Public Mediation

S.T. vs. G.H. Bass & Co. - Am Retail Group, Inc.

G.H. Bass employees gave me the runaround and accused me of theft because they don't know how to use ApplePay

S. T. vs. G.H. Bass & Co. - Am Retail Group, Inc. - G-Iii Apparel Group
512 Fashion Ave Fl 28, New York, New York, 10018-0845, United States
Amount Involved: Other terms
    • Status: In Negotiation
      This claim has posted for public comment and negotiation. It will remain posted until resolved to the claimant's satisfaction. Suggest a resolution to help these parties reach a settlement.
       (seeking public comment)
    • Claimant Seeks: 1 non-monetary items.
    • Claim #: 5671009
    • Amount Involved: N/A
    • Filed On: Feb 12, 2019
    • Posted On: Feb 19, 2019
    • Complaint(s):
      • Bad business practices
      • Problem with a service
      • Customer service runarounds
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Statement of Claim
Complaints Involved (3) - View
Claimant says:
"I drove quite a way to return a pair of expensive shoes I'd bought from G.H. Bass as a gift; they were too small. The shoes were unworn and I had the original receipt.
Despite also being able to see the purchase on my "loyalty" account, the staff refused to give a refund because the card number on the receipt was different from the card I always use. I returned home to search for a different card. When I couldn't find any that matched, I checked my statement for my usual card, and sure enough, there was the purchase. I printed out the line item details and drove all the way back to the store.
It took three staff members, including a manager, to agree that I was due a refund. But as I was driving away, one of them flagged me down to say they'd VOIDED THE REFUND.
Apparently one of the three had noticed the words 'dispute charge' on my print-out and, with stunning illogic, decided that the number on the original receipt was different from my card number because...I must have filed a chargeback. (But she had, I guess, not wanted to say anything while I was still in the store when I could have pointed out the illogic.)
In other words, she thought that I, their customer, was a thief.
At this point, G.H. Bass had my money AND the shoes. I returned to the store. I explained that every line item on a credit card has a place to dispute charges. They finally, with very bad grace, once again processed the refund.
When I finally called my credit card company to unravel the mystery, they explained that I'd used Apple Pay, which digitizes numbers for added security. They were totally perplexed that THREE G.H. Bass employees did not know how to do an ApplePay return - the same way as you made the purchase. 
So I emailed G.H. Bass's "customer service." I had spent hours of my time and been embarrassed, badly inconvenienced, and essentially called a thief, because their staff are badly trained. I'd have thought that G.H. Bass would want an opportunity to apologize and assure me that they were putting better training into place.
Apparently I was wrong. After several days of hearing nothing - not even an auto-reply - I re-sent the email with a CC to PR. Again, nothing.
That's a pretty good way to make an already upset customer even angrier, plus lose an entire family of customers for life, don't you think?"
...
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Additional Communication Between Claimant and G.H. Bass & Co. - Am Retail Group, Inc. - G-Iii Apparel Group Hide
  • Feb 15, 2019, Claiming party added:

  • I finally received a response from GH Bass / AM Retail Group. It was a cut-and-paste email with no salutation and no mention of my name - although I am apparently a "valued customer." It just offered me a 30% off coupon "to acknowledge my disappointment" with no reference to what actually happened. There was no explanation at all of any policies/procedures that either weren't followed, or are now to be formulated and implemented.

    I have no interest whatsoever in a 30% coupon for a company that routinely marks prices up substantially so as to mark them down. Their response just confirmed my impression that GH Bass is a very badly-run company. As an investor, I keep a close eye on retail interactions. Based on this experience, I would stay well clear of G-III Apparel Group. I'm not at all surprised that its stock is trading at half of its high.

    I'm sure that G-III Apparel Group is not worried about my individual decision not to shop at its stores or invest in it. But it should be worried about cumulative failures in responding to, and learning from, problems.

What Claimant Wants Hide
What By When How Much
1. You figure it out. How would you want your mother to have been treated? How do you want any future customers to be treated? Feb 27, 2019 N/A
Just make me happy!
Claimant invites G.H. Bass & Co. - AM Retail Group, Inc. - G-III Apparel Group to make a fair offer to resolve this complaint.
Non-cash: 1 items
  • 0
Do you agree with the claimant’s demands?  (If you are a party to this claim, click here.)
George Maxwell commented
George Maxwell (Comment):
"I agree that this was very poor customer service practice, but what could GH Bass have done better?"
 (6 years ago)
Reply
Awaiting response from G.H. Bass & Co....
Claimant commented
Claimant: (Comment):
""Really, I just wanted them to acknowledge that I was pretty badly treated and apologize for that. Also, I'd like to know how such a mistake was made by not one employee but three (including a manager) and what they plan to do to make sure it never happens again. I was irritated but understanding with the first attempt at return, which involved driving some distance and waiting in line. When I went back, they made me feel as if I was pulling a fast one somehow - in front of other customers. The worst thing was when they flagged me down in the parking lot and told me they'd voided the transaction. It was embarrassing to have that conversation in the parking lot in front of random strangers and even more embarrassing to have it again in the store - in front of more random strangers. They made it very clear that they did not believe that I wasn't somehow committing chargeback theft." (1 minute ago)
Reply"
 (6 years ago)
Reply
Claimant commented
Claimant: (Comment):
"Really, I just wanted them to acknowledge that I was pretty badly treated and apologize for that. Also, I'd like to know how such a mistake was made by not one employee but three (including a manager) and what they plan to do to make sure it never happens again. I was irritated but understanding with the first attempt at return, which involved driving some distance and waiting in line. When I went back, they made me feel as if I was pulling a fast one somehow - in front of other customers. The worst thing was when they flagged me down in the parking lot and told me they'd voided the transaction. It was embarrassing to have that conversation in the parking lot in front of random strangers and even more embarrassing to have it again in the store - in front of more random strangers. They made it very clear that they did not believe that I wasn't somehow committing chargeback theft."
 (6 years ago)
Reply

Respondent's Counteroffer

There has been no response to this claim from G.H. Bass & Co. - AM Retail Group, Inc. - G-III Apparel Group. This claim will remain posted until resolved
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