Customer Service at Saks and Barney's, What's Your Story?

[ItsMyWorld]

Originally Posted by laureenthemean

I am not going to try to use anyone but Denise at Barney's BH again, and I wish I had discovered her sooner.

ME TOO!
I actually have a Barneys where I live but she was so awesome that charge sends are in my future. I always figure I can try things on if need be and then have her get them. She was a truly great SA.

[shallow1]

thats odd, why wouldnt a store let you presale? Saks "general" policy has been to presale an item with a Saks card. However, again with the inconsistencies, some associates take non-Saks cards and hold the item until the day of the sale and ring it, whereas the people with the Saks charges can be rang up that very day and pick up or have their items sent out on sale day. The register says "tender not valid" if the SA trys to ring the item up as a presale before the actual sale day using a non Saks charge.
also, the signs in the store, on the emails, on the website all say no adjustments to prior purchases. I can understand the fustration of buying something only to have it go on sale, but also if you were willing to pay for it at a higher price then I suppose its a loss you will need to eat up

[laureenthemean]

Originally Posted by shallow1

thats odd, why wouldnt a store let you presale? Saks "general" policy has been to presale an item with a Saks card. However, again with the inconsistencies, some associates take non-Saks cards and hold the item until the day of the sale and ring it, whereas the people with the Saks charges can be rang up that very day and pick up or have their items sent out on sale day. The register says "tender not valid" if the SA trys to ring the item up as a presale before the actual sale day using a non Saks charge. also, the signs in the store, on the emails, on the website all say no adjustments to prior purchases. I can understand the fustration of buying something only to have it go on sale, but also if you were willing to pay for it at a higher price then I suppose its a loss you will need to eat up

I did a charge send, did not know about the second sale when I bought the shoes, and was totally unaware of the "no adjustments on prior purchases" policy at the time, otherwise I would not have tried. I respect that they have a policy, and have to follow it, and if the CS rep had informed me of it in a polite way, I would have been okay with it. My problem is only with the attitude of the CS rep and the SAs, not the store policy. I know that there are probably some customers out there that are trying to take advantage of the store, but it is still part of their job to be polite to customers, and that is all I expected.

[JetSetGo!]

^^^ That is very true. It always frustrates me to be treated like that. I am a very polite person and treat my SAs with respect, so it is really hurtful and downright ridiculous when they treat me rudely. They are in the service industry, not me. Why am I kinder than they are? If they cannot hack the task of being polite, they should find other work.

[lvpiggy]

my experience over the years of buying (way too many! ) high end bags & shoes is that it's not the store, it's the SA that really makes a difference. when you find a good one, hold on for dear life and don't let go!!!! my friends used to make fun of me for playing favorites with SAs . . . . until I ended up getting notified about private sales and getting buy things on presale when they couldn't! I'm notorious for walking out of stores if I find out "my" SA isn't working that day . . . .

[rainyjewels]

Originally Posted by rkarbley

I'm playing catch up on them and thank you for your reply and I also would like to apologize for the lack of service you received. I had sent a copy of your posting to Larry Bruce, our Vice President and General Manger of our BH store and he addressed the issue in their meeting this morning. We do take this very seriously and very regrettably if we should slip and temporarily lose our focus, please let someone know from the stores management staff or send me a email and I will be happy to pass it along. We will do everything in our power to correct and prevent it from occuring again and thank you. Sincerely, Russel Karbley Sr. Coordinator, Saks Direct Customer Service Saks Fifth Avenue 500 Hickory Drive Aberdeen, MD 21001 T 410 297 4406 F 410 297 5599 Toll Free: 888 327 3313 Russel_Karbley@s5a.com

Wow, I'm very impressed that someone at corporate would take note of our postings and actually follow through with those responsible at the offending store. Thank you. It gives me and all of us renewed faith that we as customers are what matters at these stores.

Note to everyone on Saks NYC - never, ever call in. Especially to the shoes dept. You are almost guaranteed not to get good service, to be on hold indefinitely. The only way you'll get good service over the phone there, in my experience, is to contact the general Saks #, have them call in to NYC to find an item and place it on hold, OR if you call in for a specific SA. I've always been treated abruptly over the phone there. A couple of weeks ago, I called in to find a pair of $600 Gucci sandals. I was on hold for 15 minutes, I could hear SAs talking in the background, yet no one ever got back on the phone. I got fed up and hung up, and had to physically make the trip there w/o even knowing whether they were in stock. Once I was chatting with a SA there by Louboutins, and he was like, here let me give you my email address so you can email me if you want anything - don't ever call in, you'll never get me and their service over the phone is horrible. So, even the SAs there know.

