Robinson's Feed

Review: We have been a customer with Robinson Feed for many years. The past year, we had issues with the feed that we purchase from them. The issue's was their updates on the feeds that we purchase and have been purchasing for our animals. We took notice of the amount of feed for our animals have been getting less which didn't make any sense. We notice that we have been charged over the amount of feed but getting less. For example, we would be charged for a 50 lbs bag of seed but receive a 30 lbs bag. When we confronted the manager-Brian, we were credited back and he told us that we have not been over charged and we were "caught up". When I went home, I checked all my receipts and found out that we have been over charged. When I brought my receipts to Robinson Feed, the employees told me that it would take time to back track what date or when did the company that delivered the feed stop making or changed the amount of feed. The employees told me that "when Brian comes back from vacation", he will contact me. He never did until today (Aug. 15th, 2015). We purchased the same feed as we always do. When we buy our feed, we make sure we enough that last for 3-4 months. We looked at out receipt and our discount wasn't added onto our account. When I phone Robinson Feed, I spoke with Brian and he said we no longer will receive discount because "you and your mother has been coming her every month demanding a discount"...."you should have never received credit because you don't deserve it". I was upset because it was bold lie. We have never came every month and demanded credit. We work everyday and we do not steal. I asked Brian if can tell me when was the last time they updated their computers and when was the last time they received the 30 lbs. bag. He said they updated their computers since March and did not know when was the last time they received a 30 lbs. bag. He refused to let me speak with the owner [redacted] and refused to let me leave a message for him.Desired Settlement: I would like an apology and the truth. We have work for our things. If we were in the wrong, we would say we were. We are very known in our town. We are know as good people. For someone like Brian to make a statement "you and your mother come here every month and demand credit that you don't deserve". After that fact we showed him the bag and receipt. It is very , very insulting.

Business

Response:

