Over the weekend I bought two leather jackets at the Wilson's Leather Outlet in Petaluma, CA. A few days later I had a change of heart and wanted to either exchange or to return one of them. The jacket in question had never been worn, had the tags still on the sleeves and I had the receipt in-hand, showing that I had paid cash for the jackets. We drove 30 minutes to the store, where I was greeted by Patrick, an Associate. I showed him the jacket and told him I wanted to look around the store to see if I wanted to exchange the jacket for something else or just get a refund. The manager, Clifton, was also present at this time and was aware of my intentions (he even suggested Patrick look in the back to see if there was anything else in my size and style). Upon not finding anything to my liking, I decided I would like a refund. However, Clifton had vanished to make a "run to the bank" and was nowhere to be found, leaving Patrick as the sole employee in the store. I soon learned that Patrick, as an Associate, was not authorized to do an exchange or return; only Clifton, the manager, could do so. Patrick texted Clifton, who said he was already halfway to the bank. Patrick then told me that it could take up to an hour for him to return and that there was nothing he could do until then. Having already driven 30 minutes specifically for this return, we tried waiting it out. We walked around the mall (quite honestly in an attempt to take our business elsewhere), but no luck. After an hour we returned to the store and Clifton still had not returned and numerous attempts by Patrick to reach him were ignored. At this point we have no idea when or if he will return. We even called the Wilson's Leather in Napa from the store and spoke to their manager, Samantha, to see if there was anything that could be done on her end to get our refund. She was surprised that Patrick isn't authorized for exchanges/returns since her Associates are. Patrick insists that this has been the case since day one and he could be fired for doing so. After waiting a few more minutes, we left and as of this writing, after an hour spent round-trip and an hour and twenty minutes waiting, we still have not received our refund.
I find this to be completely inexcusable on several fronts. If only the manager was authorized for returns/exchanges and we happened to show up during his lunch hour while he was gone, we could chalk that up to bad timing and try again later. However, Clifton was very much aware of my situation (as well as the limitations on Patrick) and by taking off without warning and giving no indication as to when he would return shows a complete lack of respect for our time and our patronage as customers. Also, by ignoring attempts to reach him, he is also showing a complete lack of respect for your company as well. At my job, even if I am on the other side of town, I would at least return the call. Customer service is everything. If he had to run an errand like this, he should have had the courtesy to let me know so that I could get my refund before he left. I was the only customer in the store at the time, so it would have been pretty easy to spot me.
I also find this to be failure in terms of Wilson's corporate organization as well. I can see no reason as to why Associates at one store are authorized to perform a task, but not at another. There should be consistency from store to store. Again, the tags were still on the jacket, we had our receipt and had paid cash. We could not have made it any easier.
I will make second attempt to return the jacket and hopefully Clifton will be there. Upon doing so, it will be the last time I set foot in a store that has so little respect for its customers. read more
