Has bad customer service ever turned you against a store?

An Australian clothing store has a PR nightmare on its hands after an email spat between it and one of its customers went viral Thursday.

Has bad customer service ever turned you against a store? (istockphoto)Keara O'Neil complained to managers at Gasp clothing after shopping at the Melbourne store, saying she had been treated rudely by an overly aggressive sales assistant.

The employee kept insisting she buy the dresses she was trying on, she said, and insulted her figure when she said she would think about it.

"I have worked in retail for 12 years and have come across an array of customer complaints over the years, none of which come even close to what I encountered on Saturday at your store," she wrote to Gasp.

In its email reply, Gasp defended the sales assistant, calling him a "retail superstar" whose "only problem is that he is too good at what he does."

"As I am sure you are aware, people whom [sic] are talented generally do not tolerate having their time wasted, which is the reason you were provoked to leave the store," the email said.

"I am sure there are plenty of shops that appease your taste, so I respectfully ask that you side step our store during future window shopping expeditions," wrote Gasp area manager Matthew Chidgey.

After the exchange began to spread around social media, Gasp released a statement, again defending the employee's actions:

"We respect that not all consumers strive for a glamorous appearance; some prefer to simply blend in," the statement said.

"We respect and welcome all customers whom [sic] wish to visit our store, even though the intention to buy may not exist. But we ask that their opinions be expressed through blogs, social media or around a warm latte, but certainly not inside our stores."

The story went viral Thursday, with the hashtag #gasp trending worldwide on Twitter.

Do you have a customer service nightmare story? Have you ever received a response like the one O'Neil got from Gasp? Let us know in the comments below.



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