Best and Worst Customer Service Experiences?

[TCN]

It's getting tougher and tougher to find a store or a brand that really provides first rate customer service. I'd be interested in hearing some of your best and worst stories.

My best was when I was looking for a particular pair of suspenders at Paul Stuart in Chicago. They didn't have them, and I was told they hadn't had them for quite some time. I bought a few odds and ends, and exchanged cards with the salesman who was waiting on me for the first time (I get to the store only five or six times a year). A few months later, after Christmas, I received a call from the salesman who told me that a pair of suspenders exactly as I'd been looking for, were returned after Christmas, and he had set them aside for me. Four days later, they arrived at my doorstep.

My worst, not suprisingly, came from Turnbull & Asser, who on a cutom shirt visit to Neiman Marcus, took back a messed up tie that they had made for me the previous year, and then . . . never sent me a replacement tie or credited me the purchase price. Repeated calls to the T&A (and even their CFO) yielded zero progress. I was good for about 10 to 15 T&A shirts and a handful of ties per year, and I haven't bought one since.

What about you guys, who went above and beyond, and who just went?

 

[gamelan]

best customer service, hands down, was the absolutely stunning 5' 10" model-like lady at the Century City Tiffany's back in '01 i believe it was.

it was bad enough that it was my first time in a Tiffany's (and just about any jewelry store for that matter), but this girl was the nicest, most helpful person you can imagine. and this was 2 weeks before x-mas, half an hour past their official closing time, and for a sub-$800 piece of merchandise.

kudos to Tiffanys and their customer service training.

-Jeff

 

[Fritz]

I had fantastic customer service a couple of weeks ago: I had dropped my Persols on a stone floor and cracked a lense. Totally my fault, and I made no pretension otherwise. Yet I got the replacement lenses for free. Took Persol quite a while to ship them, but I'm not going to complain about that.

Thank you Persol, thank you Fielmann (which, for the non-Germans, is not really an upmarket kind of place, so their generosity was quite unexpected.)

 

[migo]

Being absolutely ignored for not wearing head-to-toe at the Burberry on Conn Ave.

Best is always at the tailor

 

[CitizenK]

My worst experience by far was at Brooks Brothers in Washington DC.

I bought a cotton suit and a linen sports-jacket at one of their sales and (foolishly) agreed to let their house tailors alter them.

When I went to pick them up a week later, my salesman wasn't there, so the salesman on duty just gave me my clothes and promptly disappeared. The house tailors had neglected to let out the seat of the pants and the sleeves were uneven on the suit jacket. The sportsjacket's sleeves were also uneeven,

I eventually did get them to fix the sportsjacket, but I took the suit to my trusted tailor who made things right.

Oh, and not to mention that the store-manager was a real ass and made light of my irritation, pissing me off even more.

Hell will freeze over before I set foot back in that place. An expensive lesson, but well learned!

My best experiences have been at Nordstrom.

Regards!

 

[kitonbrioni]

For instance, Chicago and San Francisco are often places where I've come to expect expert, high quality service. New York and Boston tend to be one extreme or the other. If the service is poor, then I just leave.

 

[Nashville]

by far the best for me Levy's green Hills nashville

 

[ghulkhan]

the best ive had is my girl sid at margiela and my boy eric rasmussen at varvatos lv

hands down

the worst is at any armani store

 

[Augusto86]

Probably best was in Cairo with my tailor...but for regular retail, there's a guy at the Benetton in the Copley Plaza who is incredibly helpful and friendly.

Worst would have to be at this cafe I was at the other day - the waitress came up AS WE SAT and asked us what we wanted...when we told her we weren't ready yet, she never came back, although we sat talking for over an hour. Worst clothing retail might have to be Filene's Basement...but what do you expect?

 

[The_Foxx]

Good topic! I tried to recall some of the great service I've experienced over the past few years. here are the ones i remember:

+ Bergdorf Goodman, purchasing a MTM suit. Shopping with a personal shopper is fun, if you get the right one-- and Pierre Lenis is definitely the right one. Not only does he share a genuine interest in fine tailored clothing, he ensures 100% that I am satisfied with the product. He brought me the head tailor at Bergdorf, who had me sit around in a $5000 Brioni suit for a while to have a drink with them, then began taking measurements and making detailed notes for the suit. A great experience.

+ Crockett and Jones, London. chelsea boots are biting you, sir? Can you come back for the boots tomorow, after we've stretched and softened the leather, and put a fresh coat of polish on them for you?

+ www.directclothiers.com , my first made to measure suit. I think one of the main reasons I bought something else from them (two MTM shirts) was the superb customer service from a gentleman who has been in the clothing business for many years.

+ Neiman Marcus, Phoenix. I used to buy a lot of my ties here, from an ex-LTC who served in Vietnam. Great fellow, very helpful and superb taste in neckties.


Bad customer service-- I don't recall too many bad experiences I guess; maybe because I normally do a lot on my own (experiences above are the exceptions to that rule, of course) in most retail stores and send the salespeople away until I need them at the register.

 

[sho'nuff]

good experience over the phone has to be with Tim Richey of Guffey's in Atlanta.
i bought a santoni fam from him and he treated me with respect, unlike some places when you seem to want to buy something expensive they are all over you like pushing you to buy it answering any questions affirmatively no matter what the truth is... Tim is patient, and never showed that side. answered all questions truthfully and always respectable.

 

[designprofessor]

Best: Some local shops.

Worst: Brooks Bros. Kansas City and John Lobb, NY

 

[lasbar]

Best: John Lobb jermyn street...Very professional and easy-going....
They love talking about shoes and that is always a pleasure to go there..
Bespoke with Gaziano or Delos...One to one contact is always better anyway...
Louis Vuitton Venice/Duca del Aosta mens boutique: Very nice personalised service...
Brioni Bruton street: Nice chat with sales persons and a good laugh....

Worst; Harrod's London during sales........Atrocious service ,sleek and not Harrod's at all...
I could have tried a bin bag that day ,they would have find that superb!!!!!!!!!
Berluti London: i hate that shop and the snobish aura around it!!!!
Ralph Lauren London: What a bunch of patronising idiots!!!!!!!!

 

[offline100]

Best and worst in the same store: Paul Stuart NYC.

Downstairs the old blokes are very nice and seem to enjoy what they do.

Upstairs (suiting), they're a bunch of used car salesman.

 

[TCN]

Although I'm a Paul Stuart fan, I've never been a big fan of the "walk in and get followed" approach to shopping. Especially in Chicago, when I start heading up the staircase (realizing I'm probably only going to buy a tie or two), and watch as I force the older gent assigned to me to trudge up that spiral staircase.