Wegmans' Abusive Customer Treatment, Failure to Honor Hassle-Free Return Policy
Gave Wegmans another chance after experiencing poor management and abusive customer treatment when Wegmans opened a year ago. Sad to say, nothing has changed.
The simplest of things at other stores can go awry quickly at Wegmans, such as having to return a defective store brand product. In this case, a gallon of milk that was spoiled when it was first opened despite a proper control date.
So I politely brought the milk back, with receipt in hand, and asked to exchange it for another gallon from a different batch.
It was not even 8pm but the customer service counter was already closed--contrary to the chain's own policy to keep it open until 10pm.
This prompted at least two employees to insultingly point out that I must not be able to read the sign, since customer service was closed!
A nasty kid, age unknown, who could have passed for high school, maybe college, with his loud walkie in tow, then proceeded to scold me - yes, scold me - for wanting to make a return when customer service was closed, even though this was 3 hours before the store would close!
I was mortified, but needed the milk. So I placed the defective milk on the "closed" customer service desk, showed this arrogant kid my receipt, explained the problem with the rotting product I had bought earlier in the week, and said I was going to the back to get a replacement gallon.
When I came back with a new gallon of milk, and a few other groceries I wanted to purchase, the disrespectful kid with the walkie was now joined by a female employee with a walkie, and told me I would have to go to a separate register (not the line where I had already emptied my cart), to wait for a manager to arrive! (Why is a manager needed to honor the store's own return policy, and, if one is, where was this manager hiding for the ten minutes that had ensued?).
I refused to be ordered to another register or further humiliated. I again showed my receipt, took the replacement milk, and left. I haven't been back since.
Unfortunately, Wegmans engages in the practice of covering up employee and manager infractions, and the abusive treatment of customers by store personnel.
But this was over the top unacceptable, and a violation of Wegmans own meaningless store policy.
I've asked for an apology. Until and unless I receive one, neither I nor my family will ever support Wegmans again. read more