Tom G.
Yelp
Williams Sonoma (WS), University Village.
(I review the Wms Sonoma web site in my next post)
I am a longtime Wms Sonoma customer. I've shopped the stores in University Village for at least 20 years. Nothing has been the same since the WS store in University Village moved into the larger space once occupied by Restoration Hardware.
I can recount many problems but lets just start with more recent woes.
Dec 2019 - I went into the store in early December to buy some Chemex coffee filters. The line to check out was very, very long at midday. A new cashier was being trained by another employee. Still there was no other register open on a December day. I thought I would return later toward evening. When I returned, problems were worse. The person doing the training was gone and the new employee looked beyond stressed. Another woman was walking around offering free samples of a peppermint item, the cashier line was long. Another woman who identified herself as the manager was walking around with a big grin. When I asked her why someone was not helping at the register, she told me she was busy (could have fooled me) and was about to start 'cooking' for a special event that night. I put down my coffee filters and left.
August 2020 - the Pandemic was raging. I called as asked about curbside pickup. Yes, I was told. Just order what you want, pay for it by phone, and COME INTO THE STORE TO PICK IT UP. Even though I went quickly (I live less than 2 miles away) the item had already been sent to the 'storage' area behind the retail space. Someone at the register in the center of the store (think pandemic) has to call for a person there and then have it brought out. If the person in back is busy, good luck.
Another time I waited in a long line for checkout. The cashier looked stressed and was irritable. She finished the transaction and I said, "You did not get my information for the points system you run." She gave me THE LOOK, TURNED AND WALKED AWAY.
On almost every occasion I felt as if I was doing the store a favor to shop there.
Recently a friend went into the UVillage store with a return. It was a food item. He reports he was treated very badly by the manager. I won't report on the actual interaction as I was not there. What is clear is that this current manager has has not had sufficient training in dealing with an upset customer and in how to de-escalate a difficult situation.
One Yelp reviewer encourages us to give them a chance. Is this reviewer kidding? See below.
I stronglhy advise avoiding Williams Sonoma stores or online shopping. If you must, before you buy ANYTHING at this or any other Wms Sonoma store (others are rate 3 stars and not 2)
1. Ask about the return policy for this item. The list of items you cannot return is longer than my arm. NO FOOD can be returned. DO NOT BUY any food item here. Try Chef Shop or DeLaurenti in the Pike Place Market or some of the excellent grocery stores in the Seattle area. Compare prices for food items (etc) with other stores.
2. If you are getting ANY item from the store room you have not seen, open and inspect it carefully. Customers on Yelp report problems returning even defective merchandise within a short time. Better yet go to another Puget Sound Williams Sonoma store that gets a marginal 3 stars and not fewer.
3. I remember lots of positive experiences at the older smaller storewhere I bought an expensive coffemaker, Kitchen Aid blender, many kitchen towels and much more. I have had few positive experience at the new store in University Village. An 'older' man waited on me, knew the merchandise and was efficient.
4. One YELP reviewer asks us to 'give them a chance'. Anyone can report a positive experience if they walk into a store, know what they want, buy it and leave with no problems later. My reading about customer service: the best stores understand how a business handles complaints. One management article I read suggested for every one complaint as many as 10 other people had similar experiences but did not bother to report them. I am always confused when a business seems to forget that I am the paying customer.