Abercrombie customer service experience

astronaut

Well-known member
I'm furious and taking this to anyone willing to hear me rant!!

I will also mention my good customer service experiences today, but if you want to skip to the juicy part, it's going to be underlined
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Got a haircut at a new salon today with a new stylist and she and the salon were all very awesome. I was very happy I found a great stylist/salon and was happy with the cut too!

I then went to Sephora because the MUFE HD foundation I got ended up being too light. I was matched, and it looked alright at the time, but it wad during the evening time so when I finally noticed how it looked like in natural light, it was too light. I had ordered the foundation through the store the first time because they didn't have the color in stock. I wanted to exchange for a darker shade but they also didn't have the color in stock so there was a lot of difficult exchanging and ordering going on, but the SA who helped me was very nice and helpful. She was also very nice when helping me color match the right foundation color.

Then I want to Abercrombie and Fitch... Actually, it wasn't that bad at first. I was looking for a shirt and this one SA was wearing what I wanted. I asked her if they still carry it and she located the area for me. She also got a big ladder, went up, and found my size because they didn't have my size on the bottom. She was very friendly the whole time and I ended up getting two shirts.

I went in line; it was kind of long. Four people and only one cashier. I think there was something wrong too since she asked each of us if we were going to pay by cash and when we all said no, she freaked out.

Anyway, this guy comes up to a register and starts yelling at people (because he's not standing next to you and you have to yell thanks to Abercrombie's loud music) asking them if they needed help. Well, since we're all standing in line holding crap, it can probably be assumed that we are ready to make a purchase, so I thought he meant some type of other help, like finding things or something. He just came to the registers and didn't log in, touch it, or anything so I figured he wasn't going ring people.

He talks to the people in front of me (in line). They are standing right in front of his register. I'm standing about 2.5 yards away, you know, how most register lines work. I don't recall him actually processing a transaction with them so I was still confused as to whether he was going to ring people up or not. When they leave, I'm standing there, waiting for him to call me when he's ready. There's the confusion of him being a cashier and usually, I wait until whoever's at the register to acknowledge me like "I can help you right here" or "I can help the next customer in line".

I just go up after the person behind me tells me to and he tells me,
"I asked you if you needed help". I tell him, "I said I needed to be ringed up". "What?" he says thanks to the loud music. "I said I needed to be ringed up" I repeated. I didn't have an attitude or anything, just a little loud to compensate for the music. Being tired in line, I just wanted to hurry up, get out of there. Then he tells me, "It's rung up. You said you needed to be "ringed". It's rung.".
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"...Sorry..." I say. He replies, "Just trying to help you there" in a super arrogant tone. This jerk has the overall tone and attitude like that of the guys on MAD TV. I know it's a spoof, but no joke, that's exactly how he was like. When I first say this skit, I thought it was funny because it was the stereotype of what Abercrombie is like, but I never experienced anything like it until now:
YouTube - Mad TV - Abercrombie Skits

It doesn't end there. I'm still silent and annoyed at how much of a jerk he is. I get ready to swipe my card and he says, "Oh, you need to give that card to me so I can ringed you up." In case you didn't catch that, he was not being a hypocrite. He made sure to put the emphasis on the "ringed" to mock me.

I was pissed beyond belief. I went to MAC after that to buy a brush and ranted to the MA about what I had just experienced. She sympathized with me and told me I should go back and talk to the manager about it because it was unacceptable. She supported me and said that if I had used the word wrong or not, it's my prerogative and it's not his role to correct my English; he's not my professor. It made sense to me. I wonder what he thinks about people who are not native English speakers? English is technically my second language as well. There are also people who intentionally use improper grammar. She also told me that people come to shop, not to be lectured on the usage of the English language.

So, I go back to A&F and talk to the helpful SA who assisted me at first. I ask her who's the manager and she said the name of a male. I asked her if the manager looked like, enter physical description here. She said yes. I asked her if there was anyone else working that also fits that description. She said no. I ask her, is there anyone I can talk to who's above him? She tells me that he's the store manager and I'd have to call customer service. I told her what happened and she was really sweet and shocked to hear what happened. She gave me the CS card, gave me his full name, and I asked for her name so I could also give a compliment since she was so helpful. The MA at MAC suggested returning the stuff I had bought and I told the A&F SA that I had a moral dilemma of whether or not to return the clothes because of the store manager's incredible rudeness. I opted not to since I did like the shirts and the SA went through a lot of trouble to get them for me.

