Just today I called to fill a prescription for my daughter’s medication. As I’ve always done I attempted to pay for this using my debit card while ordering. The person I spoke to, got belligerent, claimed it wasn’t their policy to take payment over the phone, and actually threatened me. Yes, that really happened.

His snarling words were, “If I do this and I get in trouble, I’m coming after you personally.” “You and I are going to tangle, lady.” “You’ll hear from me, not CVS.” When I asked for his name, he hung up on me.

To say that I was seething and concerned is a mild statement. I’ve worked in government compliance and in fact, still hold a federal government authorization for general industry safety training. In the past, representing numerous clients, I have dealt with workplace violence and employee issues.  Additionally, I’ve trained clients on customer service and written and published near volumes on spotting harassment.  And on no planet did this employee’s behavior not constitute harassment toward me.  

A simple, “It’s never been our policy to accept debit/credit cards via phone. We’ve made exceptions for you in the past. I’m only a floater and don’t know you and am afraid to take the chance” would have sufficed. When I questioned him about when their policy changed, as I had just done this practice three days prior, is when he absolutely flipped his lid.

Even if I was the most belligerent person on the planet, no customer service representative should ever threaten, especially personally, a customer. Nowhere does the law allow for customer service reps, who are equipped with your real name, (first and last), home phone, and address to make threats of contact. That is quite illegal. Understand this man, knows the location of my house and all my ways of contact.

I have no clue if his comments were threats or could be construed later to imply real dangers.  Now, I’m going to wonder and worry.

People who flip their lid over these issues so quickly are volatile. I don’t know how volatile but I will be apprehensive about this and I shouldn’t have to be. I only questioned the practice. I did not call to get threatened by local pharmacy.

I realize this is an extreme case. However, poor customer service can be bad attitude, rudeness, threats or mocking and attacking or racially discriminatory comments or even intentionally hanging up on you.  With all the other stressors in life, one stress no one should have to deal with is horrible customer service.

What to do when you’ve gotten less than best customer service?

1. Immediately write down the exact verbiage and document, including date, time and as much information as you can. If you feel the conversation is heating up, while you’re talking as I did, start jotting this information down while it’s occurring.
2. If possible, have another person in the room who can testify to the nature of the call. Put the phone on speaker if there are others present.
3. Ask for the managers or supervisors name. If you aren’t provided one, call back and get this information. Then report the incident, repeating exactly what transpired.
4. Go over the manager’s head to corporate or a district manager  if the incident is severe or if you feel you aren’t getting anywhere. Google these by using, “Corporate phone number for X-company” or “Report complaint for X-company.”
5. Lodge a state’s Attorney General’s complaint or a Better Business Bureau complaint.
6. Send a physical letter by snail mail to the highest person in the company you can find. These go further than phone calls.
7. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper regarding this event.
8. Under no circumstances, deviate from the nature of the details. Do not offer slanderous or malicious comments back, either in your calls or in your reporting of this.
9. Be calm, but serious. It is a serious matter you are reporting and you want to make sure, (no matter how insane the customer service person has made you), you don’t act crazy. Your words will go farther when you’ve taken a deep breath and been straightforward regarding the incident.
10. File a police report if you feel honestly threatened or concerned for your safety. Unfortunately, in this day and age, people do go postal for seemingly small reasons. A customer service representative, armed with your address and phone number, can make your life difficult or even be a danger to you or your family. Don’t waste time wondering.  Threats made by phone or mail are illegal, as are any attempts to contact you for other than a business reason, using personal information they’ve acquired on the job. You should promptly report to the police or local law enforcement.

You can be sure that I’m performing at least six of these steps rather succinctly. It’s a shame that I’m going to bed tonight, worrying about this. If you receive horrible customer service, don’t take it lying down. Make sure you follow through with reporting bad behavior and involve the proper authorities if you feel your safety is in question.

Some days opening your email is really a drag. Other days you just want to hug someone, anyone. Today is one of those days I wanna hug random people. Loreal is giving free samples of their EverPure Color care shampoo and conditioner and offering several money saving NEW coupons. You’ll miss these if you don’t sign up for their newsletter, which alerts you ASAP when new samples are released or the newest coupons are available to print. 

