so, over the weekend there was a sale at a quilt shop i very seldom manage to visit (good thing too) it is almost 100 miles away. i love their selection and it seems like it could be a pretty good place; problem is...
i am starting to feel as if they (make mistakes) on purpose...bad as that sounds; this was my 3rd visit to this store...the first visit i purchase some sale items and did not receive the advertised discount on the items, did not notice until i got home...was only cents...i let it go...second visit i asked for a 1/2 yard cut of a fabric and when i got home i only had a fat quarter...i called the shop, they apologized but could not fix it...
now to the third (and last) visit...
this time we were on the motorcycle on our way to the airshow, hubby was nice enough to give me 1/2 an hour to shop at this shop i only go by a couple times a year. i found 2 sale fabrics that were needed and while they were being cut i looked around at the non-sale stuff. so i bought 1yard each of the 2 sale fabrics, found a 60 degree ruler i needed and then picked out a new wilderness panal with 2 coordinates...asked for 1 panal, 1 yard of one of the coordinates and 2 yards of the second one (for borders) i thought i did pretty good...5 yards of fabric (2 on sale for 30%off) and a ruler...the bill was $75.65!...i went out the door thinking...boy, so i didn't do so well after all...good thing i stopped looking...
so we don't get home till late and it is the next day when i get a chance to get my bag out and look at everything...including the receipt...i was charged for the 2 sale fab's ...ok,. the ruler...ok; the panal...ok, then there are 3 other fabrics (at 10.49 per yard) i only had 2...so i was charged $10.49 for something i did not get; then i actually unfold the fabrics and the one that was for borders, which i asked for 2yards of and was charged for 2 yards...is only 1 yard...so now i'm out $20.98 + tax...and i'm pretty upset...
i normally do not pay 10.49 a yard for any fabric, but really wanted it...i paid $41.56 +tax for 2 yards of fabric!!!and am short and can not even use what i have without buying more...
and yes...i contacted the store...first person...very defensive and rude...and how do they know i was shorted?...well i guess because i wouldn't be making a long distance call to tell you about it if i weren't...i'd be happy....
the owner was not available when i called...i am still waiting to hear from her...and i really do not expect her to do anything (especially if she's anything like the person working for her) but at least an apology and assurance that maybe my business is valued? or they could cut me my 2 yard piece and send it to me...i'd even be willing to send back the one yard piece i did not ask for... anyway...had to vent, i am so very upset...

I would be mad too! Just be really nice- but firm. Good luck! Let us know what she says!

man o man ... buyer beware for sure....

Grrrrr, that's so frustrating!

I know I stand and watch when they are cutting now, as I've seen too many people think that 1/3 yard is 9 inches! Or a half is 15.

So sorry you had this bad experience with them. And if the store people are bad about correcting their mistake, that's the only chance they should ever get for your business again.

When I'm having fabrics cut, I watch the cutting table like a hawk. I've had to gently correct the cutter at times when I see them about to make an incorrect cut. Usually it's because there is a lot of activity in the place, several people yakking with different conversations, etc. But I try not to get sidetracked from that and keep my eyes on the table. At the register, I do the same as they ring each item up and it appears on the thingy on top of the register. If the number doesn't seem reasonably correct, I stop them right there and ask them to check it. Like you, I've been charged full price for stuff that should have been on clearance (40% off).

I hope things work out well with this shop, but if not, don't darken their doorstep again and tell others why.

Had a similar experience.
wanted the whole bolt,clerk said"this just came in this morning nothing cut off this bolt so it is the full 20 yds"
"So I won't bother taking it all off the bolt and rewrapping."
no problem paid for the 20yds and left
well get home and start unrolling and cutting only to find that there are only 12 yds on the bolt!
Owners response" how do we know you didn't cut some off?"
lost my business!
some of the LQS should close!

Yikes, that is one of the worst shopping experiences I have read about yet. I am amazed the store is still in business if that is the owner's business model of how to treat customers.

maybe notify the better business bureau...

Ouch. Alway's watch them cutting, alway's have them unfold it off the bolt to measure, and alway's watch the cash register amounts.