[linpaddy]

Originally Posted by shallow1

thats odd, why wouldnt a store let you presale? Saks "general" policy has been to presale an item with a Saks card. However, again with the inconsistencies, some associates take non-Saks cards and hold the item until the day of the sale and ring it, whereas the people with the Saks charges can be rang up that very day and pick up or have their items sent out on sale day. The register says "tender not valid" if the SA trys to ring the item up as a presale before the actual sale day using a non Saks charge. also, the signs in the store, on the emails, on the website all say no adjustments to prior purchases. I can understand the fustration of buying something only to have it go on sale, but also if you were willing to pay for it at a higher price then I suppose its a loss you will need to eat up

I do have a Saks card. Also, I did not see any signs in the store regarding the return policy. Or I missed those. It's very rare for me to return stuff to the store since I usually do a charge send.

Also, in our previous posts, Laureen and I do not have a problem with NOT getting a price adjustment. I do not shop with the intention of price adjusting every item I buy. I was not aware of Saks policy and it was not my intention to call CS to make a fuss.

I don't resent Saks' return policy but I'm upset at the way CS treated me. She could have nicely explained the policy and I wouldn't have been upset. I am upset at her tone and what she chose to say especially:"You got your shoes on sale already, what more do you want."

That is not professional in my opinion.

I can understand the fustration of buying something only to have it go on sale, but also if you were willing to pay for it at a higher price then I suppose its a loss you will need to eat up [/quote]

If you read our previous posts carefully, you would have noticed that most of us are MORE upset with CS's attitude than the price adjustment.

I already called my SA in another state (she was previously out of town). Not only did she relocate another pair of shoes for me, she also gained another $1k worth of business from me for pre-fall shoes.

As I've said, it's not the money issue. I've recently frequented all the big sales at YSL and Prada knowing that there would be a second cut. But I choose to buy at first cut knowing that I get the best selection.

Plus, it also helps that I received excellent customer service from those stores.

[laureenthemean]

Originally Posted by linpaddy

I do have a Saks card. Also, I did not see any signs in the store regarding the return policy. Or I missed those. It's very rare for me to return stuff to the store since I usually do a charge send. Also, in our previous posts, Laureen and I do not have a problem with NOT getting a price adjustment. I do not shop with the intention of price adjusting every item I buy. I was not aware of Saks policy and it was not my intention to call CS to make a fuss. I don't resent Saks' return policy but I'm upset at the way CS treated me. She could have nicely explained the policy and I wouldn't have been upset. I am upset at her tone and what she chose to say especially:"You got your shoes on sale already, what more do you want." That is not professional in my opinion. I can understand the fustration of buying something only to have it go on sale, but also if you were willing to pay for it at a higher price then I suppose its a loss you will need to eat up If you read our previous posts carefully, you would have noticed that most of us are MORE upset with CS's attitude than the price adjustment. I already called my SA in another state (she was previously out of town). Not only did she relocate another pair of shoes for me, she also gained another $1k worth of business from me for pre-fall shoes. As I've said, it's not the money issue. I've recently frequented all the big sales at YSL and Prada knowing that there would be a second cut. But I choose to buy at first cut knowing that I get the best selection. Plus, it also helps that I received excellent customer service from those stores.

Thanks, linpaddy, you put it a lot better than I did. I also was not upset about paying a higher price during the first cut, b/c I had been looking for these shoes in my size everywhere and was pretty sure they were out of stock. As I stated before, I did not know of the "no adjustment" policy, read some things about price adjustments at Saks on this forum, so I thought I might as well try. I was not at all demanding, I only asked CS if I could do a price adjustment. All the guy had to say was, "No, I'm sorry, but we don't give adjustments on prior purchases." I would have thanked him and left, and my impression of Saks would not have been tarnished.

[diamond_lover]

I guess I was very lucky. I really hate goign to stores and buy my items online HOPING they will fit. But I went to Saks NYC, I was there for 10 minutes until SUNSHINE! came out and approached me. He was the sweetest person ever. There were 3 SA's to the side just chatting and watching me roam (I'm young 20s plus I was wearing a Lacoste polo with flip flops). Sunshine walked with me to see which shoes I wanted. When I was unsure of the style or size, he would help me pick the right one or givem e suggestions on what to do with my irregularly sized wide feet. I purchased Louboutins and Choos from him that day and it took me almost 2 hours to figure out what I wanted in what size. He was awesome and while he was helping me he helped out 3 other people. I went by to see the 2nd Cut Sale and he recognized me right away. Definitely will use him again.

[rkarbley]

Good Morning to All,

I am primarily from the Saks Direct side but I partner with our stores on a routine basis and just about all of our policy's mirror one another and here's the scoop to the best of my knowledge:

Pre-sell - It's my understanding the merchandise must be bought on the Saks charge. If you do not have an account with us, then we will be happy to assit you with opening one if so desired, or if the merchandise is still available two days prior to the beginning of the event, then ask if it would be possible for the items to be held and rung on the first day of the event.

