Steve Madden review: Customer service

I am submitting a complaint for a visit to Steven Madden (SM) in Brea, CA on October 22, 2022. This complaint is for a substitute manager by the name of Fernando.

My daughters visited the store to purchase shoes for HO. Prior to their visit, during some SM online browsing I received an invitation to sign up for emails/texts to receive a 20% discount. I signed up and sent the link to my daughter to use during the in-store visit.

Upon purchasing the item, the sales associate (Shannon K), rejected the code and they paid full price. They called me after they left, and I asked them to go back and provide the code "Welcome-9KJ131U". They returned to the store, and asked for a price adjustment using the code, and they were once again denied the use of the code. Shannin stated that the code was for a next purchase when the code clearly stated: "on your first purchase."

When the manager was asked if the sales associate could accept the code, he declined.

A few hours later, I visited the store to find out why he would not honor the discount. He stated that he was “busy with other customers.” He proceeded to state that next time my daughter should present the code (he said this multiple times), and I reminded him that they did but that he denied it, and now I was in-store trying to address the matter.

He continued to provide recommendations on what I could have done better such as I could have called (which I told him I did, but the lines were down all morning). He kept insisting that my kids should have presented the code. I proceeded to tell him that I thought the learning lesson should ne his since being "busy with other customers" was not a valid reason to dismiss other customers’ requests.

He did not handle the feedback well and proceeded to ask me for my name and number. Then he asked the city I lived in. From there he decided to share with me where he lived – in Huntington Beach.

He continued to ask personal questions such as the event my daughters were shopping for. When I said homecoming, he decided to share that he was homecoming king. I didn’t understand the relevance of his conversation, other than being patronizing, condescending, and borderline harassing.

I do not understand why he had to take down my name and number, and inquire about the city I lived in. The visit ended with him shouting my name across the store as I walked out. It was very embarrassing. The whole event was very distressing which is a shame because it should have been a pleasurable experience given the special event we were shopping for.

It is my hope that Fernando from Huntington Beach receives the proper training so that another customer does not have to endure this type of experience.