February 10, 2010

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing with the hope that these issues will be addressed and I will get a response as to the result.

I called the KMart store in Prescott Valley, AZ yesterday morning after seeing an ad in the local newspaper with swingsets on sale. I spoke originally to Walter who put me on hold...while on hold Justin picked up and thinking I had been transferred told Justin what swingset I was looking for. Walter came back on the phone and told me that he looked and there weren't any, to which I responded that someone else had picked up the phone and was also looking so I wanted to wait. Walter said, "I already looked and there aren't any", and I again I requested that I be able to wait for Justin. When Justin came back on the phone he had explained to me that after speaking to the Assistant Manager he had been told that there was a truck unloading right then that had the swingset that I was looking for. Justin offered to put my name and phone number to hold that set for me...very helpful! He called back about 15 minutes later stating the swingset had been unloaded and was ready for pickup and he had my name on it...he told me to go to customer service counter and let them know that it was in receiving waiting for me.

When I got off work, approximatley 5pm I was at Kmart, went to customer service as requested. I overheard the conversation between "Kristi" and the associate in sporting goods. She mentioned...it's not in layaway, just bring it up...the customer is here now". When the swingset was brought up it was the wrong one. It was $100.00 more than the one Justin had set aside. The associate, who's name I unfortunately didn't get, said the one I wanted had been put on layaway...after I called and requested it be held. I asked if they would give me a discount on the one I didn't really want. I was offered an additional $20 off since the swingset was already on sale. I left upset...went to Sears to see if they might have the same swingset.

I called Kmart back and asked for a manager, when Walter came on the phone I explained the situation. He said, "No...No...I was with Justin when he put that item on hold for you and it was the right one, please hold"...when he came back on the phone he explained to me that he couldn't pull the layaway contract but he would try to resolve things by Thursday. We, as a family, had already made plans to have dinner and set up the swingset together for my only grandchild who is 1-1/2 years old. We turned around and went back to Kmart and I requested to speak to a manager, again. I was told that Walter is "one" of the managers and Walter came back to talk to me. He tried to tell me again that he couldn't pull the contract for the layaway. My position, which I explained to him, was and still is...this was a problem with the store associates, an internal, employee problem and shouldn't affect me or my transaction. I requested again that I be able to purchase the swingset that Justin had set aside for me and was finally allowed to purchase that swingset.

When three associates helped us out, we witnessed "Bobby" yelling at a passing truck and flipping them off! When I asked incredulously, "Are you serious?? Is that the way you represent the company you work for?", he denied having done it. My husband, my son and I all very clearly saw his inappropriate behavior. I was then told by another associate that I should just go back in and complain again, I asked his name and he told me "Dillon" giving me a "thumbs-up" hand motion. Honestly, I didn't feel like wasting any more time. The third assoiciate there was the one that apparently put the swingset on layaway, taking my contact information off. Unfortunately, I didn't get his name.

I won't be going back to this store unless someone can convince me that the customer service has had an extreme make-over!

Totally phlabergasted,

Charlene A. Ely
PO Box 301
Chino Valley, AZ 86323
(928) 636-6678