One thing I absolutely love about Loreal’s site is the “no guessing game” policy. To the far left of the promotions page (labeled, “Special offers and savings”) -you’ll see a link for “Newspaper Special Offers”- to quote them, “Learn what coupons will be available in your local Sunday paper this week”.  I’m sick of silly commercials, being resigned to chase dollar signs with my cursor to obtain a coupon or see endless minutes of video regarding products. I’m there on a mission and I don’t want to be entertained. The sooner you give me your coupon, the sooner I’ll go buy it. If I want entertainment or cute facts, I’ll watch Letterman later, while I’m slathering some new product on.Loreal gets this fact, cleanly and simply.

As I said, it’s a no guessing game company and an equally transparent website.  Don’t you wish all manufacturers gave us this information in advance? Loreal has learned what many manufacturers haven’t yet, coupon folk will favorite sites that make searching for a special offer easy. It’s not the same with their competitors. Covergirl has zero coupons on their site, (although a wide offering has been in the recent Sunday inserts). Maybelline has a solitary coupon ( a decent one though, it’s for $3.00 off pricey, but worth it Pulse Perfection Mascara). Almay has zero coupons on their site, ( I’m a newsletter member and have not yet, in a month recieved coupons). Neutrogena has several coupons for skincare, none for makeup, (However, like Covergirl, they have had a surplus in Sunday inserts, so I’m not complaining too much). But none of these have “upcoming coupons” posted. I wish all manufactuerers would take a big Loreal hint and point out this fact for the millions of coupon hound dog women out there. It’s a great help, knowing what’s coming ahead. In addition, Loreal’s site is not littered with time consuming junk you have to wade through to get coupons. Sign up, visit website again and enter email and password, and coupons are ready to print. Period. Which makes it not a huge drain on time to puruse other parts of the site while you’re there.

Log in or create an accout and grab your samples of sulfate-free EverPure and newest coupons. It’s a breeze and worth it!

This week I surveyed the mountain of coupons around here. Sadly, there are too many to use by the expiration dates.  I have access to a drop-off facility for discarded newspapers and grab Sunday inserts frequently. However, I can’t really use 15 coupons for cereal by the 31^st of October or 20 coffee coupons.  I hate throwing them out, as it feels like wasted money.

While I was pondering this, it occurred to me how much couponing has helped me, personally.  Quite honestly, if it were not coupons and learning how to maximize their benefits, many times over in my family’s life we would have really struggled.  The road of a single mom is typically a fiscally challenging one.

By using coupons we’ve gained extra items and actually had a far better life. Shampoo, conditioner, facial products and makeup all bought with coupons have satisfied even my most picky teenager’s inner diva.

A few times coupons meant the difference in how much food we put on the table or the quality of what we were consuming.

Currently, I find a freebie or two every week and stockpile these.  Staples or personal care products become my kids stocking stuffers. Toothbrushes, shavers, lotions and makeup- these otherwise expensive and necessary items make Christmas morning fun for all of them and I’ve not over-spent.  In years before I learned to budget, I could drop sixty or seventy dollars on small useless fodder for stockings. Now I spend hardly anything by using buy one get one free deals and coupons, plus the frequent reward bucks.

My kids have learned a lot about budgeting from couponing and a few life lessons. The other day, daughter number 3, (age 17) wanted an item that wasn’t on sale while we were shopping.  We agreed together, that by using coupons and a sale later, she’d get more for her money. My daughter put the product back and decided to wait. Learning to wait, instead of giving into immediate gratification is a life lesson and skill kids need to experience and develop. I was proud of her for showing maturity in that moment.

During my mulling on this, it occurred to me, given how much coupons have helped me, others could benefit. I stopped off at a Senior Center and unloaded my surplus. A few ladies hugged me. I’m pretty certain they know what it’s like to watch their pennies, given the fixed budget many of them operate with.

If you are new to this process of learning to save and couponing, you will find it addicting as your life style acquires added perks. It’s exciting to spot deals and make your money stretch. Remember to share this with your kids as they grow. Teach and allow them to wait for a wanted item. When you accumulate extra coupons, share them with others in need. Those few dollars saved, to someone on limited or fixed income, can greatly enhance their lifestyle, as well.