Wow, I would be upset to! The quilt shop closest to me, they are not very nice, so I go out o my way to go to Davison, they are the nicest folks you have ever met. In fact I was there today! I wouldnt go back to that shop ever again, Im sorry you had to go thru that. :(

I'm sure people think I'm unreasonable but I watch my stuff being cut AND I count the stack before checking out.....

cheated once - shame on them
cheated twice - shame on me

So sorry you are getting the run around :cry:

I am very fortunate that my LQS is wonderful. But I do watch them cut , better safe then sorry :wink: They have made mistakes m but fix them no problem :lol:

I would not go back ever again, for any reason . Too many other places want your business

Wow, that just bites! I think you definately need to stay on them and insist that you get what you paid for. You are the customer, it is their job to make you happy and satitsfied customer. What does the reciept say about return policies? If it came down to it, I would tell them you are sending it all back and expect a full return if they intend to try to cheat you. (I am stubborn like that though, I would probably drive back there myself just to make a point!) Good luck, keep uc updated on what happens!
~Karen

sorry to hear about your bad experience, please follow thru with phone calls to talk to the owner, sounds like the help is keeping the difference for themselves

also report that store to the better business bureau

good luck and keep us posted

check the end of the bolt and see what it says about yardage. Also, do you still have the end you cut to straighten up. That should show whether or not you cut some off.

i am not able to drive back to try to remedy this they are over an hour away and work keeps me from being able to get there during their normal hours...that's why it was a treat to go...i am hoping that i am able to talk to the owner tomorrow, i figure she should cut me my 2yard piece and send it to me, after all i already paid for it...but we will see what happens, even if she does send me the replacement fabric i doubt that i will ever go back there, there are too many good shops around...and normally i do watch when my fabs are being cut this time though i was kind of 'herded' out of the way ...it was somewhat busy. i will certainly not be pushed out of the way ever again...or if i can not be right there while cutting is going on i will really be irritating and unfold every fabric and check the length before checking out...lesson learned, but bumber deal...

Make certain they will give you a refund before taking it back, but definitely take it back! Making this kind of error 3 times is ridiculous.

Just buy hubby a good breakfast, lunch, or dinner and he'll be glad to make the return trip. Always works for me. :lol:

I agree. You probably aren't the only one that is getting taken advantage of. If we don't complain nothing ever happens!

yep, don't take your eyes away when your fabric is being cut. Always check the slip they write stuff down on before you go to pay. Naturally, we want to be good customers as we stand there waiting nicely but it's OK (make that a really huge OK) to be the pain-in-the butt customer that makes sure you are getting what you pay for. Ask questions, make sure sales items are marked, take your own notepad and calculator and tally up what you should be paying. It may be a few cents off from the register but MAKE SURE any questions are answered before you hand them your credit card. By the way, if you did pay with a credit card you might be able to get the purchase reimbursed by disputing it with your card provider. They investigate and charge the store back if the store screwed up.

In this instance I think you should send a letter explaining all of your shopping experiences that have happened in the past as well as this recent one. Take a photo of what your received and what you were charged. Explain everything politely and then tell the shop owner what you would like for a remedy. I find a written complaint goes a lot farther than just a phone call. I also send them registered or signature required so that I have proof someone actually received the letter.

I would ask the owner to send me a two yard piece of the one that should have been two yards and tell her you will send her back the one yard piece. That should convince her you aren't just trying to be difficult.

And if that fails, I would let her know that you are involved in some quilt boards that you will be sharing your bad experience with, and naming the store. You have a duty to warn others when you know of a store that has a pattern of poor customer service.

I always check receipts and fabric before leaving stores. If you don't understand the receipt ASK someone about it. Unfortunately, people are human and make mistakes (some stores rely on a computer inventory system that doesn't completely get the correct price updates, etc.) and not everyone is out to get us. When a discrepancy has occured I have never had an issue. If I feel there is a deliberate mistake I get an immediate refund and walk away. If there is a no refund policy that I find out about AFTER the fact then I make sure I never use that establishment again.

you really have to watch them ring things up these days. even in grocery stores.

The Hancocks here in OKC has a handheld gadget that puts your sale price on a code strip. They don't write anything down anymore. Most of the people at the one I go to are new and young. I ask them the price on each piece they cut just to be sure everything is working correctly. Also, I watch them cut because they try to cut EXACTLY on the line for the yardage you have asked for. If I ask for 1/4 yard and they cut crooked by an inch or two I may not get the strips I need.

