Goodwill Industries SUCKS!

**Josephhgoins** · 12-30-2009, 07:43 PM

So listen to this. I got up this morning and finished the house cleaning that I needed to get done. Showered and brushed my teeth and then went shopping for the Christmas Present that my Mom had sent me the money to purchase. I had $40 and was determined to find a TV stand. Since I moved my TV has been sitting on my coffee table. I really needed my coffee table to be a coffee table again.

I went to Goodwill.com and recorded the address of the 4 closest stores. Boy was I surprised when I got to the first one and found a well made Oak one for only 22.99! I thought about getting it into my car and decided I would ask a friend to help me when he got off work to take it home with his truck. I waited in line almost 20 minutes but it was worth it because I was finally after 5 months going to have a TV stand. As I waited I thought though how I was going to strip the finish off of it and refinish with a dark walnut stain.

My friend gets off work at 6:00 so when he got here at 6:30 we went to pick it up.

I waited in line another 20 minutes and presented the lady with my receipt. The manager was right beside her and was helping. The lady took her time and found the paper I had filled out and had me sign that I was picking it up. She simply needed me to stop by the door on the way out to verify the price. I have purchased a few things from Goodwill and this is the first time I have ever heard of this. We stopped by the door and they wouldn’t let me take it. Someone during the day had written a price of 46.99 on it. I would have to pay the difference.

I was cool and didn't lose my temper. I was SCREAMING at her in my head but I stayed the gentleman.

I asked for a refund (which my receipt plainly stated they don't do) and she gladly gave it to me. There were several other customers in line who thought it was completely unfair and that they should give it to me for the price they originally sold it to me for. One guy walked out as he didn't feel the need to do business with them.
There was no apology from either the cashier or the manager. There was no offer to compensate me for my time or my friends. So now I have the $22.99 plus tax back in my pocket and the firm resolve to never shop at Goodwill Industries again.

I am getting ready to write a letter to the BBB as well as to GWI headquarters. I am sure they won't do anything about it, but at least I can make someone feel a little bad.

Thanks for reading my rant.

**hotprincesscm** · 12-30-2009, 07:47 PM

Wow! that is awful! Sorry you had such a bad experience!

**pollypurebred39** · 12-30-2009, 07:52 PM

Wow! I've never heard of such a thing. I'm not sure they are within the rights to do such a thing once a sale has been made.

**dcompton** · 12-30-2009, 08:06 PM

I've not had great experiences with Goodwill, but I've certainly never heard of one like that. Unfair doesn't quite cut it. Unethical is more like it.

**tigo** · 12-30-2009, 08:07 PM

Not a shining example of customer service. Glad you didn't buckle.

**pollypurebred39** · 12-30-2009, 08:09 PM

Maybe you should write a letter to the editor of your local paper?

**Luckybustert** · 12-30-2009, 08:10 PM

That is so messed up! I agree they had no right to do that after making the sale. But since you accepted the refund, there's probably little that can be done about it. By accepting the refund you essentially agreed with their position that the sale price was higher. Sorry this happened to you.

**Josephhgoins** · 12-30-2009, 08:18 PM

my thoughts about the refund were that technically since I hadn't carried the product off he property the sale wasn't complete and either of us could have backed out. Same general idea with a security guard following a shop lifter to the parking lot. Unless the product leaves the premises it isn't stealing.

Soo going with the paper idea as well.

**madhen** · 12-30-2009, 08:26 PM

I would write a letter to whatever customer service you can find for Goodwill. If nothing else, it will make you feel better. And sometimes they'll send you a coupon for a few bucks off. I don't imagine you'll be using it in THAT store, but maybe another one.

Also, if they did that to you, they probably did it to others. Who knows if they wrote letters? Enough complaints come in, and the store may experience a turnover in staff.

**Josephhgoins** · 12-30-2009, 08:28 PM

I just hit send on a two page email to both the Goodwill headquarters of North Carolina and the main headquarters. If I get any coupons off they are yours Mad Hen!

**Luckybustert** · 12-30-2009, 08:29 PM

Originally Posted by Josephhgoins

my thoughts about the refund were that technically since I hadn't carried the product off he property the sale wasn't complete and either of us could have backed out. Same general idea with a security guard following a shop lifter to the parking lot. Unless the product leaves the premises it isn't stealing.

Soo going with the paper idea as well.

No, once they accepted payment the item belonged to you. The fact that they let you store it on their property temporarily is beside the point.

**piney** · 12-30-2009, 08:33 PM

I have heard of the salvation army here in the town where i live saving back things for certain people years ago and i fell like the good will here does that to i dont think it fair should be first come get the things.That is terrible about the tv table just not right once you had paid for it you should have been able pick it up.

**Luckybustert** · 12-30-2009, 08:46 PM

Originally Posted by madhen

I would write a letter to whatever customer service you can find for Goodwill. If nothing else, it will make you feel better. And sometimes they'll send you a coupon for a few bucks off. I don't imagine you'll be using it in THAT store, but maybe another one.

Also, if they did that to you, they probably did it to others. Who knows if they wrote letters? Enough complaints come in, and the store may experience a turnover in staff.

This is not just an isolated incident. My mother purchased a sofa at Goodwill and was going to pick it up later in the day and when she came back they'd sold it (again) to someone else. Sure she got her money back, but what about her inconvenience and loss? "Oh well, sorry" is not a good response in this type of situation. If Goodwill is going to agree to store items post-sale, then they need stricter controls on how those items are handled. Selling an item a second time, or putting a higher price tag on an item, should NEVER occur after the sale has taken place. My take on this is that someone in the store has a friend or family member who wants the item and they were helping them get it by screwing Josephhgoins over. What they did, in my opinion, was THEFT.

I went to purchase a bundle of craft booklets at Goodwill....the entire bundle was sealed in plastic wrapping. When I got to the register the cashier decided she was going to open the bundle and charge me $1 for each individual item instead of charging by the pound for the whole bundle like they normally do. WTF? Are they just able to do as they want whenever they want?

**shoiji** · 12-30-2009, 08:58 PM

Really should write a letter to the goodwill industries. Prices should go down once established. Not up.

Hopefully a nicer tv stand will come your way soon. Have you tried freecycle in your area?

**Josephhgoins** · 12-30-2009, 09:21 PM

Shoiju, Thanks for helping me look at the bright side. I have been thinking this evening that I should get my table saw, planer and palm sander out of storage at my mom's. Get some pallets/skids/crates off of craigslist and just make me one to my own specs with the wood I want.

I should be able to get enough Oak to make one just the way I want it and won't have anything in it at all.