This is about the taylorsville Location…read more
I am absolutely disgusted by the way I was treated at the Taylorsville store today.
I stopped in with a backpack that I had purchased from another location because I found the exact same model in a color I actually wanted. I had my receipt, the backpack was in like-new condition, and I was simply trying to complete a straightforward exchange. Instead, I was told that I could not exchange the bag because of a missing accessory that the backpack never came with in the first place.
After being refused service, I contacted the American Fork store where the backpack was originally purchased. They immediately informed me that there should have been no issue handling the exchange and apologized for the situation. Because the Taylorsville store refused to help, I was forced to drive nearly 40 minutes to American Fork just to complete a return that should have been handled at the location I was standing in. What should have been a five-minute transaction turned into well over an hour and a half of driving, wasted gas, and completely unnecessary inconvenience because employees at the Taylorsville store either did not understand their own policies or simply chose not to help.
The behavior of the manager, who I believe was named Jennifer, only made the situation worse. From the moment I walked in, I felt judged and treated as though I had done something wrong. She repeatedly looked my girlfriend and me up and down and carried herself with an attitude that was dismissive, confrontational, and unprofessional. Rather than attempting to help resolve the issue, I was made to feel like a problem the moment I entered the store.
What happened next was even more unacceptable. After making the unnecessary trip to American Fork and obtaining store credit, I returned to the Taylorsville location to purchase the backpack I originally wanted. The moment I walked through the door, I was immediately approached and questioned again. Before I could even explain why I was there, employees were discussing me over their radios. I could hear Jennifer talking about how I could not return items and questioning whether pieces were missing. At that point I felt like I was being treated as a thief, a scammer, or someone attempting to do something dishonest despite having receipts, documentation, and following every instruction that had been given to me.
No customer should be made to feel attacked, singled out, or publicly scrutinized simply for trying to exchange or purchase merchandise. I felt targeted from the moment I entered the store. Based on the way I was approached, watched, questioned, and discussed over the radio, I cannot ignore the feeling that my appearance, alternative style, and skin color played a role in how I was treated. Whether intentional or not, the experience felt like profiling and discrimination rather than customer service.
To make matters even worse, the store credit card issued by the American Fork location did not work. Instead of fixing the issue, I was told I would have to drive all the way back to American Fork yet again. By this point, your company's mistakes had already cost me significant time, fuel, and frustration, and now I was being told to make another unnecessary trip because nobody could resolve the problem at the Taylorsville location.
I have never experienced customer service this hostile, accusatory, and unprofessional over something as simple as exchanging a backpack. What should have been a routine transaction became an exhausting ordeal that consumed hours of my day because of poor communication, poor management, and a complete lack of respect for a paying customer. I expect this incident to be investigated, I expect management to be held accountable, and I expect to be contacted regarding how your company intends to address the time, expense, and treatment I was subjected to.
The second encounter was recorded.
