Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Monday madness and an email..
Yesterday Riles and I went shopping. I had a 40% off coupon and an exchange card from Hobby Lobby I wanted to use to buy a cuttlebug machine to use for embossing on my cards and scapbook layouts. So I went to the CB store to buy the machine and of course you have to ask a someone to bring it to you, and it takes about 5 light years to do so. Riles was being pretty good, and I heard the cashier asking for the assistant store manager to bring it up to the register. Well, she gets there and it is the same manager who would not return a cricut cart because it didn't have a HL price tag on it (nor did I have a receipt..different story for a different day) and proceeded to sell me TWO more carts WITHOUT price tags on them..anyway, i will stay focused.
She tells me I cannot use my coupon on the cuttlebug because Cricut products are excluded. I had to explain to her Cuttlebug is produced by the makers of Cricut, it is NOT a Cricut product. Cricut is an electronic die cuttin machine, cartridges, paper, blades, tools etc to use of that machine. Cuttlebug is an entirely different system. So, I ask to speak to the General Manager..who happens to be standing right there. He calls another HL store and asks them what they do, after that call he turns to me and says, "I will honor it this one time." WTH?? Anyway, I proceed to explain to him the same thing I tell the Asst. I was so frustrated as the day went on , I decided to take the advice of Karen and email the company. So I did and here is my email and their response:

Today I was in your Council Bluffs, Iowa store and attempted to use a coupon on the Cuttlebug machine. The assistant store manager, Diane, told the cashier I would not be able to use the coupon because it was a Cricut product. I talked to the store manager, Ben, and he said he would allow it "this one time." I also explained to both managers Cuttlebug is NOT a Cricut product. It is produced by ProvoCraft (who also produces the Cricut machine) but it is not classified as Cricut..it is an entirely different die cutting machine. I am frustrated with Diane from many different instances in the past. I had trouble exchanging a cricut cartridge because I did not have my receipt nor did it have a HL price tag on it. Well, I returned the cartridge at a different location (15 miles away) and returned to the Council Bluffs location to purchase 2 other cricut cartridges. When she handed me the cartridges, neither cartridge had a HL price tag on it. When I asked her to tag them, she was very rude and informed me she had other things to accomplish. I am frustrated with this store and have considered to stop shopping there, preferring to go 15 miles out of my way and shop at Michael's in Nebraska. My request is for someone with authority to let the managers know which products fall under the Cricut category and cannot have a coupon used on them. I would also like to have someone with authority (I have talked to the General Manager about her rudeness) talk to Diane about her "bedside manner."
Thank you for your time.
wendy blackman

Hi Wendy,
Thank you for your e-mail.
I am sorry that this happened to you and this has been addressed with Ben, the store manager at this location. This is not the impression we want anyone to have of Hobby Lobby and our customer service. Please ask to speak with the store manager if you have any questions or concerns while shopping in any of our stores.

I talked this morning with Ben, the store manager, about your situation at the store on Monday. He said he is aware that our coupon can be used for Cuttlebug since this is not a Cricut item. Ben said he will take the appropriate action with Diane and his staff so hopefully this does not happen again to you or anyone else in the future. Again, I apologize.

Your feedback on the performance of our stores is very important. Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your experiences with our store and giving us the opportunity to improve our service for you.

Thank you for shopping at Hobby Lobby. I hope that all of your future visits are pleasant and productive.

Wayne Huffling
Hobby Lobby Customer Service Manager

So, I have printed this response out and am keeping it in my purse for future shopping trips.
I hope everyone has a great day
wendy

4 comments:

supermom said...

ha, great idea. print it and keep it in your purse. that is a good idea.

Cindy said...

That really is a good idea. So they sell the cartridges without tags on them then refuse to return them at the store because they have no tag???? That is interesting to me...........??? Some people make you shake your head, don't they? Customer service at Hobby Lobby is pretty slow. I hate having to buy anything that has to be gotten out of a security case.

It always takes forever for them to get a person with a key to get it for you......not only there but any store. Generally there is only 1 person at those departments and they never have the key..........it makes me crazy. They lose more sales from me for that reason. I won't stand and wait. I want to get home and get started on my evening. If I am out shopping during the weekend, I want to get on with my shopping already...........

Leslie said...

I have left a cart in the line at HL not once, not twice but three times at which point I decided to give my business to Michael's in Bellevue. I don't know why it is so hard to get good customer service in C.B. in general!!! I agree with you Wendy, they are rude, unhelpful and actually try to keep moving without making eye contact so that they don't have to help people!!! Good for you alerting the owners, as I have heard that they are very nice people who are VERY committed to providing a great work environment for their people. They close earlier than most stores and they are closed on Sunday so that people can spend the Sabbath Day with their families. Obviously you didn't just catch them on a bad day, sounds like they are just continually crabs!!

Cindy said...

The other irritation that I have is they dont' know what items they have, what things are used for, or how to help you. This is true in the Council Bluffs store. I think they may need to peek at management and make some changes. I wish I knew the name of the guy that is a cashier, he has hair like Eddie Munster, he is a delight every time I go in there, but the other employees seem to disappear.