Horrible, Verbally Abusive Staff at M&S Prague, Wenceslas Square:
On 23. 12. 2013, I bought the second item (soup) that was supposed to be half price off as advertised on the shelf, but I didn't get the discount at the cash register. I only found out that at home, so I returned to the store later that evening as I live near by and I am a frequent customer and asked for the manager to sort this out, When Ms. Petra finaly came out to see me as a food department manager she did said Hello with a forced smile, but that's where all the niceties from her ended.
She didn't even let me finish a sentence after I said Hi back (me smiling genuinly at that point which is about to change real soon) and started to explain politely what brings me to see her, and grabbed the receipt from my hands even when I was not handing it to her and was just casually holding it in my hands!!! How rude is that???
She then interrupted me agin just to tell me she remembers me, that I "complain all the time about stupidities" (her exact words) and what is it this time. She spoke in a very hostile and angry manner. I told her I would like my receipt back because I wasn't giving it to her, and I don't like how she just deliberately snatched it from my hands where I was just holding it while talking to her about my problem.
To that she said she doesn't like to "be told what to do" (sic!) and again in the middle of my unfinished sentence she started to guess my name. "Svoboda, right?" she said. I said, Exuse me? She goes "Svoboda? Is that your name?" I said, no my name is not Svoboda. At which point I started to be really upset with her arrogant bossy attitude. I felt like a schoolboy being scolded by an angry teacher, not like a customer of Marks & Spencer, fancy food store. She continued again with "I remeber you" in a very arrogant conceited way. She seemed very angry all the time, not letting me finish what I had to say, and was generally very hostile and I felt like I was annoying her with my complaint.
When she finally returned my receipt that she snatched very rudely without asking from my hands I finally got to tell her why I wanted to talk to her and explained the mishap.
At that point one would expect a swift apology (in a decent company, anyway) and a brisk sorting out of the problem.
Everyone, including me understands an honest mistake, and all of this could have been solved within few minutes and everybody could have gotten hapilly back to their business as usual.
Well not Ms. Petra, employee of the month at Marks & Spencer! She rolled her eyes and very annoyed marched away all of a sudden with that receipt while I was still talking! Again! Totally ingored me and wasn't even listenning! Again she dashed off in he middle of my unfinished sentence without even saying anything. Extremely rude and arrogant behaviour you hardly see anywhere else. At least I haven't. Only at M&S.
I felt really unwelcomed and terrible to be treated like this by such a hostile and angry person who is supposed to be in charge of Customer Relations! Mind you!?
So I stood there and waited not knowing what is happening, without my only proof, the receipt, that she now ran off with without telling me what she's gonna do. Luckily for me she returned within 5 minutes handing me a fist full of change with an angry and rude "There!" which was the amount of discount in coins. Well I, perplexed from her now even more furious look on her face, just took it in a reflex, of course.
And without a word she turned again and dashed off. I said "Wait, there'll be no apology? I didn't do anything wrong." To which she turned around red faced with anger and disgust and 5 meters away from me muttered angrily "We're sorry" giving me a real good stinky eye while saying that. Then she went away without even saying good bye or have a nice day. What a sincere apology and a nice way to end a complaint talk with a frequent customer! Wonder if they teach them that at M&S training sessions! LOL!
So I said I want to speak with the general manager of the entire Marks & Spencer deparment store to which she said he is in UK and called me Ms. Jana instead, who as I undersood it was supposed to be filling in for the General Manager of this branch. (Again Ms. Jana's name tag didn't say her last name).
Ms. Jana told me she is very well aware of the fact that Ms. Petra is very harsh and snappy in dealing with people in general, may it be customers (!) or her co-workers and that she needs to work on her manners and inter-personal skills in that regard. I couldn't agree more. That woman hes serious anger management issues among many others. read more