Customer Service--is it a thing of the past?

I remember when I worked at Sears, a man came to the store trying to return a pair of shoes that plainly said J.C. Penney inside of them.

The Customer Service Manager politely refused to issue a refund or exchange them---since obviously, they weren't Sears merchandise.

The man persisted, however, and eventually the Sears Store Vice President came down and issued him a refund. That's how important Customer Relations were in the 70's (not only for the JC Penney buyer, but for the throng of real Sears customers surrounding him.)

Yesterday, my wife noticed that the strap on her COACH bag had come apart.

She bought the bag on June 18th for $130 at a COACH store in Atlantic City---I believe the strip is called the Atlantic City Walk or some cute name like that.

My wife took the bag to a COACH store in one of our local malls---Cherry Hill or Moorestown, I can't remember.

Unfortunately, she can't find the receipt, but the transaction does show up on our American Express bill.

She asked if she could return, exchange or get a refund on the bag.

A simple 'no' would have done, but instead she was lectured by the sales person, who among other things complained that

--- she shouldn't buy from an outlet, she should buy 'retail' (hmm, I bet the Atlantic City store would love to hear that.)
--- she needs a receipt (OK)
--- it's last year's model (pardon us)
--- she needs to return it to the store she purchased it from

Eventually, my wife found the Coach website, contacted their Customer Service and received an email a few hours later indicating that she can return the bag for service, at the cost of $20.

Right now, she's looking for a cobbler or shoe repair person who may be able to stitch it up for less.

The bottom line---this particular Coach salesperson needs some training on customer interaction.