An entire month to get an answer from Toys R Us

This is a precise example of how bad customer service can be at a large retail establishment--in this case it is Toys R Us. The buck gets passed from Renee to Tabitha, then from Tabitha to a mystery person at Guest Relations (haha), then from the mystery person at Guest Relations to Derrick. And those are just the ones I am aware of. I am sure there were more.

Here is the series of emails I sent to them asking two very simple questions:

1. What their corporate coupon policy is and
2. If I can get a copy of that policy in writing.

What follows is borderline ridiculous. How hard is it to get an answer to those two questions? Apparently VERY hard indeed!

My emails are in blue, Their responses are in green. Commentary is in black. Note the dates also. This debacle took an entire month:

Sent 3/22/09:

Hello!

I couldnt find the exact category for this so I assume this is as close as possible. Could you provide me with your corporate coupon policy? I cannot find your policies concerning coupons anywhere on your site. It would be greatly appreciated if you could provide me with some documentation on what your company's coupon policy is. Thanks again!!

Looked promising as I got a response the very next day. However you will notice that They refer to the "promotion offered on this item" and to provide my residential address . What item? This is an obviously a "standard" response or an automated one--I am thinking automated for sure. Also note how they want me to call them instead:

Received 3/23/09

Dear (name removed),

Thank you for contacting RUs.com regarding our coupons. If the requirements are met, the promotion offered on this item will be automatically applied to your order. To be sure your order qualifies, please remember to provide a residential address within the continental United States.

If you would like assistance with using a coupon to place an order I invite you to call one of our Online Customer Service Specialists at one of the numbers listed below - they are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and would be more than happy to help out! Thank you again for contacting RUs.com. We value your business and look forward to serving you in the future!

Sincerely,
Renee Lindholm
Customer Service Team
www.ToysRUs.com (800) ToysRUs / (800) 869-7787 >www.BabiesRUs.com (888) BabyRUs / (888) 222-9787 Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!!

A minor inconvenience--at the time. I sent them an email clarifying my question. I was still cordial about it at the time. That will change soon though in later emails.

Sent 3/23/09

Dear Renee, I think you might have misunderstood my question. I wanted to know your coupon policy for in store purchases--what all coupons you accept and what not. I cannot find it anywhere on the website. If you could advise me on that it would be very much appreciated.

Another quick reply. However now I am now dealing with TABITHA and she then informs me she is forwarding it to someone ELSE. How hard can this be to send me their coupon policy in writing?? I even boldfaced it!

Received 3/24/09

Thank you for contacting RUs.com. Being that ToysRUs.com and our "brick and mortar" Stores are separate divisions of our company, I wanted to be sure that your concerns were addressed in an efficient and appropriate manner. I have taken the liberty of forwarding your email to the appropriate department for resolution. You can expect to hear a response from a Specialist in thatdepartment within 3 to 5 business days.

Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. Thank you again for contacting RUs.com. We value your business and lookforward to serving you in the future!

Sincerely,
Tabitha Lorzah
Customer Service Team
ToysRUs.com (1-800-ToysRUs / 1-800-869-7787)BabiesRUs.com (1-888-BabyRUs / 1-888-222-9787)Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!!

Now I hear nothing until 4/06/09 from the "appropriate department". This response is very cold and basic. I spoke of no purchase whatsoever anywhere in the string of emails I have sent. All I want is their coupon policy. They kind of give me an answer but the response they sent shows obvious signs of being a letter they just copy and paste into an email instead of taking the time to answer an actual question with sincerity. And it isn't complete--nothing concerning internet coupons and nothing like what companies like Giant Eagle and WalMart do with their coupon policies--no itemized list of what is accepted.

Received 4/06/09

Dear (name removed):

We accept manufacturer's coupons for that specific purchase. Some of our coupons are specifically printed for either Toys or Babies "R" Us. These coupons can only be used in the specified store. You can only use one coupon at a time per item. We cannot accept an expired coupon. We do not accept competitor's coupons. I hope this answers your questions.

If you have other questions, please call 1-800-869-7787. Thank you for contacting Guest Relations. Sincerely, Toys "R" Us Guest Relations Team

What specific purchase?? I never mentioned a purchase at all! So this time I let them know again EXACTLY what I want an answer for, and also let them know my dissatisfaction with their "first rate customer service" (I was still polite).

Sent 4/07/09

I sent this off to you previously in reply but the answer I got was obviously automated and was not even remotely answering my question (which came as a surprise to me). I will be very specific this time in my queries concerning the use of coupons for IN STORE purchases:

1. What coupons does Toys R Us accept for IN STORE purchases?
2. What coupons does Toys R Us not accept for IN STORE purchases?
3. Does Toys R Us accept coupons printed from the Internet for use on IN STORE purchases?

Please advise me on your policies concerning the above three questions specifically. Automated responses that contain answers not related to the questions asked make a store seem distant to their customers needs, and gives the impression that customer service is either sub-par or would rather not take the time to help a customer with his or her concerns. I know your company is not like that. I am just a careful shopper and in these times of difficult economics every cent counts.

Thank you!

So finally on 4/20 they sent back their response, which you can view here. Amazing that it took a month to answer what I asked them and that I had to ask them repeatedly. One month to get an answer on what their coupon policy entails is excessively long. It wasn't a difficult request....

Just wanted to share with you what it takes sometimes to get answers from companies about this kind of thing.