Poor customer service at Macy's really irks me. - YouLookFab Forum

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Poor customer service at Macy's really irks me.

Kari

Veteran

I am not a fan of Macy's whatsoever in spite of the fact that they have decent merchandise, because their customer service is always so lacking when I go in to their stores. 90% of the time I cannot find a sales assistant who will even catch my eye, let alone help me. I've had times when I literally walked away from a purchase because I walked around for 15 minutes without finding anyone who would ring me up instead of walking away at top speed.

More recently, last night, I stopped by Macy's to pick out Christmas presents. I had a whole slew of purchases that my mom and I were going in on together; she is a cardholder and had an additional 15% discount, and she wasn't at the mall with me, so I put them all on hold and was assured they would be held until the end of the day on Tuesday (like, 9:30 PM.)

Fast forward to tonight - my mom stopped by the store, and they totally lost all of the items I put on hold because their stock room is so disorganized that they can't find anything. Many of the items were the last one in that size, so I had them on hold for a reason. I guess I should have just left them on the racks and told my mom what to look for instead.

I know it's not a big deal, and right now it's a busy time of year, but seriously, I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've shopped at Macy's without some kind of negative customer service incident, and most of those involved making a return for online shopping. I'm just kind of fed up with the attitude I get at that store, compared to a store like Nordstrom or REI where the interactions with the sales assistants at my local stores make it clear that their company highly prioritizes customers having an excellent experience. Macy's, not so much.

Shopping

24 replies

Latest reply was from D'Ellen

Ana

(website)

Veteran

I'm sorry Kari! : ( I've had similar experiences at Macy's and rarely shop there, too.

missvee

Veteran

Poor customer service is a real problem for many of the large retailers, especially this time of year when the staff are often part timers brought in to handle the increased sales. I guess all you can do is vote with your feet and go elsewhere. Frustrating though...

Jjsloane

Veteran

I rarely shop there and it's quite convenient to me. Just not a fan of their service and the amazingly long list of items that never qualify for coupons. They are much nicer at Nordstrom and Lord and Taylor so I go there for my Department store needs. It's been downhill since they bought out our Hecht's. I shopped there A LOT.

Kari

Veteran

Glad to know I'm not alone. Urrrgh, it's so aggravating to me. One of my biggest pet peeves.

Jjsloane

Veteran

I'm with you Kari. I worked retail for many years and will not tolerate obvious poor service. I have walked out on perfectly good sales when treated poorly (or ignored) and complained to management. My biggest pet peeve is being in a long line and a new clerk takes the pushy person at the end of the line who runs to their register rather than assert that they should be taking the next person in line (who has been waiting).

elpgal

Veteran

I am with you. Even though I am tempted by a lot of the Macy's stuff I see here, I pass on them because their poor customer service and general lack of organization in the store. I have had the same experience in most Macy's whether it is one in a suburban mall or one in the city. I echo the sentiment about it being better before it merged with Hechts.

Jonesy

Veteran

That is awful, Kari. The Macy's in our town is a dump, and I have never gotten over that it used to be a Marshall Field's (a Chicago-based institution with fab customer service and a strong selection of women's wear) before Macy's bought it out. So sad.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

I haven't had quite the trouble you've described, but I was rather irked with the fact that none of my coupons worked at all last weekend. At the tail end of my shopping though, a guy from the shoe dept. rang up the last batch of stuff I was buying and gave me the discount on my whole order, which was nice - since I had already run into the "your coupon isn't valid because this is a special" thing several times that morning.

Meanwhile, I've had good luck with my online orders - they are doing a good job on that side of things, in my experience.

Sorry to hear of your annoying experience Kari - especially after hand-picking out all your gifts like that. Ack!

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Bad customer service has a taste that lingers long after the incident(s)! I'm so surprised how many companies across the board don't see this fact or seem to care much if they do.

qfbrenda

Veteran

That's too bad. I've been pretty impressed with the one in Silverdale, WA but otherwise my Macy's experience has been limited.

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

Kari, you're cutting them a lot more slack than I would have -- that's deplorable and there's no excuse for it whatsoever. Is any of it available online?

Kari

Veteran

Michelle - some are available online, and some I can't find. Because I didn't expect Macy's to actually lose my hand-picked items (silly me!) I didn't write down any of the brands or style numbers.