I went back to the MAC counter. The MA's weren't doing anything and was just talking amongst themselves so I gave the MA an update, that he was actually the store manager. The girls were shocked, the other MA's were informed on what happened to me, and they encouraged me to call and better yet to call today.

Once I got home, I called. I'm not optimistic in anything coming out of it since the CS rep seemed nonchalant about it, especially when I mentioned that I started having bitter feelings about the Abercrombie brand itself due to such service from a store manager. She told me that I shouldn't let the rudeness of one employee hold me back from shopping at Abercrombie. Don't you realize that employees represent the company and brand? Totally unapologetic, actually rushing me when I told my story because I guess I was being too detailed and specific. I was mentioning additional details like tone and attitude (not mentioning the MAD TV skits of course) while I was explaining about the conversation, and she interrupted me asking, "And what was his reply?".
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I actually wasn't as detailed as I am on here. I was able to explain in the same manner as I did with the MAC MA and she listened...
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Oh, and I also mentioned the helpful SA in case you were wondering.

Worst customer service experience ever. I know I wrote about a horrible CS experience with Ulta once on here, but usually when I experience rudeness, it was never so obvious, blunt, and direct like that.
 

aleksis210

Well-known member
omg....my mother used to correct me on my grammar, but wtf, first of all it's embarrassing to the person that said something incorrect, second of all, who the fuck cares, as long as he understands what you're saying...what a dick. were you like 'okay whatever buddy...ring my shit up' lol
 

xsnowwhite

Well-known member
Ah that is so freaking dumb! I hate going into abercrombie they always make me feel so dumb! That is so rude what he said trying to correct your grammar. I would have been pissed. Ha and who goes into abercrombie expecting to learn proper english anyways
 

coachkitten

Well-known member
You just gave me another reason to dislike Abercrombie. That place hires the rudest people. I have never had a good experience there. I would have raised a stink if someone talked to me like that. I hope that you get a response.
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Maybe to make yourself feel a bit better you should send a compliment to MAC corp about the nice MA you had.

BTW those MADtv skits are so funny!
 

KeshieShimmer

Well-known member
He's a douche. I hate that store btw, some of the people who work there think they are the shit. Sorry you had to go through that.
 

brokenxbeauty

Well-known member
What an asshole! I'm glad you complained! I hate when people treat you like that when you're the one giving them business, even worse that was a manager and setting that sort of example for someone who could've had their first job there or something.
 

Mabelle

Well-known member
if you dont hear back from them, i would call again and complain about the rude person taking you're call. Write to head office. Tell them you're telling all your friends and family. Tell them that every sterotype you;ve heard about abrcrombie is true and no wonder so many people hate the store with a passion.

If you indicate that that kind of service seems to be consistent amongst their staff ( in all areas) and that there is indeed a horrible reputation circulating, they might at least apologize to you...

I used to work for American Eagle, so i heard ALOT about a&f. AE is getting just as bad. I wrote in about a horrible experience i had (waiting 20 mins for a pair of jeans that i described perfectly! these dense as sh*t SA's couldnt find them!!) and no response at all. Then when i had to return the jeans because they ripped, i got cheated out of 13$ somehow. sneaky bastards.
What happened to the customer always being right? I mean, i dont agree with that statement, but in certain companies, its seeming more and more like "the company is always right, and if you're nice we'll let you kiss our asses"

so frustrating, especially for someone that used to work in the field, and prided themselves of giving good service.
 

pat

Well-known member
What a effing jerk. I really wished you threw that shirt at his face. haha... He had no right to correct you and especially mock you in any which way or form. He has no right to be a manager due to the fact that he is very unprofessional.

I've never had a good experience in this store at all... I'll admit I'm not the smallest size out there, but hell that doesn't give you a reason to give me a death stare once I put my foot into your store...

I never feel "welcomed" but I always feel self conscious going in there.. I feel like they stare me down because I'm an XL not an XS.

I've never shopped there nor do I ever plan to.

I think that the customer service rep you were talking to was an ass as well. Call them again and complain and that asshole of a manager as well as the CS rep that "helped" you out.
 

pink_lily002

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by TISH1127
Wow, I guess anyone can be a manager there....Sad, actually!

