On September 3rd, I went to Staples to buy some stationery and inquire about the progress of the warranty repairs to my computer. I had taken it in on August 10th and was told repairs could take “two to four weeks.” I was also told that I would receive emails informing me of the progress of the repairs.
As of September 3rd, it had been over three weeks and I had not received any emails.
After buying the stationery, I asked a Staples sales associate about my computer. I explained how I had not received any emails and asked whether he could check on the progress.
“No,” he said abruptly. “Go home and call customer service.”
“But can’t you check while I am here?” I asked.
“No, go home and call customer service.”
He was wearing a mask, but his eyes showed that he was no more interested in helping me than a cannibal is interested in taking a course on vegetarian cooking.
This example of how not to treat a customer happened at 4:55 pm.
I decided not to ask any further questions and left the store.
My phone had been on Do Not Disturb while I was in the store. I checked my phone as I left and saw that I had a voice message at 4:55 pm. I listened to it while standing just outside Staples:
“Hi Gary, this is Manni calling from Staples. Your computer just came in and is ready to be picked up . . .”
What a coincidence! While the Staples’ Employee of the Year was telling me to go home and call customer service, 30 feet (9 meters) away from us, in an office behind the cash registers, Manni was calling me to tell me that my computer was ready to be picked up.
I went back into Staples. Manni said that he saw me paying for stationery and talking to the other sales associate. He did not know that I was the “Gary” he was calling.
I asked Manni why I did not receive any progress emails.
“We tell people that they will receive updates, but the technicians never bother to email customers,” Manni said.
Should I call Staples’ Customer Service to complain about their customer service? I likely will not. I do not need to hear a Staples Customer Service person tell me, “Go home and call customer service.”