My poor mom... I had to talk her through the store on her cell phone and say "Ummm... I think it was this brand, and it was by the tiny little side entrance, kind of close to the aisle and on the lowest shelf... I think it may have been this color or that color..."
While we didn't find every single item in the right color & right size, we at least found some that were similar enough. Whew! But Mo is right, the experience has left a nasty taste in my mouth. Every time something like this happens at Macy's, I'm reminded of why I don't usually shop there, and tend to spend my time and money at Ann Taylor Loft and Nordstrom instead.

I probably shouldn't let this get me as steamed as I actually am. Grrr.

Anonymous

Macy's is in the business of opening credit accounts....not customer service. So that is the reason customer service is so cruddy. Which is a shame since Macy's is so close to my house and I would drop a lot more cash there if there was actually service! Sorry that you had such a blech experience...what a waste of your time.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Oh, Marshall Field's, I miss it so...

I've had similar experiences at Macy's, and rarely go there. The customer service is akin to what you get at a place like Kohl's, with a lot higher prices - I'm willing to put up with it at Kohl's, but not at Macy's. Occasionally I luck into the experienced or motivated person, but not enough to make it worth it.

MINI

Surprising to find out that I'm not the only one who has issue with macy's customer service. My case is little different since there's no macy's store in my state, but their customer service is too sloooooooow and poor. I ordered a giftcard from macys.com and had it ship directly to my friend for her birthday.

After like a month later, my friend called me saying she couldn't use her giftcard and were told the balance was $0? My friend lives in VA and the balance is used in CA. Hm....She didn't even take out the giftcard from the envelop until she decided to go shopping to use that card on that day and the balance was just gone with the wind like that or flew away. I don't know. Just absurd. I called macy's customer service and the customer rep. said they'd "investigate" and it might take up to a month. Ok, understood, so I left them alone for one month as they said so they could investigate. Meanwhile, I didn't get any update, email, nothing.

I called customer service again and they said their "investigation team" is still workin on it. I didn't know why it took so long to investigate very obvious issue (I'm pretty sure it was some kinda their in-system error or mistake). After days and nights of waiting w/o any updates or good news, I was seriously beginning to think maybe they were forwarding the issue to FBI or something, otherwise it couldn't take that long with no apprent result. After weeks later, I called them again and FINALLY they gave me options to choose either refund or reship the giftcard. Of course I begged them please just give me my money back. The rep. said they'll issue the refund and it might take up to one month, but instead of one month, it ended up taking actually three months. I had to call, email them multiple times meanwhile. I even memorized their phone number. It was a nigjhtmare!

kimlee

Veteran

Kari - That just stinks. I have had similar experiences with Macy's which is why I rarely shop at them anymore.

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

I'm sorry, Kari! Our Macys here in Austin is the same way. It is so difficult to get help in apparel. Shoes and accessories are entirely different, though.
I shopped at the Macys outside of Seattle with my family a few times this last week, and I do have to say that it is no different there. I picked up something in housewares and meandered through the entire store, finally deciding in the apparel department to just buy that one thing after all. The sales rep said "Oh, are they busy in housewares or something?" Ack!
On that same trip I meandered through cosmetics and even LOOKED SPECIFICALLY at a few products, and three sales girls turned their backs to us and carried on their conversation. I would have bought something, but felt bad interrupting them and just left.
It's just so sad because it used to be such a great place to shop.

rae

(website)

Veteran

I have a Macy's gift card, so I've been stopping in there from time to time trying to find something I like, although I'm not a frequent Macy's shopper. The very first trip, I was browsing a rack near a woman who needed help finding a size. She practically had to clothesline the SA to get her to stop. The associate flatly told her that there were no other sizes and started to walk away. The woman asked about the one on the mannequin, and the associate huffed and said there was no one to take it off the mannequin. "Or, I guess you can call the manager," the associate said. The woman and I looked at one another in disbelief - SHE could call the manager? "How about you do your job and call the manager for me?" the customer finally snapped. By the time I moved on from that section, the poor lady was disassembling the mannequin herself, because no one had returned to help her.

Way to go, Macy's! The store wasn't even busy at the time... -_-

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I hear you!! I have had this happen to me multiple times and it's AWFUL. Rotten luck

Now, I choose a few sales assistants that I have gotten to know downtown and I *only* put things on hold with them.

