At Honey, Life is Sour

AT HONEY, LIFE IS…SOUR Consumer alert to “v

alued” Honey shoppers and all retail shoppers, alike: I would like to share with you a recent experience I had shopping at the retail store Honey in Toronto. Amidst a Saturday afternoon study-break, a friend and I took a stroll along Eglinton Avenue West and popped in to Honey for some much needed retail therapy. For those of you who have never shopped there, Honey is a boutique-like retail store carrying a range of brand name denim and apparel lines. Having been a frequent Honey shopper myself, I was eager to visit the store and check out the new goods. I walked in, scoped out the scene, and within seconds found a bangin’ bomber-style faux shearling jacket. The cost: $165. CHA CHING. It had to be mine. Following the thrill of my new purchase, I immediately took the jacket home to play dress up. While prancing around trying the jacket on with every permutation of cute outfits I could think of, to my dismay, quickly noticed the following: 1. the faux lining of the jacket was emitting a foul dusty-like smell that ultimately became unbearable, and 2. the faux lining was falling off the jacket and sticking to my clothes. Needless to say, the jacket had to be returned. Disappointed, I went back to the store the very next day to explain the situation to the store manager who downright refused to grant me a refund. Given that the culprit was the faux fur lining, I did not want to do an exchange as logic dictates that all the jackets would be plagued with the same level of quality, or lack thereof. Now, I understand that Honey has a “no refunds” policy, however, I do not believe that on any of their store policy signs they state: “WARNING: the product you are about to purchase may or may not be defective. Buy at your own risk.” Given that the store manager claimed to have had no authority to grant me the refund, she referred me to the customer relations manager in Honey’s head corporate office. After having spent nearly $200 on a defective product, to then be faced by a powerless “manager” who refused to supersede store policy (isn’t that her job?) and reimburse me, my disappointment quickly turned into anger and frustration. I contacted the head office the first chance I got, in hopes that the management team at Honey would see things from my perspective. Or, at the very least, grant a loyal customer a reasonable request on the sole basis that customer retention and respect are values that the company employs and stands by… No such luck. I was told by the customer relations manager, an individual who resides at the top of the company totem pole, to return to the store at my earliest convenience, and yet another “store manager” would meet with me, look at the jacket, and deem whether a refund is appropriate. I ask you, fellow shoppers: Is this manager going to take the jacket home, play dress up, and discover, like me, that the jacket, indeed, reeks and sheds like a golden retriever? I think not. Bottom line – Honey has proved that the customer, certainly, does not come first, and what’s more, they clearly do not stand behind their products. If they did, I’d have back my hard earned money. My hope is that with this letter, my experience will make you think twice about stepping foot into Honey. Or, at the very least, have these words of caution in mind if you do: “WARNING: the products you will purchase may or may not be defective. Buy at your own risk. Oh, and also, no refunds”. Credit: Carrie Gurzaface