I never write reviews. If I could give this store a zero rating for their customer service, I…read morewould. I must say, this is one of the worst experiences I remember having in a boutique store. I have been shopping in this store for many years now and spent lots of money. I usually buy my gifts early, especially during Christmas so that I can take advantage of the selection. The owners Marina, and the other senior woman that works with her with the blond hair would not do an even exchange for a Christmas item. I had purchased 2 ornaments by mistake, 5.99$ each, and all I asked is if I could exchange one ornament for a Christmas napkin which was the same price. Its not like they were going to lose any money. The owner and the the blond senior lady at the cash both said no, no exchanges on Christmas items. She said we have never bent the rules in 30 years and we are not about to do so now. Wow, what great customer service! Especially considering the fact that on boxing day, a student employee told me to come back after boxing day, since they don t do Christmas exchanges on boxing day, which is completely understandable. Its not the money that bothered me, its the principle, and their horrible attitude. The owner and the blond woman that works with her were both extremely rude, they seem bothered, and unfriendly. The other day when I was waiting in line for boxing day shopping at their store, I was talking to another customer waiting, she said, the store has gone down hill, and I could not agree more. If the business is too much, and adjusting your inventory for a straight exchange for the same price is too much of a hassle, not to be discriminatory, but maybe its time to pass on the torch to a younger generation. These women are stuck in their old fashion ways of doing things. They need to realize they need to up their customers service with the times, be more flexible, and make exceptions when it makes sense, in order to keep their customers happy and coming back. Remember word of mouth gets around. If not, it may be time to retire, as I noticed during my Halloween shopping at their store, they ( when I say they, I mean the owner, and that blond senior woman that works there), they looked fed up of customers already. When I asked one when the Christmas decorations were coming out, she just nodded her head and rolled her eyes, like she was saying in her head, let me get through Halloween first. I went across the street to the new store that opened called the Zone Maison ( this is a small chain boutique store, they have others in Montreal), and what a difference in the staffing. The employees and owner really care about their customers, they have a positive attitude and they are more flexible. with their policies. This may be one of the reasons for the store owners frustrations and bad attitude. For many years, Le Panier was the staple store in the Pointe -Claire village, now they have a competitor that sells beautiful items, and has friendlier staff with more flexible policies. Do yourself a favor, its not worth the drive if you live outside of the west island, their Christmas selection this year, was horrible, compared to previous years, another client in the store noticed this as well. The owner blamed it on supplier issues, while Maison Zone, that sells similar items didn't seem to have supplier issues. The owner and the blond senior woman that works with her, (I don t know which one was worse, I would say the blond woman had a serious chip on her shoulder) needs to put a smile on her face, and pretend at least to show she likes her job. Life is too short to be this inflexible and bitter when you are running a business! Remember things don 't last forever in life, and its your customers that made you!
Ps. Please read the low class review on google reviews, with the comment about the shopping bag! This store is not deserving of our business, if they continue to be this inflexible, especially with their customers that have been giving them our money for so many years! Shame on you!