Amy

(website)

Veteran

I've had similar experiences at Macy's. It's too bad, too, because the store often carries nice merchandise, but it can be such a hassle to find help that I usually leave empty-handed.

Elly

Veteran

That is too bad Kari-- I've never tried to put anything on hold at Macy's-- just because I don't live near one.

On my recent trip I was disappointed in our two "local" Macy's but it wasn't by the service. I hear about and see all the great things that others' Macy's sell, and it frustrates me to no end that every Macy's within 300 miles of me sells mostly Juniors' clothes, a few high-end designers, and double knit polyester pants.

I will say this--- there is one Macy's in ABQ that is particularly nice, with a fabulously well-kept floor and looks very much like a higher-end store, like Nordstrom. I received excellent customer service every time I stepped into a department despite the fact that I probably looked like I was fresh off the farm that day (from my other meeting). I also returned garments that they apparently did not sell in the store with absolutely no hassle--- which was great because I was quite impressed with the original promotions when I ordered the dresses, getting them nearly 70 dollars off. One other store would not allow me to return the items because they didn't stock them in that particular store, but gave me no warning when I called. Another store charged me a $7 restocking fee without informing me (it isn't on their website either). I could have mailed it back for that.

You'd think in the Seattle area Macy's would be trying to find its niche or compete with Nordstrom-- and I would assume to do so they would need to improve customer service.

Still, my last visit to B&M Nordstrom was in Phoenix several years ago, and I was disappointed with receiving pretty much NO service there. I am always willing to try more, buy more, and pay a little more for great service, because it makes a huge difference in my shopping experience. I wish sales' ladies had a tip jar, so I could give them a little something for all the help even if I don't end up purchasing!

velvetychocolate

Veteran

Glad you mentioned this Elly - because I've also noticed that there are "good Macy's" and "bad Macy's". Some stores don't have the selection, others - the service isn't there. Seems silly, but I've noticed a correlation between the number of floors a Macy's store has and the overall selection and service. The one-floor only stores aren't great, imo.

All of this said, I have been extremely happy with my online Macys.com purchasing experiences lately. Not sure where the items are shipped from, but they are doing a great job ...little thank you cards, perfume samples, things beautifully folded and packaged. I also get proper updates via e-mail as to exactly what's going on with my orders. I recently received an inexpensive costume jewelry necklace that I'd ordered, and it came in a little silver mesh drawstring bag with a silver Macy's 'star' tag attached to it, two perfume samples AND a little thank you card. That order was like $16 something. Also received two of the INC turtlenecks (Angie pick) very quickly, and folded perfectly. Not shipped in a giant oversized box either. Again, a little thank you card was in there.

I would be very mad if I'd been in a store and picked out a bunch of gifts and had them on hold for pickup ...and they were gone. Hate to say it, but a bad experience is more likely to stick in one's memory for a long time. A negative experience is much worse than people realize.

Kari - have you called the company or the specific store to tell them about your experience with having carefully shopped for gifts and put them on hold, only to have them gone?

MsMaven

Veteran

A few years back Macy's was an excellent store--it's too bad what has happened to it. Around the time the customer service started going downhill our local stores stopped carrying many of the lines I once bought. Yes, there have been many changes, bankruptcies and disruption in retail in the last few years, but it seems to me Macy's has lost its way and has no idea what it wants to be. I seldom shop there now, and when I do I usually walk away without buying. I do buy wedding presents online when couples we know register there. That's about it.

D'Ellen

Veteran

Kari, how frustrating!

My closest Macy's is 45 minutes away so I don't shop there often. Fortunately I've never experienced poor customer service and recently had a quite pleasant experience. I had one of those discount cards that never seem to apply to whatever it is I'm shopping for. I wanted to use it to purchase a sweater and was told that it didn't apply to full price items in that department, but the SA volunteered that there was a sale starting the next day and the discount would work then. I explained that I was from out of town and would not be coming back for the sale, nor would I be purchasing the sweater that day at full price. I then politely and sweetly (big smile) expressed my frustration with the discount cards that never worked. She agreed with me and said she was going to do a pre-sale on the sweater giving me the sale price, applying the discount and letting me take the merchandise that day. She was so accomodating that I actually felt a bit guilty when I ended up returning the sweater a few weeks later.