l remember my friend told me 7 years ago that I should visit Charles & Keith. Since then, all I did was to visit them and get disappointed EVERY. OTHER. TIME. Back then, I’m not yet aware of their prices and I thought, “Maybe they have to look firm and be cold because their items are so expensive.” Until one day, I saw the price and got surprised how reasonable it is.. but their staff’s smiles are so expensive. 😥 Here are their top branches with the worst customer service and my comments about them :
1. High Street – they are like robots. Does not smile and love to stare at you from head to toe.
2. Eastwood – they don’t like it when you check their bags and the arrangement has been changed. They will make you see that they are irritated and would even bang the bags and shoes though I’m just around the corner.
3. Megamall – they are the worst! There was even a time when the saleslady said “Tsk Ano ba yan?” when I tried their sunglass and she had to clean my fingerprint marks. They also enjoy staring from head to toe and judge you like they are the richest man on earth. Worst! The managers and other staff were just laughing and too noisy.
Their common denominator is the ability to ignore questions and make you feel like the question isn’t welcome. All of them DO NOT SMILE and look just like robots. Now my question is.. Why? Is it because their shoes are “expensive” or because the management told them so. 🤔
Ever since I’ve visited Charles & Keith, they were consistent in giving us a good temperature from their airconditioner, providing us a well-lit and organized items.. but they missed on the best part — to value customer service. Their designs are unique, beautiful and chic; though I still have to find out if they are comfortable.
I love that regardless of the price of their shoes, the shops look elegant, classy, and spacious. You will always think that their items are very expensive. Clarks & Nine West — for a more expensive amount of their items, look how small their space is. What surprises me more is the hotness of their airconditioning. It’s not comfortable to purchase in a shop where it’s hot.
I always mention this whenever I blog about a certain shoe brand. I love shoes but it’s not easy for me to purchase one. I have fibromyalgia, a condition wherein I have joint pains when I’m tired, stressed or wearing uncomfy shoes. That is why shoes play a big role in terms of my comfort and mood of the day.
I love wearing heels since I was 18; but because we don’t have the money back then, I didn’t have the chance to buy good quality shoes. The most expensive shoes I owned was a Cinderella glass shoes from my Aunt in the U.S. It was for my 18th birthday party. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have the chance to wear something elegant.
The brand of shoes I used before was Figlia. It was so funny because it was my birthday party and I’m wearing the same shoes / brand that one of my guests is wearing too. Though she is my childhood chum, I was hoping not to experience it again.
Then came a time when hubby bought me Mendrez shoes. He enjoyed shopping for me so he bought me 2 pairs. I tried to pretend.. and yet after some time, he noticed that I’m not wearing it anymore. 😣 I once won a GC worth P3000 from Parisian Shoes. I was able to purchase 4 pairs.. and everytime I wear one of the 4 shoes, I give it away after the day’s experience. The list will just go on and on and on. From People R People disaster flats, Mario D’ Boro, etc. That’s why when I was younger, I enjoyed wearing Skechers even more than these chic shoes. It’s the only brand who gave me comfort back then.
Thus, I have a traumatic experience in buying shoes & quite apprehensive whenever I purchase one. Until my OB-gyne asked me to wear high heels again. She said I need it to boost my confidence and walk properly. The first brand I bought was Staccato. It was comfortable and I love everything about it. Their customer service is great but their designs now are failing me. Then for years, I’m in love with Aldo. Until I had an unfortunate experience with them too. A year ago, I fell in love with Clarks.. but customer service isn’t good as well. Nine West does not have a lot of good designs; but once they do, the quality and service isn’t good either.
Basing on my story and the brands I love, my few number of shoes are understandable now. 😂 I only look for 3 things from a brand : unique design, quality and customer service. Once 2 out of 3 are missing, I wouldn’t dare purchase. Charles & Keith has the design I want. Not just today; but for 7 years of stalking! I always love their shoes and bags. Unlike other brands that have ugly and uncomfy designs, Charles & Keith is consistent in terms of design. But in service??? 😅
There was even a time when they made me feel low and intimidated. I was like, “Fendi and Ferragamo are expected to be formal and stern. They are expensive!” But from Charles & Keith? I don’t think so! Their prices are customer-friendly.. so should their staff be.. or else they’ll just be driving their customers away. A smile goes a looooong way. I hate it when from the outside, it is so easy to see their faces looked so tired, rude and unwelcoming. It makes me want to run for my life. I never thought that Charles & Keith would change. I actually believe that it’s a part of their training.. until we visited their Shangri-la branch. Everyone was like the same old usual robot. No greetings. No smile. I was in pain because of fibromyalgia.. and again they looked at me differently. It was around 9 pm that time. I understand that everybody’s tired. They were actually assisting 2 other customers aside from me.
Mark made the first move of explaining and helping me in everything. He was so helpful that he went over the top just to give me an excellent service. He was nice, smart and patient. Unfortunately, I didn’t purchase the shoes he was trying to sell me. I saw some “flaws” on the item that I want. After a week of not being able to sleep because that pair of shoes is haunting me, I called them. Mark assisted me again… on the phone. Did the same effort and wholeheartedly gave me a good service. He looked for the same style and size from other branches. Called them for hours just to look for the shoes I want. Now that’s an excellent customer service! 7 years of bad experience from Charles & Keith = 1 staff saved the brand. Because of Mark, my first impression about Charles & Keith is now gone. 😊
I went to their SM Aura branch, they are actually in top 4 of my “worst customer service” list. From the outside, I was telling my husband, “Here we go again.” Then we were giggling. We went inside and walked fast towards the exit. I already think at that time, “Wow! Mark is the only asset they have.” Then hubby saw something nice. He asked me to try it. When he was about to kneel and wear it on me, Eric assisted us. I was thinking, “That was fast. I didn’t see him anywhere.” He gladly assisted us and even took the 2nd shoes I like. And so I fitted the shoes I want. When we were having a hard time in tying the shoes, Apple hurriedly assisted us. She happily helped me in everything, smiled at me the whole time and made me want to buy more. I took notes of the things she told me about the brand and the shoes I bought.
Now the 7 years of bad experience from Charles & Keith is erased because of Eric & Apple. I am happy and proud of them. Though it helps to see their manager smiling and welcoming to customers as well, I’m already contented to know that Charles & Keith are now having a heart in their business. So good customer service and unique design are now given by Charles & Keith.. and so led me to purchase the shoes I want. But is it in good quality? That’s for me to find out soon. So watch out on my next OOTD post and see my review.
I once was told, “Take care of your customer or someone else will take care of them.” In business, customers have the opportunity to leave you bankrupt.. maybe a thousand or a million peso poorer. How? By giving their trust and business to somebody else.
Before going to Charles & Keith, I went to Aldo SM Aura. I remember how I closed my eyes and bought something from them though I’m not happy with the experience I had. Still, after 6 months of not visiting them, they’re still the same.. and so I left. If someone took care of me from Aldo.. then I didn’t have the time to go to Charles & Keith anymore. That’s what customer service can do. It can either make or break the sale of the day.
Sales ladies and men forget that they are the front liners of the company. What they treat and show us definitely represent the brand they are working for. Managers forget that they should do better because his staff copies him. Be a good example. Value your job and your job will take care of you.
MissInformation.Blog 