Joe Levi:
a cross-discipline, multi-dimensional problem solver who thinks outside the box – but within reality™

Why I won’t shop at Times Ticking ever again

Owner
Times Ticking
2044 Layton Hills Mall
Layton, Utah 84041

Subject: I won’t be coming back

Dear sirs,

I’m an advocate of buying local. I try to do business with local stores and shops. I try and keep my money in our community.  After my recent experience, I can no longer recommend people do this with your store.

You’ve already lost my money and lost my business. I’m not writing this letter in the hopes of getting anything for myself. Rather, I’m taking my time to share with you my experience in the hopes that I’ll be the last customer you lose.

I bought a new smart watch, a Pebble. It’s a great watch, but I wasn’t happy with its plastic band. I got a recommendation from a friend to get a Special Ops band for it, and really dress it up. I almost bought it off his recommendation. But I stopped myself so I could visit your store and see what you had to offer.

Unfortunately you had no black metal bands in stock. I wasn’t too happy about that, but I your employee brought out a few catalogs and said “we can order anything you want from these”. Great! I picked the band that looks most similar to the one I wanted, plunked down my credit card and was charged about $50 for the band with the promise that it would arrive “in a week or so” and that I’d “get a call” as soon as it was in. Great! I left a happy man. I’d found a decent watch band. I’d supported a local business. It was a good day.

A week and a few days went by. I hadn’t received a phone call, so I called the store. After several minutes on hold I was told that “it’s not in yet, give it a couple more days”.

I gave it a week and called back. Again I was put on hold. Again I was told “it’s not in yet, give it a couple more days”.

After three weeks, still without having heard from anyone, I made a special trip to the store. About 15 minutes passed while your employee looked up my order.  Her response? It’s not in yet, give it… I cut her off. “Fine. Just give me a refund.”

I waited again while she went in the back room to make a phone call.

After several more minutes she apparently got approval to refund my money and started ringing it through. She asked for my credit card… then asked for my ID. Why would she need my ID to money back on my card? I thought that was odd at the time.

Apparently it was because she wasn’t putting money back on my card. She was taking another $50 off my card. She asked me to sign the receipt. “Where does it say this is a refund?” It wasn’t. It was another sale. I refused to sign the slip.

She got back on the phone, and headed back into the back room.

Several more minutes passed. She ran my card again and printed another receipt, this time showing it was a negative amount – a credit. Now that the problem she’d just created was fixed she got back to work trying to refund my original payment.

About this time I noticed the card on your counter that solicits customers to scan the QR code and leave a review. I pulled out my phone, scanned the code, and started typing. Here’s the review that I left. As you can tell, it’s quite a few words typed on a very small screen. That should give you an idea of how much time I wasted trying to get the problem fixed.

When all was finally said and done, I got an insincere apology that “it didn’t work out”.

After three weeks your employee still had no idea when the watch band would arrive. Her response was “oh well” — not “I’m sorry” or “we’ll order it again with overnight delivery to your house” or “what can we do to make this right?” Just “oh well”.

I went home and ordered the watch band that I originally wanted from Amazon.com. It costs about twice as much as the one I was going to buy from you. I’ve attached the invoice so you know that I’m being truthful. According to the tracking number, this band has already shipped and should arrive by the time you get this letter.

So, now you’ve heard about my experience with your store. Again, you’ve already lost my money and lost my business. Hopefully by me sharing this information you’ll be able to make whatever changes you feel are necessary and appropriate to ensure that another of your customers doesn’t have the same experience that I had…

… unless you don’t care either.

Cordially,

Joe Levi

UPDATE: I got the following reply from Tom, the manager of Time’s Ticking:

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