Anthony Babbitt sent a message to Michael R Egeck that said:
Dear Ma'am or Sir,
Yesterday I was at the Eastview Mall in Rochester NY at approximately 2pm. The purpose of my visit was to return two defective shirts I had purchased. I wanted to exchange them for good shirts. The two cashiers informed me that since the shirts were purchased in 2000, they could only give me a store credit of $9.99 per shirt, totaling $19.98. I was shocked, but did not want to argue with them because I had my daughter with me. So I accepted the store credit and returned home to research the issue further.
I see on your website you still advertise and unconditional lifetime guarantee. I have only ever returned 1 shirt in the past and had no issues. These were my 2nd & 3rd Eddie Bauer shirts to fail. My closet is literally filled with Eddie Bauer shirts and jeans, in large part due to the styles and the warranty (which to me, represents the quality of the clothing). One was a long-sleeve, button down collar blue shirt that was becoming threadbare on the seams and losing it's blue color. This is a manufacturer defect. The other was my favorite shirt, a similar long-sleeve, button down collar white shirt with green grid threads. This shirt had come apart on the sleeve while in the wash. The cashier informed me this was a common defect and she had seen it before. It was also a manufacturer defect (and again, my favorite shirt!).
I'm happy to provide the link on your own website that gives an express warranty of "unconditional lifetime guarantee" (http://www.eddiebauer.com/custserv/customer-service-our-guarantee.jsp). The sales staff did not honor this yesterday. I researched the Uniform Commercial Code, adopted by both New York and the United States. You are clearly in violation of this, and I would prefer not to have to report you to the New York state Attorney General office and file an FTC & BBB complaint against Eddie Bauer Co.
Again, my closet has literally thousands of dollars of Eddie Bauer clothing in it. I have never tried to return anything I damaged or destroyed myself. In the decades I have been buying Eddie Bauer, I have only had these three shirts fail. The first and second was a similar fading at the seams, and the third was the sleeve that unraveled in the wash. I am 43 and was raised by doctors and lawyers... we buy quality. I have been a loyal customer for over 25 years.
I cannot believe how I was treated yesterday by Justine and her co-worker. My receipt for store credit provides the following information:
Trans: 7950 on May 2, 2018 at 2:12pm.
Store: 00456 Till: 003 Reg: 003
410007017084 1 @ 9.99
410010106461 1 @ 9.99
Store Credit Issued: $21.48
Store Credit #6006 4969 2900 8263 735
Account: 3735
Auth: 002148 (A)
Audit Trace Num: 2888
And this is the kicker, at the bottom of the receipt!
FINEST QUALITY
100% GUARANTEED
I'm certain they still have the shirts at the store. It was a slow day, so they may even remember me.
Please contact me about this at your earliest convenience. Until then, I will let my family know that you are not honoring your warranty and they should join me in boycotting your stores.
Sincerely,
Anthony Babbitt
