Letter - Look inside the box

Mr. Watfor (an honourable and respected senior of this city) bought a package containing two videos and costing $3.99. The title on the box was, "The Battle of D-Day." When he took it home and tried them, the first video didn't work. The second one should have been Part Two of The Battle of D-Day but contained a different video, "Walt Disney Aristocats."

Three days later when he managed to return to the store he spoke to a cashier, the first one next to the door. He explained the problem and asked if he could return them. The woman answered,

"There is no return on books or videos."

"So why don't I exchange them?" he then asked.

And she repeated, "There is no return on books or videos."

"So these are garbage, are they?"

"Yes," she replied. "You should have checked them before you left the store."

She spoke in an insolent manner.

He left them on the counter and he said he's not going back.

Mr. Watfor said, "Maybe I should have checked, but I trusted the integrity of their merchandise program and that someone would have ensured that the videos matched the case. My emphasis is not on the value. It is on the treatment of a customer and perhaps the insinuation that I switched them and brought them back. There would have been no loss to Value Village in an exchange - but now they've lost a customer." There is value in customer service. "Value" should mean more than money and is expressed in customer service which they have "under-valued."

I, speaking as his friend, have never opened a video to check inside before purchasing. Have you?

By Shirley Kealey