Really, the only requirement to become a manager at A&F, or any of the brands owned by them, is that you have a 4-year college degree. That's it! Oh, and you need to be able to define "diversity" in your own words.

I worked for that company for an entire year. After I was promoted to assistant manager, I started to see that the company wasn't a place I wanted to continue working. There were a number of reasons why I left, but the only one I ever admitted to was that they weren't paying me enough money. And really, that was at the bottom of my list of reasons to leave there.

A store manager I worked for at one point did the same kind of thing that you had to experience, and I ended up calling corporate about it because I didn't think that should be tolerated. And you know what happened to me? I got yelled at for not talking to the store manager first! I had spoken to her about her customer service skills before, too, which made me all the more angry that I was in trouble for calling her out when she should have been the one getting yelled at for being such a bitch to customers.

The way you were treated by the customer service reps is, unfortunately, standard for them. They don't want all the tiny little details - they just want the straight facts, i.e. date, time, which manager, what was wrong. Once they have that information, they send a copy of the file to that store's district manager, who in turn disciplines (or doesn't, as was the case for me) the offending manager. The system the customer service dept. uses doesn't have a enough space in the little boxes they type everything in to fit all of the little details that really are important. If you're concerned that your voice won't be heard concerning this, I would suggest trying to track down the store's district manager. They are usually required to go to each of the stores in their district once a week, so you could try to go to the store on the day when the district manager is there. Another option is to speak with a different manager at the store, because they may be more willing to hear you out and can speak to the district manager for you as well. Also, another manager may have other ideas as to how to assist you and help promote better customer service at that store.

I'm so sorry you had to go through that! Not everyone at those brands is like that, really, I swear! I met some fantastic people at that company, and not everyone was a model-gorgeous, stick-thin, stuck-up, rude, etc. etc. bitchass punk. The brand rep who helped you sounds like the type of person I always hired - someone who can actually perform their job and provide the type of shopping experience that the company strives to have. They have yet to understand that you need to hire "models" (that's what they call sales associates) based on whether they can do the job, not what they look like. Eventually this company will go under, and we'll all be laughing. But until then, all you can do is try to get your voice heard.
 

NicksWifey

Well-known member
What a dickhead, seriously. I'm so sorry you got treated in such a rude & unprofessional manner.

I would tell his ass "Look dick, you get paid to ring my shit up, not to correct my grammar." I would've been infuriated. I'm such a crab about people like that I'm sure I would've blasted him if I was in your shoes. There's no excuse for his behavior towards you as a customer. He of all people should know as a store manager that a workers actions and attitude could make or break a sale. In his case, he was just being an arrogant douche. I think you are right in complaining and I'm sorry that AF's CS agent wasn't more helpful either. That's why I hate that store and refuse to go in there, I've been in there a few times years ago and everyone seemed so snotty.
 

anthgrl

Active member
OMG so rude! I had a similar experience at Abercrombie recently, and though perhaps it was an isolated incident but after hearing your story I'm more inclined to boycott entirely (good thing I don't like their clothes all that much anyway!)

I went into one of their stores recently and found a shirt I wanted in the sale section. It was on the rack with a bunch of other of the same shirts with a big sign that said "30% off!" (or whatever percentage it was, I can't remember). Anyway, i got to the register and it rang full price. So I said that it was on a sale rack and the very helpful cashier calls over her manager and pointed out the stack of shirts in the sale area. The manager then proceeds to cop an attitude with me, and says "Well, technically I can override prices when we have them in the wrong area like this, but I'm not going to for you." She didn't give an explanation, so I asked her why she was unwilling to help. She then proceeds to ACCUSE ME of moving the whole stack of shirts over to the sale rack myself to scam them and get them to override the price!!!!
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Like I have nothing better to do with my life than to work up elaborate schemes to scam stores out of a measly 30% off!! Please.

I called the CS line and they were similarly dismissive to my complaint. They said they would forward the complaint on to the district manager and he would contact me directly, but, surprise, I never heard from him.

Boo!
 

astronaut

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by anthgrl
OMG so rude! I had a similar experience at Abercrombie recently, and though perhaps it was an isolated incident but after hearing your story I'm more inclined to boycott entirely (good thing I don't like their clothes all that much anyway!)

