Totally random WDYT

[ttt]

I saw this on the Pier One FB page:

I am really disappointed in Pier 1. I called your Durango, CO store after my three college students moved from a completely furnished home to a completely unfurnished home. As a mom, living 1500 miles away from all of them, naturally I wanted to help. I wanted to get them in beds, a couch to sit on, a table and chairs to eat at. Geez, they didn't even have a fork to eat with. So I called the local Pier 1 store and asked them to make a list of everything they had that was steeply discounted due to the change of seasons on our doorstep. I said I wanted to know about the most discounted table and chairs and a couch and also plates, cups, glasses and silverware. They said they would call me right back. Its been well over a week and I have not heard one word. The kids moved in on August 1st. Apparently, Pier 1 has nothing to sell me. I'll spend my money elsewhere from now on.

Is this complaint reasonable or unreasonable? Would you expect a store to do this for you?

[penguingrrl]

Um, no I would not expect a store to do that for me. If I were too far away to go myself I'd order online and have stuff delivered. Pier One is hardly some fancy store that will do personal shopping!

[Deleted]

Unreasonable. Where I work, anyway, the customer in front of you is the most important. We don't even answer the phone if we are all with customers. If she wanted to get them the stuff needed she could have bought them gift cards to pier 1/ikea. They are college kids. If they can't budget what they have to get cheap stuff to furnish the house, that's their problem for blowing it all on a $1000 end table or whatever.

[copzgirl1171]

Unreasonable. What she wants is a personal shopper. Sales clerks are not personal shoppers. She sounds like a raging harpy.

[OscarQ]

That seems odd overall. I'd never make that request but if the store said they'd do it, I'd expect them to follow through on the promise. Unless they thought it was such a strange request and they were being pranked.

[IIOY]

I kind of think this is insane.

[orangeblossom]

This is unreasonable, but I just read an article today that only 29% of online retailers respond to Twitter complaints and that should change.

Someone sent it to me at work, otherwise I'd post it. Basically, the gist of it is is twitter online customer service and others like it is becoming the new norm, and by not responding to legitimate complaints the companies are doing themselves a disservice.

Generally, someone who takes the time to put a complaint on a twitter of FB feed does so after not getting anywhere talking to actual humans. The article said one of the reasons retailers don't respond is that they're scared it will escalate or make them look worse, but don't realize not responding is far worse. Also, the 24/7 nature of responding makes retailers leery.

It was an interesting read.

[caden]

I can picture the clerk that answered the phone saying, "Sure I'll get right on that." and then hanging up and doing nothing except posting on FB about how insane and ridiculous customers are now. Has this lady heard of the internet? Alternatively, why can't her 3 college-educated kids go to pier 1 themselves and figure out what's on sale?

[panicked]

This lady needs to cut the apron (and the purse) strings. If none of her kids can either get a job and buy their own shit or can't suck it up and pick up a couch from the curb on trash day, she fails at parenting.

[IIOY]

Aug 9, 2012 20:15:20 GMT -5 caden said:

I can picture the clerk that answered the phone saying, "Sure I'll get right on that." and then hanging up and doing nothing except posting on FB about how insane and ridiculous customers are now. Has this lady heard of the internet? Alternatively, why can't her 3 college-educated kids go to pier 1 themselves and figure out what's on sale?

But that would require that they actually participate in their own transition to independence. That's weird.

[KateAggie]

That is fucking nuts. I mean, probably the nuttiest customer request ever, and I worked big box retail for 6+ years. I've heard some crazy shit, but that's over the top special.

[ringstrue]

lol that she's still waiting for some store clerk to call her back a week later!

[laurenpetro]

she has a computer to post a complaint but can't search the sale section of a website?

[charminglife]

and the college students can't shop on their own for what reason? this lady is nuts.

[ChillyMcFreeze]

Unreasonable. Does Pier 1 even sell beds? Anyway, if she's so concerned with finding steeply discounted things for three adults, her budget might be better suited to Target or Ikea. Pier 1 is no Pottery Barn, but it's not cheap either. And now I want to go shopping.

[basilosaurus]

To be (slightly) fair, there's pretty much nothing in Durango. I've had to work out there. It's an 8 hour drive from Denver which probably is the nearest Ikea. The closest Target I would guess is at least 3 hours away.

That said, mommy is calling pier 1 to get furniture for college kids? Eff that. Kids can go on craigslist. Or make a roadtrip to walmart. Or peruse the newspaper. Something! I still don't buy anything beyond christmas ornaments and coffee mugs at pier 1, and I theoretically could afford it.

[Deleted]

Homegirl could have ordered all that shit at walmart.com and had it shipped full price for far less than a handful of discounted Pier 1 items.

Lady be craycray.