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Staples review: Poor customer service 9

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3:44 pm EDT
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I went to Staples with my mother and my sister-in-law to buy some golf pencils. The price on the shelf said $2.96 for a box of 144. I was very happy with the price so I went to the checkout to pay for the pencils. When the cashier rang up the pencils she told me that my total was close to $10.00 (I don't remember the exact amount). I told the cashier that I was sure that the sign said that the pencils were $2.96. She told me that "Oh no! These pencils wouldn't be that cheap”. She said this when she should have gone to check out the sign. My mother also told the cashier that she saw the sign for $2.96. She finally sent another employee down to check out the sign. I stayed at the checkout while my mother went down with the other employee. I work in retail myself and I deal with the same issue all the time. As I was waiting, instead of getting the cashier's undivided attention, she allows the next customer in line to butt in front of me and started waiting on them. This is something that could never happen at my work place and I wasn't very happy about it. I remained calm and waited for my mother and the other employee to return. After waiting a little longer, I went to see what was taking so long and I only found my mother in the aisle. My mother told me that we were right about the shelf label but it was suppose to be for a pencil case that was further down the aisle. The other employee put my pencils back on the shelf (without asking if I still wanted them), switched the signs, told my mother what the problem was and walked away. At this point I was beginning to get upset but I still remained relatively calm. I would have expected for the other employee to look at the sign, go back to the cash register and tell the cashier about the mix-up and give me the pencils for the advertised price and then fix the sign. At my own job, I have done this many times before and I was hoping for the same treatment. So I went back to the cashier and my sister-in-law asked her what their code was when something is scanned for the wrong price. She replied "I don't know." My sister-in-law then explained that at the place that she works (she's a cashier) that if a customer is charged the wrong price, all products over $10.00 get $10.00 off and if it's under $10.00 they get it for free. I told the cashier what the other employee did and I told her that I wasn't very happy about it. The cashier finally decided to give me the pencils for $2.96. I thanked her and left the store. I'm still not sure what their code was and if I should have got the pencils for free but I got to the point where I just wanted to leave the store so I was happy to get whatever I could. I now wish I talked to the manager about this situation so the manager could have corrected these employees' poor customer service habits.

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9 comments
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Chris Weist
,
Apr 09, 2007 12:00 am EDT

To whom It may concern:

I was recently at your Cincinnati Store 8666 Beechmont ave (store #0456) Cincinnati Ohio 45255 and received some less than warm service as I was Checking out and the casher (Mandi) was ringing up I tried to question her about a charge, she was quick to ring up and say " We can look at that after you sign and the order is finished" I pointed out that the calculator that I picked out the sign said 8.99 and she rang 16.98. she had a guy run to check the price and he came back with the same price so I showed him where I got it from and he flipped thru the calculators and found the right one for the price listed on the hanger; meanwhile no apology was made for having numerous calculators on the wrong hanger and as I returned to the cashier (Mandi) she said " decided to go with it " and I said " no the wrong calculators are hanging on the hanger this is the one I want" So She Replied " I need you to go back and get the wrong calculator (the one they put on the wrong hanger) so I can remove it from your credit card”, to which I said “what about customer service” she (Mandi)just shrugged; so I told her to go ahead and remove the whole purchase and I would be on my way. To which she said "I am sorry you feel that way" If she was truly sorry she would of made more of an effort to correct the problem (the stores problem of misrepresenting an item). I have been a long time customer of that store and also shop online I bought my first computer there years ago and until today shopped there very frequently.

Sincerely,
Chris Weist
chrisweist@hotmail.com

Valerie
Valerie
, US
Jun 17, 2008 6:15 am EDT

I just came home from the Staples store in Milltown, New Jersey. I went there to make four colour copies. The representative for the copy area had to be paged several times before she came back to her post - only to tell me that small orders are self service ONLY. That meant she couldn't be bothered helping me navigate their new scam - putting money into a copy credit card which needs to be inserted into the copy machine. I asked how much each colour copy is. The rep said forty nine cents. So I put two dollars on the card. When I tried to print the fourth page, there was not enough money on my card because the rep failed to tell me tax was also charged. So I asked if she could make the last copy instead of having me put another dollar on a card I may never use again. She flatly replied, "No."

She certainly wasn't too busy as I only noticed about three other customers in the whole store but they had FOUR people behind the counter and only one of them was actually working the register.

Everyone's poor attitude and customer service is WHY that store is always empty. I assure you that I will NOT be humiliated by these snotty teenagers ever again - and I am so mad right now that I'll be telling this story for a week. If it keeps only one other customer from this disgraceful excuse for a business, it'll be my public service.

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Silicon Style
Cleburne, US
Jun 20, 2012 1:25 am EDT

Staples policy is: If the item is tagged incorrectly, you get it for that price.