Save, share, and be well.

In nearly every retailer’s spot, there’s a plea for joining up, via memberships. Most people look at these as yet another source of junk mail. Who needs more of that? However, you might want to reconsider the prospect!

There is a side to signing up for email memberships or newsletters worth having. You get FREE stuff!!! Yeah, you’ve got to sort through the stuff, hit the “Delete” button a few more times, but the freebies are worth many site’s email. Here’s a tip for you- if you want to find a coupon for a retailer and aren’t able to locate one, try signing up for a free membership or newsletter- often those are the only ones available or are the best ones to find.

Here are my picks for “worth-flooding-your-inbox” newsletters or sign-ups:

1. Kmart. Sign up at Kmart.com, to receive a $5.00 off coupon on $25 purchase in the store (it’s only good for a week after you sign up, so sign up and use it immediately). Get another $5.00 coupon to use online purchases in the initial “welcome” email.
2. PacSun- You’ll score a coupon good for 15% off in store or online, instantly. Plus, you’ll get special offers daily.
3. dELias- Your sign up will give you a free shipping code off a purchase online of $25.00, and discounts on special items.
4. JC Penney’s- Get special offers, as an “associate” friend of the family. Today’s deal was a promo code for an extra 20% off online purchases.
5. Pillsbury- Obtain the best recipes and coupons on products.

Try these for a few extra savings and discounts. If you limit yourself to a just a couple of favorites or hard to find coupon sites, you won’t feel overwhelmed when you look at your inbox. Or have a separate email just for freebies that you can check occasionally.

Need to compare Sunday flyers, grocery store circulars and retail savings? Are you getting sick of searching site after site?  Here’s a super cool time saver to use- SundaySaver.com. This handy little site provides nearly every retailer your heart could desire, grouped by Department Store/Clothing, Grocery, Home Improvement, Pharmacy, Electronics, etc. You simply select a retailer, enter your zip code, and voila! The current circular is available for your perusal. In many cases, flyers are available days before the print version on SundaySaver’s site, so you’ll get a sneak peak in advance on sales.

The site boasts, “Stop buying the Sunday paper just for the ads”. But what do you do about merchants who offer clip coupons (Walgreens, Kmart, etc)? One way to opt out of purchasing the Sunday paper and still have plenty of store coupons is to check merchants via SundaySaver.com, make a list, then pop over to the retailer for a flyer. I’ve never been to a merchant yet that doesn’t have multiple free copies of the Sunday flyers available at the store. If you don’t see these by the entrance, ask a sales associate.

How about other coupons, such as Red Plum’s manufacturer’s coupons? Can you find those online without buying a Sunday paper? Here’s the truth- “Yes” and “No.” On the SundaySaver.com site, you’ll see the tab, “Printable Coupons” at the top. If you click on the tab, it opens in a new window of their partner site, “Deal Catcher”. The far left on Deal Catcher’s coupon window, “grocery coupons” contains a plethora of printable grocery coupons. Simply select by checking the boxes and print. (The site might require a quick download first).

However, the sad truth is, some highly sought coupons are ONLY available in the Sunday papers. Proctor and Gamble’s monthly “P & G Saver” is one you will want to purchase a paper to obtain.  Even if you go to the P & G website, the coupons available are different than the ones offered in flyers.

There is often a disparity in the print coupons versus the online coupons in the way of savings. Typically, coupons available online offer less savings. Take the recent Snuggle Fabric Softener coupons, for instance. Online you’ll find a $1.00 off coupon. The print version in last weekend’s Sunday paper offered a $3.00 coupon for Snuggle-(pretty significant since Snuggle can be found on sale for around $3.49).  It’s not always a constant regarding print coupons beating out the online version.  There are some online printables that offer fab savings. But still, I find the Sunday paper to be a wealth of great coupons.

If you’re really on a budget or can’t make it out to get a Sunday paper, use the SundaySaver.com site to compare, battle plan shopping, and print out coupons. Then try your community for added coupon swaps, check recycling areas for cast-off Sunday papers or ask a friend to partner with you for coupon trading. 

I do love SundaySaver.com for the ease and time saving components offered. I believe you will as well. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think!