L L.
Yelp
Unfortunately, I have to agree with Christopher H. I've had mixed experiences with this store, but I too got an off-putting vibe when I visited in person. I've experienced disorganization, & contradictory policy info, which has affected my customer experience. I know the store is still relatively new, so hopefully better CS will happen. For now, it's not where my expectations lie for this brand.
First phone order was great. They answered the phone, I ordered & paid, then I got my items the very next day.
Second time, I got a runaround. I called to make 2nd order, was told they're short staffed & call back next day. Next day called back, was told they decided not to take orders on the weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun) & call Mon. To me this is unprofessional; I had called on a Thurs & had the name of the staff member who told me to call Fri for my phone order. If your staff tells a customer to do that, & they go through the hassle to do it, you come through b/c it's the LEAST you can do to act professional, but nope!
I called back Mon & was told they will not take phone orders for the duration of that sale. SMH. I explained the game they had put me through & how I had done exactly what their staff directed (I named time, date, & employee spoken with for each call), but nope, no help.
Contacted Patagonia corporate who contacted the store. Corporate told me to call back, even if I need to "keep trying" b/c Baltimore stopped answering phones; apparently, corporate explained, they could do a back-end order from Baltimore store if they were too busy, but corporate needed store approval. Very convoluted, & all the hassle / responsibility put on me. I waited a few days, made 4 more calls, & Baltimore finally answered to--I'm sorry to say--reluctantly take my order. That time, I was told they would only take gift card payment b/c they won't take c-card over the phone. (?) Luckily I had a gc, but of course I had about $3 balance after it was used, so it was presented like a huge favor from them to accept my Visa. No apology for the repeated misinformation, no accountability for their runaround. They come off disorganized & uncaring. Unfortunately it was not a pleasant experience from start to finish.
Last week, I finally got to visit in person, & I hate to say I felt unwelcome like Christopher H.'s review.
A male employee on the floor asked me if I needed help, but he also looked me up & down & had standoffish posturing, which I read as snobby. Ignoring it, I was friendly in response, asked for outlet area? (I was only interested in outlet stuff b/c I can pay full price online so why drive 2h for full price?) He quickly told me what was where & what was discounted, but I didn't catch all he said, & there were no signs explaining any of this, like it's a secret. I asked again but 2nd time was more confusing (certain stock outlet price but no clarity on what that was, certain stock this discount, other stuff this discount--could they just mark the actual price or put up a sign?). The exchange was not helpful nor welcoming.
Soon after, a female employee approached me & asked if I was familiar with Patagonia? Yes, I've shopped Patagonia since 1997. I asked again for what was outlet stuff & finally got clarity on 3rd staff explanation. Then another employee with long dark hair & glasses kind of glared at me from across the store (see my photos), so again, more neg vibe I don't understand.
Found something to buy. I was waiting for Patagonia to send me a refund gift card in the mail which didn't arrive in time for this trip. (I can't understand why Patagonia--of all environmentally conscious companies--doesn't do e-gift cards, but they don't.) I asked to hold item & get a send sale once gc arrived. Sadly this wastes even more emissions, but Ian understood & held my item.
I called back to give gc info, no one answered (6pm on a Mon, they close at 7pm). I left a vm. I thought they'd definitely get back to me the next morning, but no. I called in the 1pm hour that next day, left another vm. Zero reply. Had to call several more times to finally reach someone late in the afternoon.
Short staffed? I'm struggling to apply that to what I saw at this store. When I was there on a Fri night in Dec, just before 5pm, you see in my photos, the store was empty. Might have been 3 customers while I was there. As mentioned, there were 2 associates on floor, 1 at register, & another giving me looks. More employees than customers, & no one was putting out stock, creating a display, etc. So for all the hassle I had with not answering phones & zero return calls, I fail to understand how they are short staffed.
I have known the Patagonia brand a long time, & professional decency has always been bred into their staff, & germane to every interaction. Baltimore fell far short of my many experiences with the brand, which are a HUGE factor in my continued business.
