/o receipts a year.

On Clorox 2 bottles, the entire spout is enclosed inside the
cap/measuring cup. At least in the half-gallon size. Did you happen
to unscrew the cap so you could smell the product? And that's when it
spilled?

And here: Your own words--"assuring me that Target would buy me a new
pair of jeans. And while this was what I wanted to hear..." You
wanted them to provide a new pair of jeans. They just didn't offer
the jeans you wanted. You admit that you wanted Target to offer
replacement jeans. It's only when they offer you Target jeans instead
of Banana Republic jeans that you have a problem.

It's not Target's fault that you wore jeans to work and shopped there
on your lunch period. They DID offer a solution. It's just not the
solution you wanted.

I am dismayed not one employee offered first aid or to summon medical
assistence. Since it was burning your leg the first reponse should
have been to your discomfort. This would be my complaint to the Head
Office,then the clothes. Good luck.

Several years ago, I purchased some rice from Target. It was Target
brand (they teamed with a popular Asian celebri-chef).

I followed the cooking directions.

A few minutes later, my neighbor rang the doorbell asking why smoke
was pouring from my kitchen.

Sure enough, the amount of water they said to put in the pan wasn't
enough and the rice was not burning.

My pot was ruined.

So, I wrote to Target. Not to demand millions of dollars because,
gasp, my house could have burned down. But to let them know that the
directions weren't correct. And, if they could replace my pot (since
they sell pots), that'd be great.

A week or so later, I got a call from Target's insurance company.
"All you want is for us to replace your pot?" she asked. I said
"yes." She asked how much these pots were. "Well, you don't sell
this particular one, but I can buy it on Amazon for $40. I'd be happy
to take an XYZ pot, that Target sells also for $40."

She said, "I'm sending you a check for $100. Buy the pot whereever
you want."

I got the check. On the back, where you endorse it, was the statement
that said something like "By depositing/cashing this check, I agree to
hold the Target Corporation blameless for the matter that I reported.
I agree that I will seek no further compensation for this matter and I
will not pursue this matter any further... yadda yadda yadda."

I doubt the woman ever said "sorry the directions were wrong." She
was working for an insurance company and wanted to ensure that she
paid me off so that I didn't sue them or whatever.

I bought the new pot and had plenty of money left over for something
else.

After reading letters like this, I remember why I disliked retail so
much. Nothing they said would have pleased you, nothing they did would
have been enough and even if they had bent over backward with gift
cards and apologies, you still would have found something to complain
about.

I've always wondered about the mind-set of people who want 'apologies'
for accidents. After a customer bit my head off for apologizing and
told me that I 'should be ashamed' of myself, I never apologized to
customers unless it really was my fault. (If I left something in their
way or bumped into them, for instance, I apologized, but if they
pulled something down on their heads, I would ask if they were all
right, but I wouldn't apologize.)

You are getting reimbursed for you jeans, I'm not sure what else you
expect Target to do, except maybe post a sign over the bleach bottles
telling people to check before they go yanking it off the shelves.

Also, and this is just me being morbidly curious, how did you stand
wearing jeans all day that smelled of bleach? I can only be around the
stuff for a few minutes before I get a screaming migraine from the
fumes.

I had this happen to one of my customers when I was manager at
Borders. Someone on my crew had cleaned a sink in the bathroom with
bleach which proceeded to destroy this man's jacket.

So, while I can understand why the initial supervisor in your
encounter was confused about how to handle it (I was confused by the
situation as well since I'd never run into it before), I can't
understand HOW any supervisor, as a "person in charge", could not
empathize & say, "Oh my gosh, sorry about that! We'll check the rest
of the bleach containers to make sure that doesn't happen again! I am
sorry that happened to you." Isn't that the human thing to do?

I ended up having to make the same request of the customer, purchase a
new jacket & bring in the receipt, because I had to have that
paperwork for the paid out. But I threw in a $20 gift certificate for
his trouble.

A small bit of compassion goes a long way & it's sad to read about
management who don't grasp that.

