Comments on: Customer service problems with Pottery Barn Kids – Part Deux http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2009/01/21/customer-service-problems-with-pottery-barn-kids-part-deux/ A librarian, writer and educator reflecting on the profession and the tools we use to serve our patrons Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:11:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 By: Toto http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2009/01/21/customer-service-problems-with-pottery-barn-kids-part-deux/comment-page-1/#comment-187548 Toto Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:13:16 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/?p=1006#comment-187548 Wow, it was interesting to read all these comments. I feel sorry for Meredith for going through the struggle with the baby furniture. As someone who raised her kids with hand-me-down furniture, I've never worried about any of these issues, changed my kids on the floor and honestly I only remember the kids - not the furniture. I suppose people like PB for their great style, but I didn't know they can have so many (to me unrealistic) expectations and unnecessary worries. Wow, it was interesting to read all these comments. I feel sorry for Meredith for going through the struggle with the baby furniture. As someone who raised her kids with hand-me-down furniture, I’ve never worried about any of these issues, changed my kids on the floor and honestly I only remember the kids – not the furniture. I suppose people like PB for their great style, but I didn’t know they can have so many (to me unrealistic) expectations and unnecessary worries.

]]> By: Cathy http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2009/01/21/customer-service-problems-with-pottery-barn-kids-part-deux/comment-page-1/#comment-187517 Cathy Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:55:30 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/?p=1006#comment-187517 Eric: Did you find the part to the Kendall Crib? I worked for PBK for 4 years. I know we used to be able to order replacement parts for the cribs, but when they changed manufacturers, replacements parts became unavailable. It was maddening that the vendors did this but that's what happened. The Kendall did go through a vendor change so maybe that's why you cannot get parts, but it is certainly no excuse for how you have been treated!!! Or any of you on this board. Very disheartening. Perhaps you could try another store to see if they might help any more, or the replacement parts person was located at the corporate offices in SF. Good luck! Eric: Did you find the part to the Kendall Crib? I worked for PBK for 4 years. I know we used to be able to order replacement parts for the cribs, but when they changed manufacturers, replacements parts became unavailable. It was maddening that the vendors did this but that’s what happened. The Kendall did go through a vendor change so maybe that’s why you cannot get parts, but it is certainly no excuse for how you have been treated!!! Or any of you on this board. Very disheartening. Perhaps you could try another store to see if they might help any more, or the replacement parts person was located at the corporate offices in SF. Good luck!

]]> By: Lucia http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2009/01/21/customer-service-problems-with-pottery-barn-kids-part-deux/comment-page-1/#comment-187512 Lucia Fri, 22 May 2009 16:55:45 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/?p=1006#comment-187512 Yep, the customer service is badly managed. I went back to return a puzzle that I purchased 2 days earlier because it was missing a piece. Becky, the sale person from the Stanford location was very rude and said that I cannot return an open box, except for the same thing. Well...how could you know that a puzzle is defective until you open the box? She was extremely rude and became nervous and in the end, after reading to her the conditions displayed on the receipt she became nervous and it was very clear that she did not wanted to comply because of her pride, I guess. It was very disappointing too, but I am sure that I will not put my foot in that store again - simply, I cannot understand her behavior. I was never treated like this in my entire life at any store. Yep, the customer service is badly managed. I went back to return a puzzle that I purchased 2 days earlier because it was missing a piece. Becky, the sale person from the Stanford location was very rude and said that I cannot return an open box, except for the same thing. Well…how could you know that a puzzle is defective until you open the box? She was extremely rude and became nervous and in the end, after reading to her the conditions displayed on the receipt she became nervous and it was very clear that she did not wanted to comply because of her pride, I guess. It was very disappointing too, but I am sure that I will not put my foot in that store again – simply, I cannot understand her behavior. I was never treated like this in my entire life at any store.

]]> By: Carol Williams http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2009/01/21/customer-service-problems-with-pottery-barn-kids-part-deux/comment-page-1/#comment-187511 Carol Williams Fri, 15 May 2009 15:42:54 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/?p=1006#comment-187511 Thank you for posting this. I am glad to know that I am not alone. I have spent so much money at PB and PBK that I feel like the world's biggest sucker. We have had several problems including: -Kendall dresser set with an inoperable drawer and broken handall. -Area rug that smells like burned rubber. (After two years the smell has finally subsided.) -The last straw was this: I purchased window treatments for my son's room, came home and found out that they didn't match; after a month of trying, I cannot find 4 matching panels anywhere. No one at the store is willing to help, but, they will give me a store credit! I am not only tired, I am done. From now on, I am staying away. Thank you for posting this. I am glad to know that I am not alone. I have spent so much money at PB and PBK that I feel like the world’s biggest sucker. We have had several problems including:
-Kendall dresser set with an inoperable drawer and broken handall.
-Area rug that smells like burned rubber. (After two years the smell has finally subsided.)
-The last straw was this: I purchased window treatments for my son’s room, came home and found out that they didn’t match; after a month of trying, I cannot find 4 matching panels anywhere. No one at the store is willing to help, but, they will give me a store credit!

