I know that I’ve said that I was finished with Gap stories. While that’s mostly true, today, I have a good one, so I’m breaking my own rule. And, I’ve talked about merchandise return issues before, but today, I have a story worth telling.
With the weird weather this year, adjusting my wardrobe to the temperature has been a challenge. I’m sensitive to cold but don’t like to be overly bundled. With that in mind, I ordered a Gap dress and skirt in the Fall, anticipating that they would meet my needs at some point. Then I forgot about them. In March, taking inventory and trying to pull out forgotten items, Behold! The forgotten Gap skirt and dress. I wore the skirt to work one day. I was okay for a while, but before I could leave work, I started to itch. I thought that it was a fluke and planned to wash the skirt, thinking that washing would de-itch it. Then I wore the dress—same material. Within an hour, not only did I itch, I had a rash. Off came the dress.
Gap return policy is 45 days from date of purchase. I was well outside of that timeframe. Generally, most people in the same situation would say “I’m screwed”. Not me. Here was an extenuating circumstance. I’ve never had a problem with Gap materials. The pieces that I buy from them are usually soft and comfortable. What to do? What I always do—speak up! I called Gap Customer Service and was transferred through a short maze of departments, but finally reached the Customer Care Department. A supervisor listened sympathetically to my story, located the order number, told me that she would send me a return label to send the skirt and dress back for a refund. She also offered a $40 reward for what amounted to pain and suffering. (Really-itching and rashes fall under that category.)
I sent both back and had tracking verification of delivery. When I received my next bill, I didn’t see a credit. I called Gap. A different Customer Care associate said that they didn’t have the items. I read him the tracking detail—who signed for the package, when, etc. He was a bit officious and started to give me the long story about how merchandise makes its way from dock to department. I didn’t need that much detail. I simply wanted to make sure that I received my credit and reward. I was about to ask for the associate who told me to send the items back. (Quick Tip—Keep transaction notes-- I was able to provide detail because of my record keeping. Or, Gap should have been able to see #1 Associate's notes to identify her.) I decided to cut to the chase. Politely, I told the associate that I didn’t need a tutorial on their internal process; I just needed him to make this right. So, he did. And now, with credit and reward, I’m ready for more shopping—after I clean out my closet.
WHAT WENT RIGHT:
* I had a problem. I was outside of return timeframe. But, this is an extenuating circumstance, so the return policy should be flexible. And it was.
* I reached the right person who made the right decision about the return.
WHAT WENT WRONG:
*Staff shouldn’t assume that they need to educate customers on all of the inner workings of their company. They need to just fix the problem.
IF YOU HAVE AN EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCE, GO FOR THE RIGHT RESOLUTION, REGARDLESS OF POLICY