I went into one of their stores recently and found a shirt I wanted in the sale section. It was on the rack with a bunch of other of the same shirts with a big sign that said "30% off!" (or whatever percentage it was, I can't remember). Anyway, i got to the register and it rang full price. So I said that it was on a sale rack and the very helpful cashier calls over her manager and pointed out the stack of shirts in the sale area. The manager then proceeds to cop an attitude with me, and says "Well, technically I can override prices when we have them in the wrong area like this, but I'm not going to for you." She didn't give an explanation, so I asked her why she was unwilling to help. She then proceeds to ACCUSE ME of moving the whole stack of shirts over to the sale rack myself to scam them and get them to override the price!!!!
shockt.gif
Like I have nothing better to do with my life than to work up elaborate schemes to scam stores out of a measly 30% off!! Please.

I called the CS line and they were similarly dismissive to my complaint. They said they would forward the complaint on to the district manager and he would contact me directly, but, surprise, I never heard from him.

Boo!


Wow at your experience! Are they even allowed to flat out accuse you like that? I hear the members that work at Sephora and I'm sure it works like this with other retailers as well, that even if the employee flat out sees your steal something in front of them, they are not allowed to accuse you of stealing. That is just insane.
 

astronaut

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mabelle
if you dont hear back from them, i would call again and complain about the rude person taking you're call. Write to head office. Tell them you're telling all your friends and family. Tell them that every sterotype you;ve heard about abrcrombie is true and no wonder so many people hate the store with a passion.

I asked if I would get a follow up or anything, and the CS rep basically told me that it's policy to not reveal any information on any action that is taken from a complaint. She did however give me a reference number to "prove" that the complaint was received... woo.
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Mizz Coco Lust

Well-known member
i agree. he's a douche.complain and try to do what u can. i know companies suck with complaints.i hate that store and don't shop at it.

and i wish u said what nickswifey quoted.lol id never have the guts to, but omg that wouldve made u feel soooo much better afterwards!
 

Kayteuk

Well-known member
That's awful! I would definitely write a complaint or several!
I have never ever had good customer service at Abercrombie.
 

blindpassion

Well-known member
I would have put the shirts down, then I would have made a very loud scene asking to speak to management (even though it was the a-hole who was the manager), get head offices number, and write down everyones employee numbers etc. And on the phone with head office I would have made a BIG deal, not being rude, but I wouldn't just back down about it I would be serious about following up on claims, etc.

Its always very very interesting to see how the attitude of CS reps changes when they realize you're not going to be a push over about a situation.

I am SO sorry that happened to you. Its the worst feeling being disrespected like that.
 

AdlersMommy22

Well-known member
I worked for abercrombie for about 6 months but- psh. WHAT A JOKE. I thought it was so dumb that we had to be there @ like 4AM in order to VACCUUM THE FLOOR... I wanted to punch someone on the face.

Once my manager knocked down the ENTIRE wall of graphic tees and told me to fold them all back up. Took me 4 hours.. and my back was killing me

NOT WORK THE MONEY AT ALL. most fucking stupid job ive ever had in my entire life

And sorry but i only met like 3 people there i really liked.. the rest WERE stuck up snobby ass bitches. My one manager, Nick, was awesome though- he might've been the coolest guy ever. He always let me wear all the clothes without buying them LOL... like sweaters and stuff.. it was always FREEZING in that store so we just would take them off the rack and wear them. PRY not very sanitary -- now that im typeing that. LOL

Anyway- Im so sorry this guy was a dick to you. I'd call CS again and again and again until I got someone to actually listen to what im saying.
 

anthgrl

Active member
Quote:
Originally Posted by blindpassion
I would have put the shirts down, then I would have made a very loud scene asking to speak to management (even though it was the a-hole who was the manager), get head offices number, and write down everyones employee numbers etc. And on the phone with head office I would have made a BIG deal, not being rude, but I wouldn't just back down about it I would be serious about following up on claims, etc.

Haha, I made a pretty decent scene, but it didn't seem to make a difference, she just rolled her eyes at me. I was tempted to sweep everything off of the tables on my way out the door but I thought that might be petty.
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J/k.
 

MadchenRogue

Well-known member
I have worked with CS for a long ass time. Your best bet is to write directly to the headquarters with all the info. The ppl you called to complaint wont really do anything. When you write to headquarters, what people wont tell you is that if that store has gotten complaints b4, the district or state manager would pay a secret visit to the store.
 
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