The Snooty Fox, an equestrian tack consignment store in Alpharetta, GA, receives generally positive feedback, so I'm sorry to have to share this experience. (If you don't want to read the whole review, then please skip to the last paragraph.)
On May 27, I went to the Snooty Fox to consign a pair of breeches I'd worn only once. They were like new and retail for $99.00. While there, I bought three items and spent just over $300. I love two of the items purchased, but the third, a pair of breeches I paid $129 for, stunk. Literally. The fabric was sour, mildewed and likely rotten. The smell wasn't noticeable when I tried the breeches on---oh no---the sour stench comes out as the fabric dampens, which I realized (to my embarrassment) during a riding lesson on a hot, humid summer day.
Consignment stores typically don't accept returns, but in this case, since it seemed I'd been sold an item that shouldn't have been for sale, or accepted for consignment, in the first place, I felt it couldn't hurt to ask. I emailed the store using the "Contact Us" section of its website, politely explaining the situation, but asking for a full refund. I clicked "Send" and received a pop-up confirmation that my message was successfully submitted. When there was no response after a couple of days, I called the store on June 10 and left a voice message, referencing the email I'd sent, and saying I planned to come by that afternoon.
As luck would have it, the store's owner was there when I arrived, but it was obvious that she wasn't happy to see me. She was there by herself, had two customers and her tone and demeanor toward me were very ugly. I expected some possible push-back, perhaps a little negotiation, but nothing like this. I was...dumbfounded. I waited patiently, thinking this might calm her down, while the owner finished with her two customers and helped others who came in after me. Finally, she was ready.
My email to the store had apparently gotten lost, but instead of saying she never received it, the owner kept insisting I never sent one. At one point, she burst into tears, and divulged some difficulties she was having both at home and at work. Personally, I felt sorry for her, but as a customer, I just wanted my money back. And she'd been extraordinarily rude.
The owner gave me a full refund for the breeches, and in the end, she apologized. But what gets me is how poorly she handled the situation. I mean, she could've refused a refund, or even a store credit, and I'd have gone online and written this bad review, anyway, with a slightly different ending. Or, she could've pointed out her store's No Return policy and offered me a store credit, which I would've accepted and eventually used (for anything but apparel!). But instead, she gave me a full refund, is out the money she already paid the consignor of the smelly breeches AND gets a bad review! Way to go, store owner. Hope you learn from this. read more
