Dear The Children’s Place,
First of all, I’m not sure you took into consideration the problems with giving yourself a name starting with “The.” It’s tricky, isn’t it? I mean, do I really have to write “Dear The Children’s Place”? That looks ridiculous. But “Dear Children’s Place” isn’t right. I suppose “Dear TCP” would work, but not everyone knows you as TCP. It’s puzzling. If this were a real letter actually sent to you, I would do “Dear Madam or Sir,” but since this is a blog post, that’s insufficient information for the readers. “Dear The Children’s Place” it is, then.
Secondly, considering that three of my last four orders from you have been shipped even though some of the items I ordered were “unfortunately” “not available,” do you think it is perhaps time to make modifications to your inventory system? As I see it, there are two good options here:
1) Fix it so that it doesn’t let me order things that are not in stock. Considering that things in my cart often go out of stock as I’m shopping, it seems you have systems in place for this already. Perhaps you could make them WORK. You say you “try very hard” and that you “sincerely regret”—but a 75% failure rate means UR DOIN IT RONG. You KNOW there is a problem, and I know you know, so we both know you need to fix it somehow. Your allegedly sincere regret is an insufficient solution.
2) Or, you could contact me BEFORE you ship the items, to let me know that your inventory system has failed ONCE AGAIN, and to give me the option to cancel or modify my order. It is not fair to ship the order and THEN say “O SORRY ITEMS UNAVAILABLE KBAI!!!” Sure, I could return everything else, but (a) that’s a hassle for ME and I’M not the one who SCREWED UP here, and (b) I’d lose my shipping fees. Sometimes the item that’s unavailable is the reason I placed the order, and the rest was just stuff I added in as long as I had to pay shipping anyway: I didn’t really want an order of six pairs of socks sent to me. Other times, if I’d KNOWN you were out of stock in green, I would have ordered the orange. Now that a week has gone by, the orange is also out of stock.
In short, your currents system sucks. That’s right: I said SUCKS. And I mean it. Get it together, you cheeseheads, because I LOVE your clothes and I LOVE your sales, and I would like to continue to dress my daughter and any future nieces in 99% TCP clothing until they’re out of your biggest sizes. KTHANXBAI!!!
Love, Swistle
PREACH IT!!!!!!!!
I was just on their website trying to find good deals.
They get a lot of business from you, Swistle. (Okay, maybe just mine. But still.)
Amen…sing it sister…
I think this letter could be sent to many companies and be applicable! Too bad their sincere regret doesn’t result in a massive discount on future purchases for you.
ps…I enjoy reading your blog even though this is my first time commenting!
I’ve heard a lot of people having the same problems with TCP online. That’s why I’ve never ordered from them. There is a store less than 3 miles from my house, so if there is something I really want I’ll go there.
I like your suggestions to them, you really should send the letter. Maybe they’ll pull it together if we all complain!
Yes yes yes! Send a letter! I’ve had the same experiences with them recently, and it’s making me not want to shop there anymore (which is sad). If enough people write in, maybe they’ll get their act together.
Anyway. Long-time reader, first-time commenter. :) Hi.
I feel the SAME WAY. I got so frustrated with their stupid online inventory system last time I tried to place an order I ended up just canceling the whole thing. GRRR.
This SHOULD be a real letter actually sent to them. Please send it. Stat.
I agree. Send this – it’s brilliant and they need to hear it.
I agree. Send this – it’s brilliant and they need to hear it.
I agree. Send this – it’s brilliant and they need to hear it.
Dear The Children’s Place (ha ha ha ha ha!). I have the same problem with **THE** La Quinta. I can’t just say “We’re staying at La Quinta” because it sounds weird. Instead I end up saying “We’re staying at THE La Quinta” which then equates to The THE Quinta.
Hmph.
I CANNOT get the online ordering system to acknowledge my order. The responses to my emails direct me to “Visit our site.”
Hate them!
Love their clothes.
Sigh.
Amen. Gymboree has the same problem. Makes me batty. I do not have the time or patience to go to the mall with 3 or 4 kids when I could easily pay $5 to have it shipped to me. That is less than the cost of gas. I understand the need for real time inventory, but PUHLEASE maybe they could list things as While Supplies Last or something? Because really, how quickly can they possibly go out of stock?
Ok, wow. Didn’t know I was so wound up about this. :)
At this point you should just send the link to this post so they can see the comments too ;)
I did send them a similar letter in the actual mail, and also to their online customer service. No reply from them as of yet; it’s been 3 weeks. I guess they ran out of unhelpful form letters.