Adjustments to prior purchases:

If the merchandise has been reduced due to a temporary sale, then we will not be able to honor the sale price and I am very sorry. You will also see the disclaimer, "No adjustments to previous purchases"

If the merchandise has been permanently reduced and it's been 14 days or less since the purchase, then we will be happy to honor the adjustment.

Our Sales Associates - If you receive anything less then polite, courteous and professional service, please do no not go quitetly away but rather let someone on our store staff know if brick and mortar or if online, ask for a team manager or let me know please.

We do consider you to be our valued customer and you should be treated as such. After all, we are here because of you and not in spite of, but we do need to know and thank you.

Happy Shopping and Best Regards,

Russel Karbley
Sr. Coordinator, Saks Direct Customer Service
Saks Fifth Avenue
500 Hickory Drive
Aberdeen, MD 21001
T 410 297 4406
F 410 297 5599
Toll Free: 888 327 3313
Russel_Karbley@s5a.com

[frozendiva]

I haven't been to a lot of Saks, Barneys, or Neiman Marcus stores. Just occasional visits to the US. Having a low Canadian dollar wasn't encouraging in terms of purchases - especially when you had to tack on another 40% to the item. Ouch.

I had a lovely SA at the Saks Chicago store. I felt I was treated a bit rudely at the NM shoe department. Didn't end up buying anything there. The staff just hovered and weren't helpful. Of course, the SA at the purse department and cosmetics department were fabulous.

Did buy three pairs of shoes at Saks, though! And also received lovely service from Nordstrom's. It was the first day of the crazy Anniversary July sale and the SA was so helpful. He always brought me fantastic shoes and boots to try on, even though I couldn't afford them. I ended up with two pairs of shoes!

[wantmore]

My favorite is Nordstrom's! They have the GREATEST CS EVER and not just in a particular store, it's ALL stores! Like you Laureen, I just wished that Topanga carried more CLs and Glendale doesn't even have any!

I was at NM while DH went to Sak's this weekend to return some of the shoes I ordered from out-of-State Sak's. These were the shoes that were too small and I've already exchanged them for the bigger size. DH asked to get the shipping credited as well b/c I exchanged them for bigger size. The SA (from BH Saks) said to DH that they don't credit shipping and I should actually have been charged shipping on the other pair that I received. He was very curt with DH. DH had complained before to the shoe manager and apparently the complain didn't change anything......

[shoeaddictklw]

I AM NEVER SHOPPING AT Saks NYC AGAIN!!! This is utter BS!! I asked my SA if they had the Very Noeud's on sale and NOOO... did they YES! I am LIVID right now! I just found this out! I ended up buying 5 pairs I would have bought those in ALL colors!!!

[hlfinn]

i got hung up on 5 times calling Saks nyc today. i even asked my fave sa to call for me and HE got hung up on twice. seriously what is WRONG with them?

[lvpiggy]

Originally Posted by rkarbley

Good Morning to All, I am primarily from the Saks Direct side but I partner with our stores on a routine basis and just about all of our policy's mirror one another and here's the scoop to the best of my knowledge: Pre-sell - It's my understanding the merchandise must be bought on the Saks charge. If you do not have an account with us, then we will be happy to assit you with opening one if so desired, or if the merchandise is still available two days prior to the beginning of the event, then ask if it would be possible for the items to be held and rung on the first day of the event. Adjustments to prior purchases: If the merchandise has been reduced due to a temporary sale, then we will not be able to honor the sale price and I am very sorry. You will also see the disclaimer, "No adjustments to previous purchases" If the merchandise has been permanently reduced and it's been 14 days or less since the purchase, then we will be happy to honor the adjustment. Our Sales Associates - If you receive anything less then polite, courteous and professional service, please do no not go quitetly away but rather let someone on our store staff know if brick and mortar or if online, ask for a team manager or let me know please. We do consider you to be our valued customer and you should be treated as such. After all, we are here because of you and not in spite of, but we do need to know and thank you. Happy Shopping and Best Regards, Russel Karbley Sr. Coordinator, Saks Direct Customer Service Saks Fifth Avenue 500 Hickory Drive Aberdeen, MD 21001 T 410 297 4406 F 410 297 5599 Toll Free: 888 327 3313 Russel_Karbley@s5a.com

It's refreshing to see someone who actually cares about customer service, especially given we're all such enthusiastic shoppers! It's the worst when you spend tons of money somewhere and people are rude in return . . .

Russel - I'll be much more likely to shop at Saks in the future after you've demonstrated that there is excellent customer service to be found, if only we look in the right places