I thought through the experience this afternoon and finally decided to write this letter, which I rather not call a complaining letter from a customer’s perspective since the story itself goes far beyond just a simple customer service case. I felt being deprived of basic human right – which might sound exaggerated for some people. However, you might agree with me after reading the whole story which happened in the Nike-Edmonton 9743-19 Ave on May 10th, the Mother Day. I will leave the issue for you to judge.
I am a big fan for Nike and was a VIP member of Nike in China years ago before I moved to Canada. My husband will have a short visit to China in the summer which leaves us the question – what kind of gifts are the best options for our relatives and friends back in China. Considering the fact that most textile products in the shops here in Canada are made in China, we thought that maybe Nike is a good option; at least it is well world-known brand. So on May 10th we decided to go to Nike-Edmonton 9743-19Ave store. Nike shoes did not disappoint us, so we bought 5 pairs of shoes. Here comes the unbelievable story in this store.
After I paid the bill, the cashier put 3 pair of shoes into a one big bag, and two pairs of them into one small white bag. Thinking that it might look sweet if we present the gifts to respective friends in separate bags, I asked if I could have another small bag, instead of the big bag. The cashier kept telling me it is Nike’s policy for each customer to have only one bag and there is no way for me to get another. Then, I tried to make her understand me because I bought it for others, I do need the small bag not the big one, and it's just one! Then she was like: you didn't pay for the bags, and if you want the bag, you can go to buy a gift bag. Then I asked her what if I paid it separately, which means that I can get a single bag for each pair shoes. Well, these kinds of arguments happen all the time between the customers and sellers. But what astonished me is what happened after. A guy who claimed to be the manager rushed to the cashier, and grabbed couple of bags and said loudly: “how many bags do you want, huh?" He kept blah blah blah. I was feeling really humiliated by his facial expression and the way he treated at me. I don't think I deserved that bad customer service. I bought 5 pairs of shoes and asked for one more bag only because we thought the gifts look better in a bag with Nike logo when we presented them to friends. The fact is I was only asking for one more small bag – we even offered to give the big one back to the store. His rude reaction at that moment was suggesting that I was begging for a bag. Although he didn't say it directly, he was kind of saying “we are done the business with you and you should get out of the store!”
That is the end of the story. It is not my intention to simply complain a bad customer service. I felt deeply humiliated by the response of the so-called manager who simply does not have the basic moral principle to treat a person in a proper way. I kept wondering what could be the criteria when Nike hires a customer manager. Isn’t ‘being polite’ a universal requirement for the service industry? Isn’t respecting basic human right an elementary criterion for a democratic state like Canada? I am lost and confused.
I hope the story won’t happen on the next Nike customer. A kind reminding message for Nike management – treat your customers with the basic courtesy.