I just want to relay a terrible experience I had at Dick’s Sporting Goods a couple months ago.
Dick’s had their Remington UMC 9mm on sale, so I went in to purchase some. The first time I went there, they were out of stock, so I asked for a rain check (in Michigan, stores are generally required by law to provide rain checks on advertised items). The clerk told me that, “Dick’s doesn’t give out rain checks on ammunition.” Being formerly in retail myself, I know that there is a law in place requiring them, and told him so. I also told him that there was even a case where one company was taken to task by the state’s Attorney General’s office for just such a matter. The clerk responded by stating, “Dick’s doesn’t care, they’re so big they’ll just ignore the AG.”
I didn’t argue with the guy and went home to do some research. I called the AG’s office, and asked told them my understanding of the law, and asked if I was correct. I was told that if there were quantity limits (such as “5 per store”), then they didn’t have to give rain checks. I double checked the ad, and saw no such limits. I then asked if there were any exceptions for ammunition, for which I was told no. They then asked me which store I was having problems with, and what had happened. After I told them that Dick’s wouldn’t give a rain check for ammunition, the AG person told me to file a complaint on line. I thanked the person, and hung up.
Before filing the complaint, I wanted to be sure that the advertisement didn’t say anything about the issue, and also give Dick’s a chance to rectify the issue, so I went back again. This time, when I asked for a rain check, I was also told “no”. I then asked to speak with a manager who told me the same thing. I told here that it was state law, and she replied that it was Dick’s policy. At this point, I was satisfied that they would not give me a rain check, so I ceased pursuing the issue on that matter, and instead asked if she (the manager) could tell me if the add mentioned anything about this policy of theirs. She looked only part way through the add before telling me that she didn’t know. I then asked her if she could find someone who did know if it was stated in the add. She again told me that it was Dick’s policy and that I could call corporate about it, to which I replied that I understood that, but that I really wasn’t concerned since I would just let the AG’s office deal with that matter, “I just wanted to know if it said so in the add”. She started to appear as if she thought I was upset (don’t know why, since I was very calm and friendly), so I reassured her that I was not upset or angry, but just wanted to know if the add stated this policy. (If she, or anyone else had been able to show me such policy within the add, then it would have been a dead issue for me, since I felt that it would have provided an exception to the law. This was the main reason I’d returned, but also wanted to give them an opportunity to make right while I was there). Her response to this was that there was a District manager there, and she would ask him if I would like. I said yes, and she went to ask.
When she returned, she told me that, “My District Manager is in a conference call, so he can’t come talk to you, but he said there is no such law, and that we aren’t to give rain checks.” When she said that part about him saying that such a law didn’t exist, I couldn’t help but laugh, and then said that, “well, that’s fine, but did you ask him where it says the policy in the add?” (I hadn’t even asked her to inquire about rain checks, but had asked her to inquire about if it was in the add.) She then said that he hadn’t commented on that, so I requested that she find out (all I wanted to know was if I had missed something in the add when I’d read it the few times I had. Some of that print is pretty small.) So, she went back again, and this time, the District Manager himself came out.
Before he even got to me, he started yelling at me in a very confrontational and rude tone, “SIR, IT’S COMPANY POLICT TO NOT GIVE RAINCHECKS ON AMMUNITION. HAVE A NICE DAY!” I responded (calmly) by saying, “you don’t have to give me an attitude, I understand Dick’s policy, I just want to know if it’s in the add.” (By this time, other customers in the areas had started to turn and watch). He then yelled (in the same abusive manner), “HAVE A NICE DAY SIR!”, and started walking away. I then asked, “Well, can you tell me if it says so in the add?”, and he again Yelled, “HAVE A NICE DAY!” without even bothering to stop and face me when he spoke to me. I then asked for corporate’s number to which he replied (over his shoulder as he was walking away), “She wrote it down for you. (He did this while briefly pointing at the counter as he was walking away from me)”. I replied, “Thank you, that was totally uncalled for.”
This whole time, when dealing with these people, I was completely calm, and tried to be as inoffensive as possible. I had no reason to get upset as I knew that the AG would take care of the matter, had I not gotten satisfaction. I even told the female manager this, so this behavior by him was completely out of line.
I did call Dick’s corporate office to complain. However, it wasn’t to complain about their rain check policy. I knew that the AG’s office would handle that, but the ordeal required a complaint lodged against the manager’s ridiculous behavior. After I relayed the ordeal to the company representative on the phone, the response was, “We’re sorry about that sir. I assure you it will be turned over to the investigative team (not really sure about the terminology she used) for review.” I was stunned. “You mean a customer calls you with a report of how he was wrongly treated by your manager, and that’s all you’ve got to say?” We went back and forth a few minutes longer, as she kept trying to tell me about Dick’s policy on rain checks for ammunition, to which I also told here that she could explain it to the AG’s reps. I even expressed dismay that she didn’t even ask for a call back number to contact me by. She responded by saying that she had it on her caller ID. I then told her to not use that number, as it was my cell phone, and I usually don’t answer it. I told her that she should make sure that my cell phone number doesn’t get into their notes, and to instead enter my home phone number (which I then gave her). After that, she continued to go on about “Dick’s policy”, and I finally realized that the initial clerk was correct. They really don’t care.
That was just before the holidays IIRC, and then, last Thursday I get a call on my cell phone. I do have someone on the other side of the state that calls me on that phone, and thinking it was they, I answered. I was quite surprised to discover that it was someone from the Dick’s corporate office asking about my “problems with getting a rain check.” Of course I had never called Dick’s corporate office with a complaint about rain checks, so I thought there must be some confusion, and told her that it wasn’t about rain checks, but the manager that I had a problem with. (Remember, I’d told the initial CS rep to not keep my cell phone number, but to instead use my home phone number). When the woman who had called me sounded confused, I asked for clarification on why she was calling. Turns out she was calling me to tell me that the ammunition that I had a rain check on was waiting for me at the store all week. She said that she had tried to call on Monday, but was unable to contact me (no wonder, since she was calling a number that she wasn’t even supposed to have). I told her that the reason she couldn’t contact me was because she was calling the wrong number, to which she stated that it was the only number she had.
By now, I’d realized that the reason for the call had nothing to do with the encounter with their rude manager, and told her that my confusion arouse out of the fact that I had never contacted Dick’s corporate about rain check’s, but rather about the manager’s poor behavior. She didn’t seem to know anything about that, and while apologizing, stated that the ammunition would be there for me until the following Monday (today). When I asked her about the problem with the manager, she responded by telling me that that issue had been “resolved”. (She must have looked it up).
I then told her that while I appreciated her efforts to get me the ammo (probably because they had the AG breathing down their neck) that I really didn’t care to go into a Dick’s Sporting Goods again. I told here that, “While I can’t say that I’ll never go into a Dick’s again, I can say that if I ever do, then it will be as a last resort”. She responded by saying that the ammo would be there for the next four or five days, and to give me her contact number if I had any other questions. Thanks.
I hope someone else comes along to give them competition. They often have some good deals, but their service completely lacks. I was even took a friend in there several months ago to look at shotguns, and the same clerk who told me “Dick’s doesn’t care”, told my friend essentially that Mossbergs were worthless for HD. Like I said, I hope someone else comes along.
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Originally Posted by ZeSpectre
Entitlement
