Terrible customer service from FatFace turns me into Mama Bear
This is not my normal yogi post, that’s for sure. This is a rant. And I probably wouldn’t be writing this rant had FatFace responded in a decent way to my complaint but they didn’t and they made me all angry, and insulted, and protective over how women and mothers should be treated.
So my hope is my sharing this, you’ll share this and FatFace will see it and respond in a decent way.
So here’s what I said:
Dear FatFace,
know this is going to read like a rant, because frankly it is.
This morning I went into the Fatface store in Falmouth to buy a couple of pieces. I went in around 9.30am as I knew it would be quiet. This was deliberate as I have a toddler in tow. On entering the store your two assistants were busy checking out something on a phone but they did say hi. There was no one else in the store and my toddler did start running around.
Here’s the thing. I am an expert at shopping with him in tow. I have learnt how to be a quick shopper, looking through clothes while keeping one eye on him, if he ever starts acting feral I leave but this morning he wasn’t. And yet one of your assistants was sighing and casting me judgmental looks while he pretended the changing room was his ‘house’ and he was doing his grocery shopping. No harm there I thought!
I tried on clothes with him in the room with me. I then came out with my two purchases to be asked ‘are you done?’ I brought the items, spent £65 and then handed back a paper bag my son had taken. To another judgmental look, as if he had stolen something precious. He had a little tantrum at having the empty paper bag taken away from him and the assistant rolled her eyes as she took it away.
I got no thank you and before I had even pulled my bag off the counter, the assistants were back looking at pictures of someone’s new baby on their phone cooing over how adorable it was. Oh the irony.
I am a Fatface fan. Today I spent £65 and two weeks ago I brought a pair of dungarees for £55. I am a single mother so whenever I shop for myself my toddler is with me, which means I only go to shops I love, I don’t browse for long and I shop hard and fast.
If I get treated like a leper and get judgmental looks and treatment from a couple of young shop assistants, it does not make me want to shop at that store anymore.
Which I won’t. Because I’m pissed off.
Instead I’ll go to seasalt or joules in Falmouth, where the staff are nice and friendly to both me and my son. And yes, I still like Fatface but I won’t shop in the Falmouth store, so you will lose part of my business.
Teach your staff good customer service. There is nothing quite like it for building brand loyalty.
Regards Keren Cooksey
AND THEN I GOT THIS RESPONSE:
Of course we never want our customers to feel like they cant shop with us.
Have had a look at our website:http://www.fatface.com/page/home Shopping online can be more convenient as you can browse from the comfort of your own home. We hope that your recent experience won’t put you off shopping with us again!
IN OTHER WORDS…DON’T COME IN STORE WITH YOUR TODDLER AND SHOP ONLINE INSTEAD.
This is appalling. I have no other words.
Without doubt, the worst customer care response I have ever read. Absolutely appalling. I’ll be boycotting the Manchester Store until a better response is heard.
I buy most of my clothes from fat face. I had a lovely necklace bought for me by my daughter. It broke the first time I wore it. I took it back to the Plymouth store and the girl said “yes we have had a lot of returns with same type of necklace. I guess it’s a fault” That was that! I thought she must have had a bad day. Now I read your letters and I feel disgusted with the way they have treated you. I defiantly won’t be buying anything else from fatface.!!!!
Shame on you FatFace. Appalling customer service in the first place. Followed by even worse customer relations response. If it had been me I would have left the assistants with my bagged up goods not paid and left after giving them short shrift. Good customer service costs nothing and pays such dividends. I think FatFace will be finding they can not survive on just having decent products any longer. There are too many alternatives. Let’s show them the power of social media.
Had a very similar thing in there, my boy was trying to see the boats in the water out the back of the shop window (like he had in most other shops) and the woman in there asked me to keep him with me incase he hurt himself (he’s two and bounces)
I’m sure the response meant to say ‘you might find it easier and more convenient to shop online given your situation, here’s the website and 10% off to show our gratitude for your loyal custom’ . . At least I hope that’s what they meant :-S
Words fail me!! Terrible Fat Face!!
Hi Keren,
We are really disappointed to hear of this and assure you that it is being dealt with as we type, not only at the store but also with our customer services team. Whilst it was not our intention to suggest you should shop online instead of in store, we appreciate the wording in our response may have inferred this, for which we are very sorry. We know you have spoken with our customer services manager via email yesterday and are pleased to read that previously you have had good experiences with our service, particularly on your recent visit to our Truro store.
We’d really like to have a chat with you and talk about how we’d like to help to restore your faith in us, so please can you email your contact telephone number hello@fatface.com and we’ll give you a call.
Many thanks,
Hayley @ FatFace
Thanks FatFace. I am speaking to your customer service manager and will share the outcome.
Unbelievable!! Let us all know the outcome keren. Hope you and little Frankie are all good! I miss that gorgeous boy X
I know what you mean,I used to shop at fat face for 17yrs,spent loads of money there,I went for a job there,was told I would not suit there shop??? I’m 45,were lots of fat face ,I’ve been in retail for years?&the last time I shopped there the 2young girls were very rude,I asked a question &’twas made to feel like I was in covenants there time,although they were doing nothing but chatting?i haven’t been in there since.the Truro staff are lovely,but I don’t drive& I don’t like shopping online,so now I go else where.