Another January review tied to my son's birthday, and unfortunately this one didn't end the way I…read morehoped it would.
I went to the FedEx Office on 78th and 3rd on January 17th because I needed some signs I had created printed for my son's birthday party the next day. I initially went in just to inquire about pricing, turnaround time, and whether it could realistically be done by the 18th. At first, everything felt promising. Jerry, who helped me, was great. He explained the process, talked me through options, gave me the email to send my files to, and genuinely seemed invested in helping me get this done. I also spoke with the manager, who echoed the same thing -- once the files were good, they'd be able to take care of it by the next day. That reassurance mattered because this was time-sensitive.
I went home, fixed the resolution issues they flagged, resized everything properly, and sent everything back exactly as requested. I was told a note would be added to my order so that if I didn't hear back, someone would reach out to me. That never happened. So the morning of January 18th, I called the store to follow up -- and that's where everything went downhill.
The person who answered the phone had no idea what I was talking about. Before even looking for the email or reviewing the files, they started giving me information that directly contradicted what Jerry and the manager had already told me. I had to explain the entire situation from scratch -- who I spoke to, what was promised, what I sent, and why it mattered. Even after they finally found the email, I was given misinformation: suddenly it was a two-to-three-day job, suddenly the resolution "couldn't work," suddenly it "couldn't be done." No accountability, no effort to reconcile the previous information, and honestly, no customer service.
What made this even more frustrating is that I walked into UPS shortly after and got everything printed perfectly -- same files, same sizing, no resolution issues whatsoever. That told me everything I needed to know. If something can't be done, that's fine. But don't give customers conflicting information, especially after multiple employees -- including a manager -- have already set expectations.
Because of that one interaction, what would have been a 5-star review dropped to a 3-star review. And it's only a 3 because Jerry and the manager actually did their jobs, were helpful, and provided correct information. Jerry, especially, deserves his flowers -- great customer service, knowledgeable, patient, and professional. Same goes for the manager who was willing to help and communicate clearly.
But to the person who answered the phone on the morning of January 18th, gave me misinformation, zero empathy, and followed up hours later after my son's party was already over with a "we could've done this" email -- that interaction completely ruined the experience. One bad attitude and poor customer service is enough to undo the work of people who are actually trying.
I've worked in retail. I've worked customer-facing jobs. I understand pressure, deadlines, and stress. What I don't understand is dismissiveness, misinformation, and lack of accountability. And it's unfortunate because there are good people at this location -- but one bad experience like this leaves a lasting impression and makes me hesitant to ever walk back in.
Shout-out to Jerry and the manager. Everyone else involved that morning? You cost this location a better review.
