Released: July 06, 2007

Customer service depends on customer

Source: Jayne O'Donnell and Elaine Hughes, USA Today

All Michelle Gluckow and her 13-year-old daughter wanted to do was buy a summer’s worth of camp clothes in one night at a New Jersey Abercrombie & Fitch.

After she suffered through long lines, blaring music and low lighting, Gluckow says, the cashier refused to sell her all 24 items, because of a policy that capped purchases at 20 to limit reselling. Gluckow, incredulous that she couldn’t pay full price for all the clothes she wanted, refused to leave the store until she had all the layered outfits her daughter needed.

Ultimately, she says, the manager grudgingly let her split the purchase between two credit cards.

Gluckow was luckier than Robert Martin, who says he couldn’t get Sears to take back a faulty 7-month-old phone — despite repeated calls and letters — because accepting it would violate store policy.

Martin, a 30-year Sears credit card holder, says the decision shows why many businesses are losing loyal customers.

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