You were as much to blame as Target. They didn't put the hole in the
bleach bottle. And you didn't watch what you were doing when you
"grabbed" (your own word) it. I actually think they were being more
than generous in offering you a new pair of "their lunch-counter,
slaughterhouse dungarees" (that insult to Target is completely
uncalled for and doesn't belong in a business letter, BTW) - let alone
giving into your demand for a pair that would meet your standards. Of
course the manager wasn't happy about it, and if you were as
condescending to her in person as you are in your letter, she's
probably even more unhappy.

"And I will need to drive to Banana Republic, which is not close,
purchase a new pair of pants, and then bring that receipt back to
Target."

Okay, THAT is just ridiculous! You're the one that demanded they
spring for the Banana Republic jeans. Did you want them go out
shopping for you too? You'd probably find something to complain about
the ones they bought if they did anyway.

I'm sorry this happened to you, Karl.

Feel better now?

As I posted below, I think the OP deserves to get full compensation
for his ruined clothing. But then I was wondering... if he had come
from work or a job interview in an expensive suit, should Target have
to compensate him for the suit? Where is the line drawn?

What I don't understand is what's the answer you were looking for?

Were you looking for them to open the register and had you some cash?
Were you looking for them to volunteer to have someone run out to the
mall and buy you a replacement right then-and-there?

The lack of an apology, is disappointing. But I'm not sure that the
situation, as you laid it out here, is really an example of the death
of customer service. In fact, the way I read it, they did better than
many businesses: they offered you a quick replacement with something
in the store, they offered you reimbursement.

Could they have had their act together better? Maybe. But the fact
is that they got someone who did her best. And, gosh, with the
attitude you're throwing around here, I somehow suspect that part of
your complaint is... excuse me... imagined. But, hey, maybe I'm
wrong. If I am, then take this advice: if you want people to believe
you, don't come across as you did in this letter.

In any case, I very much sympathize that you had to stand around
covered with bleach. If this were me, I'd clean up before complaining
because, well, bleach is hazardous (even if it's gentler on fabrics).
Why, oh why, didn't you have the common sense to get yourself safe
before you launched into your quest for "customer service"?

I work in retail setting just like Target except its pure grocery. To
not offer an apology is totally rude. The fact that you are
compensating the customer is admittance enough.

I would replace the ladies clothes with something from our stock so
she could return to work We would keep her damaged clothes, and she
would look for receipts. If she did not have them we would come
together on a dollar amount. Then of course have her sign a release
from liability form. Apologize again, and be done with it.


Good Day

Here's the problem with your logic:

Target very quickly and efficiently worked to remedy the situation
WITHOUT EVER ADMITTING ANY FAULT OR BLAME! They aren't going to
apologize to you because that would indicate that they did something
wrong and could open them up to all kinds of litigious fanatics.

For all they know, the bottle of bleached was shipped to them from the
manufacturer in that condition or the damage happened to the container
in transit. Why should they apologize for that? That's another
reason they aren't about to admit any wrongdoing.

They're replacing your precious "Banana Republic" jeans. Let it go
and move on.

Despite the arrogant tone of the letter, I am kind of on your side
because a similar thing happened to me at Target a couple of years
ago. I picked up a bottle of bleach cleanser, the top wasn't on
tightly enough, and some of the cleanser leaked on my t-shirt.
Although not Banana Republic, the t-shirt was still relatively new
enough to make the situation irritating. I didn't ask to get the
t-shirt replaced, though.

While Target employees didn't hold you down and pour bleach on your
pants, the merchandise WAS defective and that means they're at fault.
And like Redhead said, Banana Republic jeans are expensive (for me at
least). Why would I want to replace them with a pair of Target jeans
which are much less expensive and not of the same quality?

But I don't see where this translates into a "complete breakdown of
customer service." You were offered a resolution that was not
acceptable. Fine. They then gave you a resolution that WAS acceptable,
albeit without an apology. Is that really what's eating at you though?


"And I will need to drive to Banana Republic, which is not close,
purchase a new pair of pants, and then bring that receipt back to
Target."

Which is exactly what you wanted to do.

You really are full of yourself, aren't you. All this because no one
rolled out the red carpet of apologies.

