Question: CL Madison Boutique

ledaatomica

ledaatomica

More is More
O.G.
Mar 27, 2007
2,381
4
#1
I have never purchased from this boutique before. Usually I shop at the Horatio, BH or from the serveral online locations that exist today. I am a little bit take a back by the level of customer friendliness/service at the Madison store compared to the other boutiques that are so welcoming and accomodating. Am I just imagining it? When I made my order last week I had also asked if I could be sent some stock pictures and the SA hand waved it and asked me to go to the site (where there arent any fall styles yet). During that conversation she was mostly impatient. Later when I called to ask for tracking details for my package again this was refused stating something with regards to issues they have had with tracking numbers. Is it so much to ask that I want to track my shipment?

Overall I am a bit dissapointed at how I was treated as a customer. I just would not expect this from any store in general. What do all think , did I just get them on a bad day?
 
#2
Write a letter to the general manager for that store, or corporate headquarters. First of all, they should know about it as you deserve better service for the price you're paying for their shoes! Second, maybe you'll be something out of it as an apology for them. Really, even little gifts or discounts don't cost the company much, but it is priceless when it comes to customer satisfaction. They need to do something to take the sour taste out of your mouth (so to speak) from their SAs crappy behavior.
 
#4
I don't like the madison store they are so rude. I called and asked if they had any pigalle 70mm and the sa said they had an all glitter stlye the sa's reply was "ummm.... do u even want to buy them?" I just shut the phone on her. How can u even ask that question how rude. The horatio location happily sends pics and never pressures u to buy anything.
 
#5
Madison Ave. is just like that -- they always maintain this uptown attitude and want to appear more exclusive. Even the other 2 boutiques admit it up-front. Sometimes they don't even answer the phones unless it's a recognized #, and when they do, if it's a newbie they don't admit some of the hot styles as being available even though they are (the hottest stuff in limited sizes are hidden in the back and never displayed out; most people ask and they just say "we don't have it"). No one paid much attention to me the first time or two I shopped in that boutique (I have even seen a SA admonishing a customer for "staining" a certain shoe with fingerprints), but gradually over time as I got to know the SA's and started spending more money there, they got to know my taste and their attitudes changed. The length I go to get the shoes I want is pretty insane, and Madison Ave. does have some stuff the other 2 boutiques never have (they just rarely admit it). Nowadays when I call Madison Ave. I just ask for my SA and give my name up-front, so as to avoid all the initial BS about the styles I want as not being available or sold-out.

As for tracking #'s, it's actually their policy not to give up tracking #'s -- they can track the package for you if you ask them to. They had some issues with customers obtaining tracking #'s and subsequently re-routing packages.....so they discontinued that practice.
 
#6
Hmm, good to know. This boutique will be last on my CL list of places to go to when I hit NYC in November. Not only would I be a newbie, I would be a lowly tourist.
 
#7
thanks foxycleopatra for clarifying the issue with tracking numbers. I still think its odd but I understand if they have had issues they want to avoid. I only contacted them because I learnt from the forum they had helmuts :drool: and I got to make my purchase.... I am so glad they didnt tell me they didnt have any when they did infact. :nuts:

I guess I havent completely written them off :boxing: but they wont be my first choice call.
 
#8
leda - that is so awful! But I have noticed that the SAs at the Madison Ave location are very uppity, and can sometimes be rude. There is a young girl and a red-headed gentlemen there that are nice folks, but my encounter with an older SA was very unpleasant, she wasn't rude by any means, but just not very cordial. Whereas my experience at the Horatio St location has been completely different. Every time I walk into Horatio St location, the SA there recognizes me immediately (although I have only purchased one pair of shoes from her) and brings out the items that I put on reserve. And I don't know if she guesses my size, but she always seems to know my size in the various styles. My sugesstion is to stick to the boutiques that provide you with good customer service. If Madison Ave is going to be rude to you, then they don't deserve your sale or the commision!
 
#9
My sis (who is also on the forum) is a bigger shoe hoe than me to the point they just mail her what they think she likes and cuz she pretty much keeps everything:P. We were in Mad. Ave in early August and security nearly had to be called to prevent me from wringing an SA's neck :cursing: . That chick was beyond rude and condescending. She was downright nasty.

I don't understand why rudeness is tolerated from people that are supposed to help you spend your money :confused1:. I have no issues spending my $$$ elsewhere.
 
#10
Madison CL def is the less friendly of the boutiques. However, my experience has been that if you actually walk in and spend $, they do take note and are friendly afterwards. The first few times I called the Madison store to ask about styles, the SA's were very curt. So much so that I would ask my Horatio SA's to call Madison instead of doing it myself. However, the first time I bought a pair of shoes at the Madison boutique, the SA took note of my sizes and asked me if I was interested in any other shoe that they have yet to receive. She took down my number and BF's number, and about a week later, called me to tell me she had hunted down a pair of pigalles I mentioned I wanted. Since then, every now and again, she'd give a ring to ask if I was interested in anything coming in, even though my main SA's are in the Horatio store.

I think the curt manner is because they get a bit more curious walk-ins than the Horatio store, ppl not nec interested in purchasing who just want to see what all the hype is. Bear with them! They do get much more pleasant when they realize you are serious about shoes!

If you're interested, PM me about the SA I go thru at the Madison boutique.
 
#11
You not the only one this has happened to. I got hung up on 3 times before they would actually say hello. I mean, literally pick up the phone and hang it up 3 times. I asked about a shoe and the SA was so rude...and didn't give me a chance to ask another question, just hung up. Well now it's time to start asking for SA's names and calling people and turning them in. I don't care who you are...being rude to a customer is a big no, no. We all know how I feel about that. I'm sorry this happened to you. I would stick to other locations, they don't deserve your time or money.
 
#12
Wow. That really sucks! I suppose unless management (or corporate) know about the situation at CL Madison, nothing will ever be done about it. I'm sure when anyone from corporate (or CL himself) stop by, the SAs bend over backwards so they have no idea anything is wrong.

I'm planning on meeting up with a friend in NYC sometime, who will go shopping with me (my gay straight husband in a former life probably...currently my gay straight friend in this life) and now I know which CL store to NOT go to. I know people who only go to the Horatio store there.
 
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