I am not only tired, I am done. From now on, I am staying away.

]]> By: AG http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2009/01/21/customer-service-problems-with-pottery-barn-kids-part-deux/comment-page-1/#comment-187488 AG Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:34:29 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/?p=1006#comment-187488 Ordered a storage unit from pbkids and one of the parts arrived without drill holes. The staff were not very helpful, but after several calls to the store(none of which were returned) they did agree to provide me with a new part to replace the old one. Never mentioned that they would need the defective part back, so I had to make 2 trips to their store to get the issue resolved. Nothing was offered for the inconvenience, frustration, or loss of time, but at least I had the part. I wouldve loved to have stopped doing buisness with them at that point, but I had another storage cubby left to assemble. This one had a dowel missing. No replacement part was available at the store, so my options were to wait until an entire replacement cubby was shipped there, or to wait up to a few weeks for a label, to return the part, and wait for a replacement. After(I should say if) I get this storage unit in place, I dont plan to do buisness with them again! Ordered a storage unit from pbkids and one of the parts arrived without drill holes. The staff were not very helpful, but after several calls to the store(none of which were returned) they did agree to provide me with a new part to replace the old one. Never mentioned that they would need the defective part back, so I had to make 2 trips to their store to get the issue resolved. Nothing was offered for the inconvenience, frustration, or loss of time, but at least I had the part. I wouldve loved to have stopped doing buisness with them at that point, but I had another storage cubby left to assemble. This one had a dowel missing. No replacement part was available at the store, so my options were to wait until an entire replacement cubby was shipped there, or to wait up to a few weeks for a label, to return the part, and wait for a replacement. After(I should say if) I get this storage unit in place, I dont plan to do buisness with them again!

]]> By: Eric http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2009/01/21/customer-service-problems-with-pottery-barn-kids-part-deux/comment-page-1/#comment-187474 Eric Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:19:11 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/?p=1006#comment-187474 I just had an unfortunate customer service experience with PBK as well. I posted it to another blog. Here it is: Pottery Barn Lost (Me as a customer that is) I dont have to write an intro for this post since I can just use the first paragraph from this post by meredith farkas. Long time customer, every room has Pottery Barn furniture in it, etc. We bought our son the Pottery Karn kids Kendall Crib and dresser set two years ago. Over the past two years, the surface of his crib has gotten pretty badly banged up, but hey, it’s his crib and he likes it. In the past year or so, the dropside had gotten increasingly difficult to raise/lower. And one day last week, it completely broke. Upon inspection, both spring loaded latches at the bottom of the dropside had gotten worn out and they eventually just broke at the same time, rendering the dropside useless, and forcing me to convert it to a toddler bed immediately. My son was not ready for a toddler bed. Sleepless nights ever since. I spent the better part of last night on the phone with 4 different people in Pottery Barn furniture - three of whom tried to get rid of me by putting me on hold immediately after answering the phone for a long time. The last one couldn’t, since I refused to be put on hold. This person said that since the Kendall is no longer under warranty, they couldn’t help me out. Seriously? This part is at the bottom of the thousands and thousands of cribs they sell every month. It probably costs Pottery Barn less than a dollar. But unfortunately it’s an essential part to a functional dropside. I explained the situation, and asked the person if I could buy the part so my family can all get some sleep. Nope. Apparently, Pottery Barn furniture carries a 30-day warranty. After that, you are f-ed - no matter how ridiculously simple the fix is, even if you want to pay for it (I would pay big bucks for this little part - sidebar, a secondary market for these things might be a good little business). To top it off, the person I talked to was totally rude (I assume the others who did the “please hold” trick would have been as well) and offered no assistance. Wow. Apparently things are so good at William Sonoma (parent co. of Pottery Barn), that they can afford to be rude and lose customers, good for them. I’m happy to take my business elsewhere. I just can’t believe how ridiculous this is - they must buy these by the shipload from China with the volume they run. AND I’d pay them for it! In the meantime, does anyone know where I can score a spring loaded latch that fits a Pottery Barn Kendall crib? I need some sleep. I just had an unfortunate customer service experience with PBK as well. I posted it to another blog. Here it is:

Pottery Barn Lost
(Me as a customer that is)

I dont have to write an intro for this post since I can just use the first paragraph from this post by meredith farkas. Long time customer, every room has Pottery Barn furniture in it, etc.

We bought our son the Pottery Karn kids Kendall Crib and dresser set two years ago. Over the past two years, the surface of his crib has gotten pretty badly banged up, but hey, it’s his crib and he likes it. In the past year or so, the dropside had gotten increasingly difficult to raise/lower. And one day last week, it completely broke. Upon inspection, both spring loaded latches at the bottom of the dropside had gotten worn out and they eventually just broke at the same time, rendering the dropside useless, and forcing me to convert it to a toddler bed immediately.

My son was not ready for a toddler bed. Sleepless nights ever since.