Amanda- YES! That is ANOTHER thing: their customer service is LAUGHABLY AWFUL. Like, I write to say, “Hey, there was an item missing that wasn’t even SUPPOSED TO BE missing!” and they write back “Please be aware that items may be returned to any TCP store.” Um, yes. Could we READ the emails, please? You know, if it’s NOT TOO MUCH TROUBLE.
OMG, too funny. I have missed out on this shortcoming of theirs, apparently–there are a couple of TCP stores in my area, so I shop in person rather than online. So far, I haven’t had the experience of getting to their cash register with something and then having it yanked out of my hand as “out of stock, sucka!”
But perhaps that could happen?
Send, send, send!
Hmmm, do you think it will work? I wonder…
I am a recent TCP shopper, and I had to return something the other day – what a process. I had my receipt and they still wanted all kinds of information. Target’s got them beat on that one!
And also – i bought a pair of shorts full price there, and I knew I was going to return them so I kept the receipt – but where is it? I don’t know. I wish they had a system where they could look up the price you paid based on your credit card (it was even a TCP card!). but no. bummer. Cute clothes though.
Can you add–“Please let me search on your website by size?” as well? I get annoyed having to click on EVERY SHIRT to see if they have it in stock in the size I want, only to see that it’s only in size 4 or 14. That’s why I’ve stopped shopping online with them. And with 2 boys under the age of 5, you can bet I don’t shop in the store with them. Sorry, business going to other stores with better websites!
I think this letter would make a great template for actual complaint letters to be sent when companies screw up like this. It is called “customer service” not “customer irritation”, after all!
AMEN!! Sometimes I would have cancelled the entire order if they just would have told me up front. that’s how they get you!!
I was going to tell you about my cousin Bethany’s experience–but look, there she is.. a LURKER!!
well said
You tell ’em!!
I used to be able to go shopping at the actual store and love it, then I had kids. Now its a nightmare to go to the store so I choose to shop online but the blows too! Some days I think of moving us to a nudist colony so I would never have to shop for clothes again but then I remember that many of the nudists do not resemble Matthew Macconaughey so I decide against it.
You tell ’em, sister! Get an online petition going and you know we’ll all sign it. Maybe that will get them to fix their crappy system.
I just go tot he outlet that is minutes from my house – but if they shipped to Canada (or if Old Navy did why they do not I have no idea) I would try to shop online as well. . I tend not to buy too much there because my son is SO SKINNY and the clothing seems to be huge.
I think the names OK, BUT I totally agree on the ordering system. I’ve gotten incomplete orders maaaany times and would have appreciated being notified BEFORE the stuff shipped so I could make substitutions.
Have you tried ordering through Amazon? I get all my online TCP clothes through Amazon.com, and it’s hassle free. I get what I order, I can’t order anything that isn’t in stock, and the deals are GREAT! (Not to mention often the shipping is free on orders over $25) I just search for kids clothes and narrow the search for only TCP. Pie.
Beth- *blink* *heading over to Amazon* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! THANK YOU FOR MENTIONING THIS. MY GRATITUDE IS CONVEYED IN MY USE OF ALL-CAPS.
You’ll have the same experience with TCP through Amazon. Check out their merchant rating. people either love them (never had an inventory problem) or hate them (everything they ever bought was wrong). I’m in the hate’em camp. I ordered something like $300 worth of stuff – through Amazon – when my newborn came out needing 6 month clothes. Three days after the order I got an email telling me various pieces were out of stock. Same day UPS showed up with everything I ordered. And my credit card? Saw a double billing. Hate their online experience.
Shell- Awww, dang.
I think it’s high time you ditch TCP and make it exclusive with your boyfriend Target.
Your letter is just perfect.
So far I’ve had no problems, just that anything I usually click on is out of stock in whatever size I want. That doesn’t keep me from browsing, though! And do you KNOW how excited I got when I saw that there is a TCP (pesky The!) very close to our new place? Oh so happy. Hopefully I can ditch the ordering online, too.
every time someone posts about tcp, I go over there and spend money.
hmph.
also, same here, but it’s happened to me with old navy and gap too.
Oh, I also love how it’s The Childrens Place” but their web site is childrensplace.com… not the.
that should be a real letter for sure! I always have that problem with them! you should organize a day where all your readers write them and then maybe they will change things!