We have to exhibit SOME skepticism for this, due to how often people would claim they found a 180 dollar router in the 40 dollar router's spot, and it being the only one there...but if there were more than one of the item there? They should've outright given it to you for that price.

Plus with some other possibilities, depending on state.

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Scurr
Newark, US
Mar 02, 2011 6:56 pm EST

I just came back from the Staples in Bloomfield, NJ and I went to do a fax. Did my fax and waited patiently to pay for this fax when all of a sudden it was my turn in line and he tells me to go to customer service to pay for my fax. I was walking to customer service and he took care of everyone else but me! now i'm upset and spoke to the manager and he tells me did you speak to the manager in copy center? why would I have to talk to another manager? at that point I just left and willing to go somewhere to invest on a home fax! ridiculus! I also, called headquarter today and spoke to someone and told them my story. Someone is suppose to get back to me. I highly doubt it! Aweful customer service!

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Natali boobs
Queens Village, US
Jan 26, 2010 8:22 pm EST

Staples customer service is sucks,

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louise1988
Free Soil, US
Jan 19, 2010 11:11 am EST

Oh My Gosh! I am in the process of writing a compliant letter for my business english class and infact I am writing it to staples about its poor customer service! I then read the comment from an employee at staples which makes me think, I purchased a GPS, when it was rang up the gentlemen added a warranty plan to it "because I had to have it" or so that is what he told me! And I bought it from staples! Frustrating!

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staplesguy
Blakeslee, US
Jan 15, 2010 10:50 pm EST

Well you have to understand that almost everything is taxed besides basic things like groceries, etc. It is really against policy for them to just make one copy. That is why self-serve area exists so people with little amount of copies can get it done. Instead, of the little jobs typing up the full serve area where the big jobs are made.

Just because the associate follows basic rules, where you can't follow the basic rules yourself is your fault. Customers can't always get what they want.

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Monica?D
REGOPARK, US
Sep 08, 2009 5:59 pm EDT

hi, my name is ..., i currently work in staples store # 1575
metropolitan ave, rego park, NY, I recently get job threat from my EASY TECH MANAGER name
ANTHONY # 1395536, for refusing to lie to customers about in stock items.
he wanted me to tell customers who where not buying a plan that the item was
out of stock because according to him they will loose money if they sell any
electronic item without a plan or attachments, and he also tell me if
customer don't want rewards card, go to rewards member search and write any
last name, every diff tran use diff name, i sceard to talk to the store
manager, cause i just start working there about month, i do not want to
loose my job, he does lot of funny things, my other co-worker told me he
take stuff without pay, i just want you to tell you, please keep on eye on
him, he is not a good employee.
thank you

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Answer
,
Jul 07, 2008 10:34 pm EDT

To be fair, that staples girl isnt' allowed to give you that "Free copy" you were hoping for just because you didn't want to put in a extra dollar. The employee was just being fair, giving you an exception would be going against her code.

And did you ever think as to why there were four people behind the customer service counter? Is it possible there was only one till? is it possible that one or two of those were trainees? There are a hundred reasonable answers.

As a teenager who's worked at Staples, we try our best to be "polite" but there are times when our polite-ness can reach the edge. We encounter people who are rude, and yet we must maintain civil courtesy. We ask the phrase "would you like that in a bag" and we get response ranging from "please, do so" and the occasional "###, you think i'm going to carry that by hand?" whoa whoa whoa, before you start thinking all us teenage store employees are idiots, keep in my it was in the store guidelines that we ask the customer "would you like a bag" cause hey if i didn't have to i wouldn't even bother asking. We even get customers who are ... illiterate. Ofcourse this is a slight exaggeration, or is it. But yeah, we get customers who flatly ignore all 5ft x 3ft signs, then come to customer service or a floor employee and ask the simplistic questions that even a child could figure out. I point to the sign, and say "follow those arrows" you can't miss it. And 10 minutes later they come back asking again >.< sigh. Oh what's even worse is when customers come in asking for ridiculous items expecting us to carry. "Do you have cigarettes?" "Do you sell copper wiring" "Can you exchange this? i don't have a receipt, or anything" And when we answer them with a flat out answer of "No." customers often get angry at us, shouting at us, arguing at us. Telling us why don't we carry this, why can't they do this, why, why, why. It's as if they are expecting us the employees of Staples, who have no real authority or powers, to suddenly change the rules, and have headquarters listen to us.

We the employees at Staples are ANTS. We're the lowest of the chain in that department store. So all i can say to you, is if you have a problem with ANYTHING, i mean ANYTHING. Do NOT shout or get angry at those "snotty teenagers" as in reality they can't do any thing. Instead, ask for a Manager, for they are the only ones with real power, and able to answer your many questions if Customer service or floor employees can't. Okie?

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