The lesson here....if the bill seems high....check it before you leave the store...Sorry you had such a bad experience. Hopefully the owner will make it right....I would also tell her about the rude way her employee talked to you!! :|

If this happened to me I would try everything possible to stop the payment. If I wrote a check or used a debit card - I would pay the stop payment fee at the bank. If using a credit card - I would be calling the cc company to see if the purchase was large enough to be covered by the guarantee policy. I would certainly report this store to the Better Business Bureau.

I agree with you - it sounds like they are making mistakes on purpose. I am sick of feeling like I've been robbed everytime I go shopping or open the mail. I have started fighting back and I don't care who I make mad. Good luck with this - I hope the shop owner makes things right for you and apologizes for the rude, poorly trained employee he/she has hired and trusts with their customers and business.

If you paid with a credit card and you don't get satisfaction from the shop owner, you can write to the credit card company. They will stop payment to the store until the problem is resolved to the credit card company's satisfaction. It's very easy to do. The instructions and mailing address should be on your credit card statement.

Wow, I can see one mistake, but three???? How may other customers are they short changing. I think you have fair cause to report them to the local better business bureau. There sloppiness and bad attitude need to be reported.

Wow, I can't believe they are that careless, and then rude about it. My LQS is so different. I've never had them be anything but extremely helpful, they make reasonably generous cuts, and several times she has caught small mistakes (like precut strips that were 2 1/4" and not 2 and 1/2", so she just gave them to me for free.)

It's just habit for me to watch as my fabric is being cut, however, since it can get confusing when you load them up with a stack of four or five bolts and have different yardage requests for each.

Sorry that happened to you. I always watch now. LQSs always seem to cut right on the line and it seems like their cuts are always an inch or more off.

Yes, if they don't respond satisfactorily then do report them to the Better Business Bureau. It's very easy to do at their website:

http://www.bbb.org/

I filed a complaint with the bbb after a retailer repeatedly ignored my complaint after multiple attempts to resolve it with them. Boy, did the BBB complaint I filed ever get a response from them! They immediately contacted me and made it right, apologizing profusely, etc. It really does work, businesses don't want to get a bad reputation with the public, so sometimes they have to be prodded to do the right thing.

I would be upset,too. They should make it right with you.

Some good suggestions here. Take a picture & write a letter. In the letter mention reporting to the BBB. And if it was pd by credit card, contact them too. Let them know you're serious.

I don't know of any fabrics that are put up in 20 yard bolts for stores. We get 10's and 15's (which is the most prevelant), and some companies, like Quilting Treasures, put up 12's.

But I've never heard of 20 yard bolts, except for some battings, like Insulbrite..

I was told that a full bolt is normally only 15 yds, not 20. I'd
be really ticked too.

Definitely report them to the BBB, especially since this is
not the only time you got cheated. Also notify your credit
card company if you used one. Tell them about it and dispute
the amount charged to your card.

Statistics say that a happy customer will tell 20 people about their experience, but an unhappy customer will tell 200. Maybe she should be made aware of how many people you've already told, and how far reaching your complaint has been made. Then tell her that you would love for your next post to all those same people tell how diligent she was in resolving the issue. Give her this website address, and your post's title, and let her see what kind of advertising she's getting...maybe she will see the need to make much needed changes!

great advice everyone, and just to let you know....my local shops which i do get to as often as possible are totally different than this one...they are wonderfully helpful, nice and happy to see anyone who comes through the door, even takes my hubby under their wings and helps him fill my stocking every year with the greatest stuff! this one is almost 100 miles away in a direction i seem to go in once or twice a year, usually my work schedule does not make it possible for me to get there during their open hours, this was a special sale day...and i realize it was my fault for not being more diligent. but geez,
i am going to take pictures of each item i purchased and take pictures of the cut-fabric slip and the register receipt...the fabric slip shows the panal and 2 coordinates and the register slip shows that she charged for 3...and i figure i can lay my tape measure across the fabric pieces and show they are 1 yard each...so, going to keep trying...if i don't get anywhere i will be notifying the bbb and you will all get to hear where this shop is...

thats what i am thinking

Did you pay via credit card? You can dispute the charge. Keep copies of e-mails and notes about phone calls. When the bill comes you can file a claim and short pay the charge based on what you should have been charged. I've had to do this before. It's a real hassle and there are forms you have to fill out, but the principle of it make it worth the effort. Good luck.