We were excited when was saw that Pink Flamingo was opening a location in Fayetteville, on Joyce. We’ve shopped at their store in Eureka Springs for years. Finally, a place to buy Flax clothing in town!
We went there, and Jill bought a black Flax top, similar to a grey one that she recently purchased in Eureka Springs.
When we got it home, she discovered that the “V” in the front had frayed stitching. Any pulling on it frayed it more. So, she called the store to see if they had another one in stock. They didn’t. She was then told she had 7 days to bring it back in for an exchange.
Since she was on the way out of town for business for a week, I had to return the garment.
I went into the store and the owners inspected the item, and said they couldn’t see anything wrong with it. I left, telling them that I would find out exactly what the problem was. I talked to Jill, returned to the store, and pointed out the problem.
That’s when the owner started arguing with me – telling me that he personally inspects every piece of clothing before it leaves the store, and it wasn’t like that when it left. (He wasn’t even at the store when we purchased it, so I never saw him inspect it.) He said that it could fray like that if someone larger than the clothing size wore it. I mentioned that a) she never even tried it on, and b) we have the exact same top in a different color, and it had no fraying.
He says that he could give store credit, since there is no cash refunds, and pointed to the tiny sign stating “No Cash Refunds. Exchange Only, within 7 days with receipt.” I inquire about that policy.
I haven’t seen ANY boutiques in the area with such a limited return policy. He argued, saying that was standard return policy for boutiques around here. I said that might be the case in Eureka Springs, but we haven’t shopped in boutiques with return policies like that in Fayetteville (and we’ve been supporting local businesses for decades).
I ask if we could get the credit on the credit card which we used to make the purchase. “No. That counts as cash.”
So, he calls his wife and practically has to get permission to give us store credit. I ask if we can use the credit at the Eureka Springs store. He says “No”. They’re trying to treat them as separate businesses. They won’t even ship stock from the Eureka Store to the Fayetteville one.
No Cash refunds? Apparently, the customer is never right at the Pink Flamingo. Without having a guarantee of a cash refund, it makes a business sound as if they’re not sticking around. If Jill had noticed that policy, she would have never spent any money there. We’d much rather support local businesses that cared about the customer.
Incidents like this makes one wary to support locally owned businesses, and makes me very wary to trust businesses in Eureka Springs.
Now we’re stuck with credit at a store where we don’t want to spent a single penny. Hopefully that business will stay open long enough for us to actually use that credit, now that they’ve taken our money.
I was messing around looking to see if the new PF had a website yet and your blog is what I found. Amazing, huh, but, YIKES. I am absolutely sure the store is staying in business. Your post seems to be deliberately trying to hurt their business and all over a few frayed threads that no one can even prove whether they appeared pre or post purchase and a posted policy that you find too restrictive.
Anyway, I lived in Eureka Springs for years and know Debbie, owner of the original PF, well. Also know her daughter who has recently relocated back to Arkansas with her family and opened up the new PF in Fayetteville.
I do know that small business owners have it tough since they have to shoulder the expenses (if there is a product problem) from both ends – their suppliers and their valued customers (no corporate headquarters to pass off any problems to). I’m sure that is why they have the policy they posted. It allows customers to get the quality product they are seeking, but yet keeps unscrupulous customers from taking advantage. You may not realize it, but there are people who actually wear things or damage them after buying and then return them for cash or try to return things when they are no longer in the store or perhaps have gone on sale. If you don’t know anyone in a small business, you probably don’t know all the awful things that can happen.
If you lost money, I could see why you are so upset, but since you love Flax, you have a new convenient place to get it and credit to buy what you want, then go enjoy it. When your story led to conclusions about the whole of Eureka Springs’ businesses, which have absolutely nothing to do with your story, I could see that you were just in the mood to rant. I’ve been there and probably everyone has. I, too, write letters on occasion just to make myself feel better, but don’t send them. The advent of blogs adds a whole opportunity to be heard. I don’t have any desire to air my thinking on a regular basis, but finding your post on a fluke chance allowed me to share my thoughts on the subject of the Pink Flamingo(s) and Eureka Springs. Such a small world. Thanks.
Nice Try, Bonnie. Unfortunately, there is not a single GOOD excuse for poor customer service….not even if the people we know and care for are owners of such messily run establishments. It’s true that small business owners have to shoulder expenses from both ends, but can any business that hopes to stay around for more than a minute afford to offend even one customer over such a trivial matter?…particularly in the age of the internet where word spreads so fast? You can’t hold one customer accountable for the actions of a few. Wal-Mart was once a small business. Although I’ve seen a sharp decline in customer service since his death, Sam Walton’s strong belief in customer service is what got them over. I think using a small bit of intuition and a whole lot of common sense would have been better served in this case. I was researching PF for a project here at work and I too stumbled across this blog. I live in Little Rock but plan to visit NW Ark very soon for some curious shopping. I’ll be sure to line Pink Flamingo off my list of places to visit. It’s all about principle to me.