29 August 2015 To Whom It May Concern: My name is [redacted]. My father is [redacted] who is the President of Robinson’s Feed Company. My grandmother’s grandfather founded the company. Her marriage to my grandfather is how the [redacted]’s came to own Robinson’s Feed Company. (Note: there is no [redacted] who works for us.) [redacted] and her daughter, [redacted], have indeed been customers of Robinson’s for quite some time. Mrs. [redacted] opened a discount account with us on Feb 9th, 2011. On May 16th, 2012 that account was upgraded to a house charge account. Although regular charges on that account did not start occurring until Sep 30th, 2012. While there have been problems with the account being kept up to date, and other issues with Mrs. [redacted] and Miss [redacted], my involvement with the most current incident started on May 31st, 2015. (I had incorrectly thought that it had been at the end of March or April when I spoke to Miss [redacted] on August 16th, 2015.) On that day Miss [redacted] had come into our Lodi store to purchase some sunflower seed shortly before closing. While I was at the counter closing a till for the end of the day, she stated that she had been over charged for grey sunflower seeds earlier in the day (invoice [redacted]), and that she was routinely over charged for grey sunflowers in the past, and was therefore due a credit. [redacted], one of our head clerks and one of the people in charge of the feed department, stated that he had given her credit for this very issue back on February 18th, 2015 (invoice #[redacted]). Which Miss [redacted] acknowledged, but she also insisted that she had been over charged since then. Looking at her account, I was able to see that she had indeed purchased grey sunflower seeds from us on two previous occasions to May 31st. First on March 18th, 2015, and then on April 14th, 2015 (invoice #’s [redacted] and [redacted]). However, in both of those transactions the account was charged correctly. I was upset that our employees had not made the fix to our inventory system to remove the possibility of an accidental overcharge from occurring when the issue was brought to their attention back in February. I instructed our employees to make the change to the inventory system and credit Mrs. [redacted]’s account (invoice #[redacted]). While looking over her account Miss [redacted] kept stating that her mother had paid off the account. Since it was right there in front of me I informed her that there had been a payment of $100 on April 14th, 2015 (invoice #[redacted]), but that the account was still over $100 past due, and that May’s charges would become due as well once statements were sent out the next day. After calling her mother to confirm, she said that she would make a payment. To which I told her that with the credit that we would been all caught up, and we did not owe her anymore credits. To which she agreed, and I returned to the office to continue the process of closing the store. However, just before making the payment on the account on May 31st, 2015 (invoice #[redacted]), Miss [redacted] purchased another two bags of grey sunflower seed unbeknownst to me (invoice #[redacted]). For reasons that I cannot explain, the clerk that rang up the two extra bags of gray sunflower seeds and took Miss [redacted]’s payment on the account, rang up that seeds at the wrong price despite her being the original clerk earlier in the day and being present throughout the later adjustment that day. On June 5th, 2015, Mrs. [redacted] Sandoval-[redacted] came into our Lodi store and was helped by [redacted], who credited the account for the overcharge (invoice #[redacted]). While looking for boot registrations in preparation for my vacation Jun 14th-20th, 2015, I came across the credit from June 5th. Not knowing of the second charge on the 31st, I thought that they had once again come in and asked for a credit that had been fixed and was no longer due them. Outside of the grey sunflower seed problem, this had been a problem in the past. In conjunction with my father, [redacted], it was determined that the [redacted] account would no longer be a charge account, and that it would no longer receive special pricing that is reserved for high volume and special customers. When these changes to the account were made, I should have sent a letter to Mrs. [redacted] detailing the changes to her account, and the reasons for them. I am sorry for not sending the letter. On June 15th, 2015, while I was on vacation, Miss [redacted] spoke with my father, [redacted], about the situation and demanded credit for the overcharged grey sunflower seed (a credit her mother had just received on June 5th). He told her that everything from that point forward was a clean slate, and that we did not owe anymore credits for overcharged sunflower seed. She also purchased dog food and Advantage flea control, as well as made a small payment that day all of which [redacted] rang up and handled (invoice #’s [redacted]). On Aug 16th, 2015, Mrs. [redacted] came into the Lodi store to purchase some grey sunflower seed, black oil sunflower seeds, and peanuts. While being rung up by [redacted], Mrs. [redacted] said that she was due a credit for previously being overcharged when purchasing grey sunflower seeds (a credit that she herself received on June 5th). Since I was standing right there at the time and [redacted] did not know anything about this, he asked me. I explained that she had already received her credits, and that she was not due any. She said that she didn’t know that, and paid for her feed and left. That was at 1:10 pm. An hour or two later, I answered the phone. I was Miss [redacted]. She asked to speak to my father. I told her that he wasn’t there and asked if I could help (he has Sundays off generally). She asked me who I was, and I told her (this was the first time that I had spoken to Miss [redacted] since May 31st). She demanded to know why her mother didn’t get her discount. I explained the situation. At which point she launched into me. She said that we owed her for overcharges, to which I said that I had personally taken care of at the end of March or April (it turned out to be on May 31st). She then asked why they weren’t getting their discount, to which I explained again. She next said that we owed them from overcharges from last year, to which I said that they had been taken care of back in February. She then said that we owed them for overcharges since February, and round and round the conversation went until she hung up. A little while later Miss [redacted] called back. She asked for my father. I told her that he wasn’t there. She lit into me again until once more she hung up. Around 4pm her mother Mrs. [redacted] called. She asked for [redacted]. I told her that he wasn’t there, and asked if I could help “NO!” She insisted again that I let her talk to him, and again told her that he was not in. Because the voice sounded similar to when she was in the store earlier that day, and the caller ID number was the same as the one Miss [redacted] called from, I knew that I was speaking to Mrs. [redacted]. I asked her if this was Mrs [redacted]. “No!” She asked to speak to [redacted] again. I asked whom was I speaking to. She said something unintelligible, and asked to speak to [redacted] again. We followed the same pattern as I asked if she was Mrs. [redacted] and Mrs. [redacted]. Finally she demanded that I just give her [redacted]’s number. I explained that I could not give his number, or any employee’s number, to just anyone without permission. I told her that, since she didn’t want to leave a message and I couldn’t help her, she and her daughter could come to the Lodi store and talk to [redacted] in the morning. After which she hung up the phone, and I sent a message to my father saying that they would be in the next day, Aug 17th, 2015, to speak with him. The next day when I arrived at the store I asked my father if Mrs. [redacted] and Miss [redacted] had been in to see him. He said that he was helping a customer when the phone rang. With no one in the office he excused himself from the customer and answered the phone. While speaking with that customer, the other line began to ring. After putting the caller on hold, he answered Miss [redacted]’s call. She pounced on him as soon as he answered. When he could finally get a word in he explained that he had a number of customers and that if she could come into the store that he would talk to her. Miss [redacted] came into the store a bit later. I don’t know all that was said, but he said that they went round and round in circles until he told her that if she thought that they were still owed money that she could go through the receipts that she kept mentioning that she had and come to up with a figure. Once she had that figure she was to bring it to him and him alone. She didn’t have to deal with me, or anyone else. He would deal with it personally. That was the last time that we have seen or heard from either Mrs. [redacted] or Miss [redacted] until we received this complaint. A quick few notes from looking back over Miss [redacted]’s complaint: • There was no note for me to contact neither Miss [redacted], nor Mrs. [redacted] when I returned to the store from vacation on Jun 20th. However, there would have been no need for me to call as Miss [redacted] spoke directly with my father, the company president. • They did come in at least twice and ask for credits that they were not owed. June 15th and August 16th. • Of course I didn’t allow Miss [redacted], nor Mrs. [redacted], to talk to my father on August 16th. He wasn’t there. They did not want to leave a message, and I’m not at liberty to hand out his, or any employee’s number without permission. I did the best that I could by telling them when he would be in the next day. • She mentions that they buy 3-4 months’ worth of feed at a time, yet going just from February they purchased 2 bags, in March 2 more bags, in April 2 bags, and 4 bags in May before purchasing 2 more on August 16th. While the account eventually gets brought up-to-date it is not uncommon for the account to be 2, 3, or even 4 months past due. It is for these reasons that my father told me on the afternoon of August 17th, after speaking to Miss [redacted] that morning, that he intended to take the figure that she felt she was owed, and write her a check for that amount. He was then going to tell her that she should take that check to our competitors and purchase their feed from them because they were no longer welcome in our store. In the 31 years that I have worked for my family, I cannot remember a time that he has ever had to something like that. I am sorry that it has come to this. I should have written a letter explaining the changes to the account, and why they were made. With regards, [redacted] Manager Robinson’s Feed Company