About a week ago I received a letter and a coupon for $10 off on my next purchase at Fashion Bug. The letter thanked me for my recent purchases, and while I love getting coupons for money off, I have never shopped at Fashion Bug. I'm not even sure where there is a Fashion Bug store that I would go to. Yesterday, I received another correspondence from the store, this time a $15 off coupon! While I am sure stores are doing whatever they can to draw in business, this one made me think twice.
Is it possible that someone opened an account in my name? Fashion Bug seems to think I'm one of their valuable shoppers...huh? I wasn't feeling like going to "free credit score.com" to find out if an identity theft instance occurred, I just went online to find a number for Fashion Bug. I figured I'd clear this up once and for all. Who knew if the timing on a credit report was as current as this situation?
After searching for a phone number that was NOT a shopping number, I ended up at CUSTOMER SERVICE. Yes...a misnomer for sure with this company. After struggling through an automated system requiring me to press several numbers...one of which was to press 1 for English...really? I then was placed in the "on hold que".
Interestingly, I always wondered how long that elevator music lasts on hold--I found out. After about 12 minutes on hold, the music stops. Then there is complete silence, the kind that makes you think you got hung up on, but then a voice comes over to say, "we are assisting other customers, please stay on the line...", so I stupidly did. After over 20 minutes of this someone answered the phone. I explained my dilemna and asked if she could check the system to see if my name, address, or something about me showed up as a new credit card holder. The "customer service rep" knew nothing of any mailings of coupons to customers, but she told me she has no information on credit card services, that I'd have to call that department.
I called the number I was given, only to be met by another automated system. This system basically required me to enter my card number (which I didn't have) or my social security number. Now...this was a call I was making regarding a potential identity theft issue. Do they really think I am going to enter my social security number? I tried painstakenly to get a person on the phone, hitting every other number I could, posting fake social security numbers, just trying to get a person. In every instance, I received the response, "that is not a correct number," or "I have not received the right amount of digits."
I went through this process for about 13 minutes...yes, I really did think I might get through to someone. Afterall, Fashion Bug's Customer Service told me this was the number I had to call...serving the customer so well.
In a last ditch effort I went back online and found a "form" I could fill out and get a respone by email. I specifically listed the phone numbers I had called, detailed the responses as I did above--ok, maybe they were more politically correct, without my editorializing--and hit the send button. This was at 7:55pm last night. This morning at 9:42am Eastern time, I received an email response from someone who invited me to call the Customer Service line and they'd be more than happy to assist me. Yes, the same phone number I called initially. You have got to be kidding me!
The hopeless optimist in me went ahead and called that number. After 20 minutes on hold, and losing the entertaining "on hold" music, I realized I had enough. I replied to the email to let them know that this was the same number I had already tried, without any luck, and that this was ridiculous. Did someone steal my identity? Am I shopping at Fashion Bug without knowing it? Who knows the answers...I am going to just head to freecreditscore.com to find out what the heck is going on. And if someone did steal my identity...well, the litigious side of me might try to find that loophole I teach my students about...how can you sue a store that goes out of its way to NOT serve you when you clearly let a customer service rep KNOW you are worried about Identity Theft at their business?
At least this stupid experience gave me something to blog about...note to anyone reading, DON'T SHOP AT FASHION BUG...in my personal opinion and experience, they obviously do not know what Customer Service is all about. Sad, but true.
1 comment:
This makes my blood boil just reading about it! Maybe you should consider sending this to "The Fixer" at the Sun-Times. I'd love to see a write-up about it in a major newspaper. Kinda reminds me of a similar situation I had when my credit card was stolen. The customer service agent told me my boyfriend did it, and I was naive.
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