Quintessentials

Poor customer service, lack of quality control, rude employees, improper book keeping, unresponsive ownership, broken assurancesOn multiple occasions, individuals purchased gifts over the phone and said to have included a thoughtful message. Those messages were never relayed as [redacted] and I just received a card with just the gift and amount. Even upon inquiring on the gift messages, your employees could not produce them.When selecting our china, the chargers we chose were labeled at $175. Upon appearing on our registry they were $275. By the time we ordered them they had risen to $295. When we protested, your salespeople acted like they were doing us a favor giving us the items at $275, never mind the original $175 price that was quoted.In the final weeks leading up to our wedding, after many of our showers, we called on several occasions to have our registry updated or add additional items. We could have easily made the online changes ourselves if authorized, but it took your employees 2-3 weeks to make the requested changes. At that point, I expressed my concerns at the overall experience we were having. Mrs. [redacted] and [redacted] promised it would improve, but it did not.On several occasions, we called to speak with Mrs. [redacted]. Understanding that she works part-time, she is not always available. We left messages for her to call. Less than half the time were those phone calls returned.We dealt with rude salespeople, especially [redacted], on several occasions.Several weeks after our wedding we were ready to place our final order. Living in **, we attempted to arrange a trip to [redacted] to pick up our order as to avoid shipping the fragile items. We spoke with a salesperson on a Saturday who assured us the order would be placed on Monday and everything ought to arrive in time for us to pick up. However, roughly two weeks later, we received an email from the store informing us our order was then ready to be placed, obviously without enough time to arrive. Extremely frustrated, we inquired to see if the store would at least cover the cost of shipping due to their negligence. [redacted] was again extremely rude and flippant and denied our request.With my exasperation overflowing, I attempted to reach out to you, the owner, to express my concerns. Of course, when I tried to look up your contact information on your store's website, it was not listed. When I called and asked for your phone number or email address, it was not given. When I left a message for you to call me, you never did. Only after placing my final order and spending thousands of dollars was I granted the privilege of having the owner's email address.Finally, when paying for my final order. [redacted] charged me $148.50 for ** state sales tax. Due to the fact I live in ** and had the items shipped there, the transaction is exempt for intrastate tax and should not have been charged. I am not an accountant, but I assume the store would not charge customers taxes that are not owed.Desired SettlementIrregularities in the taxes vindicated, compensation for poor customer service, engagement with store ownershipBusiness Response Mr. [redacted], Thank you for taking the time to bring your concerns to my attention. I would like to take this opportunity to reassure you that customer satisfaction is of utmost importance. As a small independent boutique we pride ourselves on differentiating our level of service from that of larger chain stores. Our team has extensive knowledge of our product lines, and we seek to share passion and expertise with clients. We feel that the time and personal attention we provide to all customers is much more valuable than trying to price match larger major chain retailers. Due to space limitations, we cannot stock and maintain inventory for every item we carry. Gift cards provide access to the wide range of products we offer, enabling couples to facilitate the completion of a meaningful and personalized collection. Additionally, our registered couples receive merchandise that is not shop worn or damaged from being held in inventory. I would like to address the concerns you have about receiving your final order. Our manager reached out to your wife to confirm the order prior to placing it with the manufacturers to ensure you were aware of the large balance due. As a courtesy, we wanted to remind you that special order items are done as a final sale. Your wife's response was to please wait to order any items, and we followed her instructions. From our records, you originally selected a charger that was $275 retail when you registered with us in March 2015. In May 2015, you made a change to your selections and the charger was switched one that was $175 retail. This is the one that appears on your online registry. On March 5th (2016) when you returned to the store you changed your selection back to the original charger because you both felt it was a better match to you dinner plate. When you ordered last month, the (manufacturers) price of the charger had increased to $295. Quintessentials has no control over manufacturer price changes. As a courtesy, we honored the price that the chargers were when you initially registered ($275) in 2015 and provided complimentary shipping in an effort make your experience more positive. We are required by law to collect and file ** sales tax for every order placed in our store. We make every effort to provide excellent customer service to every customer and you were no exception. [redacted]Consumer Response After nearly 4 weeks of engagement, I finally did receive an email from the store's owner. Unfortunately, her response was inadequate. At no point did the ownership apologize for her store's shortcomings, much less attempt to make any restitution. Furthermore, as yet another indicator of the store's poor internal processes and communication, the owner was remarkably uninformed as to the details of our relationship with Quintessentials. The owner refuted the majority of concerns:1. My wife attempted to order products from the store so that when we arrived in time we might pick them up. The store attendant promised they would be ordered the next business day. Instead, they email to confirm the order two weeks later. At that point, my wife instructed the employee not to place the order as the intent of having the merchandise in store when we arrived could not be met. The failure was on the part of the business to order merchandise in a timely fashion.2. The owner referred to her records indicating the price of an item we had on our registry. In fairness, it should be stated the store keeps little to no electronic records on its clients, instead relying on handwritten sticky notes in folders. To clarify, the products when presented were clearly labeled as $175 each. When we selected them and they appeared on our website, they were listed as $275. The employee confirmed the products were mislabeled $100. At that point, due to the 57% increase, we opted for a less expensive product.3. Finally, on the tax situation. I placed the order via telephone from another state. I have records that indicate when the order was placed and when my credit card was charged that correspond to my location. ** tax law has no jurisdiction over interstate commerce and my order should not be subject that state sales tax. Again, the store ownership made no effort to correct this inaccuracy, further displaying their commitment to poor customer service and questionable accounting practices. I can only assume the store is operating similarly for all of their out of state clients. For justification please refer to ** Sale and Use Tax Technical Bulletin 42-1.I still consider this matter unresolved.Final Business Response [redacted],I apologize that you feel you have had a poor experience with us here at Quintessentials. Customer satisfaction is our number one goal and I can assure you that our accounting and record keeping is closely managed and a top priority. I have spent a great deal of time reconstructing the events over the course of the last fourteen months to further understand your experience. Throughout the past year, my staff has spent a great deal of time working with you and your bride on your registry selections, gifts and general communication. We have and continue to apologize that there were a few instances where our follow up fell short. Despite the few times our communication lagged, I feel that my staff made every effort to accommodate your requests and wishes. In doing so, we have given you the equivalent of a 15% discount off of your final order. We are a small, locally owned and operated, independent retailer and cannot price match large big box promotions. It is my policy to respect our vendor relationships by honoring our manufacturer's pricing guidelines, doing this allows my staff and I to provide the best possible service, expertise and guidance to our customers. Regarding your [redacted] Sales and Use Tax question, it is our policy to collect all applicable taxes and our system is set up to do this automatically. I have contacted my accountant regarding your concern. He has verified with the State that because you opted to have your order shipped, rather than the original request to pick up in the store, you do not owe the State of [redacted] sales and use tax. I will be issuing you a check to reimburse you the amount of $148.50, which will be mailed to your home address in[redacted] Again, I apologize that you are disappointed in your overall experience with us. We seek to build lasting relationships with all of our customers. My best, [redacted]