Target Rant
So... I just emailed this to Target yesterday... [edited slightly for web reproduction]
======
Dear Corporate Target,
My name is Sean Leonard and I have been a customer at Target for some time. While I have always liked the atmosphere of Target, recent events have forced me to look at Target in a different light.
My wife and I opened registries at both Target and Bed Bath & Beyond. We were interested in returning one of the items we had received as a gift. When I went to return it, I did not have a receipt, and asking the gift-giver to furnish a copy does not really seem appropriate. When I posed my question to the team member, she had me go to the kiosk and search for my registry. I was confused when it did not come up in the system under either of our names. The team member who helped me (part of the Strongsville, OH store) was very kind and I appreciated her help, but since she was not able to help me due to the corporate rules, she told me I should call 1-800-440-0680 and speak to people there.
Well, I tried that this evening, and was less than impressed with the system there. Since I was calling after 5:00pm, it seems my call was sent to various call centers (through a series of transfers I spoke to three different people). Each one did not add anything new to the conversation and simply read the script available. None of them seemed to care when I told them that the service provided by Target was very much less than ideal.
That brings me to why I am writing to you now. Ideally, yes, I would think that I should be able to return the item, as it is still new in box, but is just over 100 days since our wedding. Failing that, I hope you seriously take into consideration the following recommendations:
1) Do not delete registries! What purpose does deleting a registry serve? At Bed Bath & Beyond, they leave the registries open so that if family members need ideas for birthdays, Christmas, etc. they already have some ideas of what to get the newlyweds. Deleting our registry from Target has removed some items we still wanted to purchase, but now we don't have a record of them! I think you're really shooting yourself in the foot here by eliminating potential sales.
2) Your registry should count as your receipt (or no receipt needed for bridal items). Again, this is a policy that Bed Bath & Beyond follow. If it's on your registry and still new, it's taken back, no questions asked. In fact, we were able to return items without a receipt or registry at other stores (including Kauffman's, & Walmart).
3) Better item availability. This was a huge problem with a number of items on our registry. It seemed that more than a handful of items we scanned on our registry were quickly marked as "unavailable" shortly thereafter.
4) Email notifications! This one is very important. It would be simple to have an email notification sent out about a number of things, and could work for marketing too. For instance, "The product on your registry, ___ is going to be unavailable soon, but here are some other similar items you may be interested in..." Similarly, for newlyweds it would be appropriate to send out an email at about day 80 reminding them of the return policy and the need to make any returns quickly, or purchase any remaining items on the registry. This would avoid the irritating scenario I encountered.
Following even some of these recommendations will make a bridal registry experience much, much better. In the end, our preference (and recommendation to other engaged couples) is for Bed Bath & Beyond. I would love to hear your genuine thoughts on the above [not just some cut-and-paste "sorry we couldn't help you" email], and again, if possible, I would really like to return the item, even if it is just a smidge outside the "corporate rules."
Any help is appreciated.
Sincerely,
-Sean Leonard
======
Dear Corporate Target,
My name is Sean Leonard and I have been a customer at Target for some time. While I have always liked the atmosphere of Target, recent events have forced me to look at Target in a different light.
My wife and I opened registries at both Target and Bed Bath & Beyond. We were interested in returning one of the items we had received as a gift. When I went to return it, I did not have a receipt, and asking the gift-giver to furnish a copy does not really seem appropriate. When I posed my question to the team member, she had me go to the kiosk and search for my registry. I was confused when it did not come up in the system under either of our names. The team member who helped me (part of the Strongsville, OH store) was very kind and I appreciated her help, but since she was not able to help me due to the corporate rules, she told me I should call 1-800-440-0680 and speak to people there.
Well, I tried that this evening, and was less than impressed with the system there. Since I was calling after 5:00pm, it seems my call was sent to various call centers (through a series of transfers I spoke to three different people). Each one did not add anything new to the conversation and simply read the script available. None of them seemed to care when I told them that the service provided by Target was very much less than ideal.
That brings me to why I am writing to you now. Ideally, yes, I would think that I should be able to return the item, as it is still new in box, but is just over 100 days since our wedding. Failing that, I hope you seriously take into consideration the following recommendations:
1) Do not delete registries! What purpose does deleting a registry serve? At Bed Bath & Beyond, they leave the registries open so that if family members need ideas for birthdays, Christmas, etc. they already have some ideas of what to get the newlyweds. Deleting our registry from Target has removed some items we still wanted to purchase, but now we don't have a record of them! I think you're really shooting yourself in the foot here by eliminating potential sales.
2) Your registry should count as your receipt (or no receipt needed for bridal items). Again, this is a policy that Bed Bath & Beyond follow. If it's on your registry and still new, it's taken back, no questions asked. In fact, we were able to return items without a receipt or registry at other stores (including Kauffman's, & Walmart).
3) Better item availability. This was a huge problem with a number of items on our registry. It seemed that more than a handful of items we scanned on our registry were quickly marked as "unavailable" shortly thereafter.
4) Email notifications! This one is very important. It would be simple to have an email notification sent out about a number of things, and could work for marketing too. For instance, "The product on your registry, ___ is going to be unavailable soon, but here are some other similar items you may be interested in..." Similarly, for newlyweds it would be appropriate to send out an email at about day 80 reminding them of the return policy and the need to make any returns quickly, or purchase any remaining items on the registry. This would avoid the irritating scenario I encountered.
Following even some of these recommendations will make a bridal registry experience much, much better. In the end, our preference (and recommendation to other engaged couples) is for Bed Bath & Beyond. I would love to hear your genuine thoughts on the above [not just some cut-and-paste "sorry we couldn't help you" email], and again, if possible, I would really like to return the item, even if it is just a smidge outside the "corporate rules."
Any help is appreciated.
Sincerely,
-Sean Leonard
Labels: bed bath and beyond, bridal registry, frustration, Target