I’m so over making excuses for bad customer service in Lebanon. I get it; some store employees are hardly making minimum wage and over worked. I sympathize as much as I can. But I refuse to be a punching bag for customer service representatives who hate their jobs.

I recently received a gift from United Colors of Benetton and made a stop at their Kaslik branch this weekend for a quick exchange. I wasn’t greeted by the sales girl who glanced at me as I entered the store but instead greeted her myself. She seemed annoyed like she had something more important to tend to. She probably did. The entire store smelled like someone was preparing some Lebanese food cook-off in the back, onions, garlic, chicken, fresh steamed rice, you name it.

I explained to her that I would like to exchange a pair of shoes I had on-hand for a smaller size. She told me she’d have to check with the manager. Minutes later an even more annoyed manager made an appearance looking flustered. She approved my exchange and sent the sales girl to get me the right size. I thanked her and decided to have a look around while I waited.

After waiting for a good ten minutes I looked over at the counter and saw the two women just standing there. So I went over to inquire about the status of my exchange and pay for a scarf I had picked out.

As I was pulling out my card to pay I had realized that there were no shoes in sight.

“Excuse me, but where are the shoes I had wanted?” I asked.

“We don’t have your size” the store manager said in a very matter-of-fact kind of way

“Oh, I see, how come you didn’t inform me as I waited around?” I asked curiously

“I did tell you, you just didn’t hear me” she exclaimed

“Did you? Well since you’re aware I didn’t hear you why didn’t you make yourself more clear instead of watching me wait around?”  I asked.

My question didn’t seem to register and she didn’t bother herself with a reply. The pungent smell from the back was now getting stronger. The manager began processing my payment in a very stern manner, her face cringed and she handled everything so roughly and even threw the stapler harshly on the counter. Her subordinate looked at her in shock and they both waited as I signed my copy of the receipt.

“Thank you” I said as I got ready to grab my belongings and prepared to head out.

Nothing. No reply. Instead they both shot me blank stares.

“ I just purchased something at your store and thanked you, are you both not going to reply?”

The manager shot back “ I don’t need you to teach me how to speak!”

“Well, clearly you’re lacking some customer service and basic social skills.”

They both began muttering something  but I didn’t stick around to hear what they had to say. I mean, under normal circumstances I would have asked to speak to the manager but this WAS the manager. Too bad for United Colors Of Benetton, I will not be shopping there again.

More Bad Customer Service  Experiences

An Unfortunate Incident At The Aishti Outlet In Ashrafieh

International Retailers In Lebanon Should Train Employees Better