I spent the better part of last night on the phone with 4 different people in Pottery Barn furniture – three of whom tried to get rid of me by putting me on hold immediately after answering the phone for a long time. The last one couldn’t, since I refused to be put on hold. This person said that since the Kendall is no longer under warranty, they couldn’t help me out.

Seriously?

This part is at the bottom of the thousands and thousands of cribs they sell every month. It probably costs Pottery Barn less than a dollar. But unfortunately it’s an essential part to a functional dropside. I explained the situation, and asked the person if I could buy the part so my family can all get some sleep. Nope.

Apparently, Pottery Barn furniture carries a 30-day warranty. After that, you are f-ed – no matter how ridiculously simple the fix is, even if you want to pay for it (I would pay big bucks for this little part – sidebar, a secondary market for these things might be a good little business). To top it off, the person I talked to was totally rude (I assume the others who did the “please hold” trick would have been as well) and offered no assistance.

Wow. Apparently things are so good at William Sonoma (parent co. of Pottery Barn), that they can afford to be rude and lose customers, good for them. I’m happy to take my business elsewhere. I just can’t believe how ridiculous this is – they must buy these by the shipload from China with the volume they run. AND I’d pay them for it!

In the meantime, does anyone know where I can score a spring loaded latch that fits a Pottery Barn Kendall crib? I need some sleep.

]]> By: Meredith Farkas http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2009/01/21/customer-service-problems-with-pottery-barn-kids-part-deux/comment-page-1/#comment-187467 Meredith Farkas Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:05:47 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/?p=1006#comment-187467 Best of luck in resolving the situation to your satisfaction, Elizabeth! Best of luck in resolving the situation to your satisfaction, Elizabeth!

]]> By: Elizabeth http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2009/01/21/customer-service-problems-with-pottery-barn-kids-part-deux/comment-page-1/#comment-187466 Elizabeth Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:14:14 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/?p=1006#comment-187466 Hi. I'm in the second week of working with Pottery Barn Kids customer service. I will return to this site, Meredith, next week and tell the whole story, when I see what customer service supervisor Chris in Oklahoma City ultimately does to make amends on my order. Meanwhile, I have to say that I'm stunned by the ridiculous comment of "James": surely, you cannot expect them (pottery barm) to eat the shipping and handling on a large item you need to return for whatever reason. Is James nuts? If Pottery Barn has sent you a defective item, I sure do expect them to pay for the return shipping charges AND the charges to ship the new, non-defective item. That's known as customer service. Obviously, James has some vested interest In Pottery Barn Kids, no matter what he says. Hi. I’m in the second week of working with Pottery Barn Kids customer service. I will return to this site, Meredith, next week and tell the whole story, when I see what customer service supervisor Chris in Oklahoma City ultimately does to make amends on my order. Meanwhile, I have to say that I’m stunned by the ridiculous comment of “James”: surely, you cannot expect them (pottery barm) to eat the shipping and handling on a large item you need to return for whatever reason.

Is James nuts? If Pottery Barn has sent you a defective item, I sure do expect them to pay for the return shipping charges AND the charges to ship the new, non-defective item. That’s known as customer service. Obviously, James has some vested interest In Pottery Barn Kids, no matter what he says.

]]> By: Meredith Farkas http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2009/01/21/customer-service-problems-with-pottery-barn-kids-part-deux/comment-page-1/#comment-187439 Meredith Farkas Wed, 01 Apr 2009 10:59:16 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/?p=1006#comment-187439 Hi Lisa, I don't know where she's located as she provided me with an 800 number, but I'd be surprised if Corporate Customer Relations wouldn't be in SF. Melanie was very pleasant to deal with and seemed genuinely concerned about about customer satisfaction. I filled out the Williams Sonoma email forms https://www.williams-sonomainc.com/contact-us/index.html for PR and Pb Kids Customer Service and received a response from her a week or two later. You could probably also call PB's corporate number and ask for her or someone in Corporate Customer Relations. Hi Lisa, I don’t know where she’s located as she provided me with an 800 number, but I’d be surprised if Corporate Customer Relations wouldn’t
be in SF.

Melanie was very pleasant to deal with and seemed genuinely concerned about about customer satisfaction. I filled out the Williams Sonoma
email forms https://www.williams-sonomainc.com/contact-us/index.html for PR and Pb Kids Customer Service and received a response from her a week or two later. You could probably also call PB’s corporate number and ask for her or someone in Corporate Customer Relations.

]]> By: JDH http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2009/01/21/customer-service-problems-with-pottery-barn-kids-part-deux/comment-page-1/#comment-187438 JDH Wed, 01 Apr 2009 01:48:17 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/?p=1006#comment-187438 Lisa has a good question. PBK just lost a glider that we ordered eight weeks ago. Wife is three weeks from delivery. PBK has agreed to restart a new order and consider some sort of credit (nothing concrete). Would be interested in an emailable address, as well. Lisa has a good question. PBK just lost a glider that we ordered eight weeks ago. Wife is three weeks from delivery. PBK has agreed to restart a new order and consider some sort of credit (nothing concrete). Would be interested in an emailable address, as well.

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