This weekend Peter and I started setting up our registries. The first one that we tackled was Williams-Sonoma. We were lured in by the beautiful kitchen gadgets, but within a short period of time the excitement had worn off and we felt stressed, overwhelmed, and annoyed. We waited for a long time before managing to talk with anyone. And when we finally got our scanner it didn’t work. The employees at the counter denied that this was not our fault and continued to tell us time and again that we were using it incorrectly, yet they never accompanied us over to an item to check if we were in fact messing up.
The following day I received this email in my inbox. Please note the highlighted portion.
Really? You’re a huge company but can’t hire someone smart enough to pull our names and plug them into an email? I felt a little bit insulted. I hate the wedding industry, but I don’t think many of these places realize just how bad their customer service really is. The following day Peter and I went over to Crate and Barrel and setting up a registry with them was SO easy. I doubt you’ll be surprised when I tell you that I got home and searched for everything that we registered for at Williams-Sonoma on the Crate & Barrel website. When I found an item that both stores carried, I promptly moved my selections from Williams-Sonoma to Crate & Barrel. I feel great about supporting the stronger business. How was registering for you? Did you love it or was it just kind of a nightmare?
O you poor thing! I am shocked that William Sonoma acted the way they did!! We registered at Crate and Barrel and Restoration Hardware. I loved Crate and Barrel and loved managing my reistry on line! I was going to suggest them to you, but I am glad you already found them!
Thanks Danielle! I completely expected better treatment just out of common courtesy. I had no idea that you could register at Restoration Hardware! That sounds fabulous.
What a bummer about the W-S registry. I bet their corporate customer service would be VERY interested to hear how you were treated. I applaud your active support of the more customer-friendly store. (Plus, Crate and Barrel rocks IMHO)
This brings back fond memories of when Dan and I registered for our wedding. (Just celebrated our 19th anniversary last week!) Computerized registries were brand new, and you didn’t get a scanner, you got a clipboard on which you wrote UPC codes. Guests had to physically go to the store and get a printout, then try to decipher the computer-abreviated item description and UPC codes to figure out what you had registered.
We actually did our registry in the “Big” Marshall Fields on State Street in downtown Chicago. (Long before it was sold to the conglomerate) I felt very elegant and priviledged to ascend the giant central escalator to the romantically-lit china floor where I was greeted by salesmen in suits and ties with boutineers on their name badges. I had brought a place setting of my Grandmother’s gold-rimmed china which I had inherited, and spent a wonderful afternoon mixing and matching flatware and crystal options (with their enthusiastic assistance) until we had created the perfect setting.
Happy belated anniversary by the by! I hope you did something fabulous!
Your registering experience sounds like so much fun Lisa! I have to say that I liked the Crate and Barrel experience the most but even there they were just like, “Here’s a scanner and a gift–go have fun.” The personal connection in gone. In ways this makes me happy because no one tries to tell you what you need, but in other ways it can be frustrating.
I think that if I were not planning a wedding, I would probably complain to WS customer service, but because I’m in the depths right now, I just feel like its one more task. I guess that’s why I really should complain. I’m sure a lot of brides feel like that and its probably why the customer service in this entire industry is terrible.