It seems to me that they handled this pretty well. Someone got right
on the issue and then escalated it immediately when you were not happy
with their first offer. Of course their first offer is going to be an
item from their store. I would actually expect that. When that was
not accepted, they offered you exactly what you wanted. Oh wait, you
actually have to go buy them. What did you expect? That they would
send an employee to do that?

If your attitude with the Target employees was anything like it is in
this letter, I'm surprised they were as nice to you as they were.
There's no doubt in my mind that even if someone apologized, you still
would have written the letter.

Of course they weren't happy having to pay for your pants due to
something that was beyond their control, and if the only reason you
wrote this letter is because a smiling employee didn't roll out the
red carpet and apologize, it only makes you look ungrateful for what
they did do. The fact that they were willing to accommodate you is an
apology in itself.

I think you wanted them to wave a magic wand and somehow turn back
time so you didn't ruin your clothes, didn't smell like bleach, didn't
have to drive to Banana Republic and didn't have to experience one bit
of inconvenience for something that in your own words was a "mere
mishap". Being told that you could pick out any pair of jeans on the
house was an immediate solution to "sitting in jeans that look like
crap and reek like bleach for the rest of my workday". You chose to
wear the jeans instead of making the best of an unfortunate
situation.

I must be behind the times. If this happened to me, I wouldn't have
expected the store to replace my jeans. If the bottle didn't leak
until you got home, would you have complained to Target or to Clorox?

I think it was more than generous for them to offer to give you a pair
of jeans right then, and even more so when you turned them down and
they agreed to pay for you to pick out a new pair from Banana
Republic.

Although this wasn't a pleasant experience, they have made it as easy
as they could. The reality here is that you have damaged property -
damage that happened in their store. What they could have done (and
were probably supposed to do, but I don't know their policy)is take
all of your information and file a claim with their insurance company
- much like a claim is filed if someone slips and falls - it is just
called in as property damage. Then you could have waited for someone
to call you and get your story, you could have continued to wait while
they decided if they were going to replace your used jeans and then
you could have waited for funds.

Nothing about your situation represents an erosion of customer
service. Sure the bottle shouldn't have leaked, but geez, nobody did
it on purpose. As for an apology - I am sure they are sorry - sorry
about the bleach, sorry about your jeans, sorry they had to deal with
you at all.

You know, some customers will do just about anything to make a claim
like this. That is why they may have treated you with some suspicion.
Look at it from their point of view instead of being insulted. They
agreed to replace your jeans. So you run to the internet and
complain.

You sound completely full of yourself. You refer to their jeans as
"lunch-counter slaughterhouse dungarees." So why shop there if it is
so beneath your standards?

They offered to pay for full replacement of your fancy dancy jeans.
But you didn't get your apology. Geesh. "I'm sorry you spilled
bleach on yourself because of a manufacturer's defect." (it really
isn't Target's fault) Is that good enough for you? You complain you
had to go about your day looking like crap because you spilled this
stuff on yourself. What did you expect them to do, drive to Banana
republic while you waited and buy them for you? You refused their
"slaughterhouse" replacements, so what other option is there?

I think you got exactly what you wanted except an apology. Why that
rates an internet complaint I'm not sure. I'd be more concerned about
my cafe jeans than an apology from a lunch-counter customer service
representative.

Maybe you should shop at the stores located in the same place as
Banana Republic. They will stretch your wallet further, but you'll
get the customer service and all the apologies you demand.

with the replacement for the same value. My problem is with people
buying this overpriced crap to start with.

You are going to be reimbursed for your pants and you are still not
happy. I guess there are people that will always find something to
complain about!

Yeah, really. You spilled the bleach. Target didn't. It was an
accident. Why should Target have to apologize for your accident?

I have to agree with SusanB.
I'm not sure why they would need to apologize since you spilled the
bleach on yourself.
The best you might hope for is an "I'm so sorry that happened to you",
but really, how much is that worth? It qualifies as a courtesy at
best, but it's certainly not required.

Get your new pants and be happy, I say. Life's too short.

I guess I'm pretty "low maintenance" because I honestly don't
undertand the value in an apology. It wasn't Target's fault there was
apparently a hole in the bottle and I think their offer to replace
your Banana Republic jeans was actually quite generous considering the
circumstances.