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AmScot Are you really OK with THEM Lying?!?
Because I'm not!
&
What about
Customer Service?!
A few Months ago I needed to get quite a few Money Orders. Seeingthat I am continually watching the commercial for AmScot on the television, Idecided I would check out to see if everything they offered and said was true.They are supposed to be open twenty four hours a day, three hundred and sixtyfive days of the year and Money Orders are supposed to be free, and on theircommercials, customers ask, “Come on, they can’t be free! There has to be somekind of charge!” And the teller on the commercial promises, “That’s right,free!” So here I am in need of nine Money Orders, and I always round up myfigures, I am not one who pays the ninety nine cents, instead I will round upto the next dollar. So my figures are all set, and planned out, ready to go.
When I get there, the place is quite packed and a teller hollershello to me, and points for me, to head to her window and I do. She is stillassisting another so I stand quietly. Once she completes with them, she comesover to me. She asks me what I need and I tell her that I need nine MoneyOrders. She looks quite shocked like she has never had someone need so manyMoney Orders before. Which, seeing how they Money Orders are free, I don’t seehow that can be so. She steps away from me, and walks over to the counter andgets a sip from her water bottle. She still has yet to find out how much I needthe Money Orders for.
Now I stand here waiting for her to come back, after her gettingher sip of water from her bottle, now she proceeds to talk to another employeeand now they are staring at me. Have I done something wrong? I look down at myshoes. I sigh, I wore slippers inside, great, I am going to be sent out ofthere because of house slippers. You see, I have pneumonia and feel like crapand it was everything I could do to get dressed, I tied my hair up over my headin a knot, and put on my clothes, a coat, because it is cool outside and blackhouse slippers. Truly it is hard to tell they are slippers, I didn’t think theywould notice. It’s not like I made slipping sliding noises with them when Icame in, I walked normal and picked up my feet. I wonder if that is theproblem?
The two employees talk for nearly ten minutes, and finallythe girl who was waiting on me, came back and asked me for my photoidentification. I pulled it from my wallet and gave it to her. She looked atit, typed my information into the computer and then asked me how much I neededthe Money Orders for. I told her and I quote:
“This will be simple enough foryou, I round up. I need all nine Money Orders for the same amount. Threehundred dollars please.”
She slammed her hand down on the counter, along withmy driver’s license, deep sighed and gave me the most evil look imaginable. Ifelt like I was about to rob the place.
I pulled the cash from my wallet, andexplained, “Lady, I do have the cash for them, I promise you.”
“Oh it’s not that, trust me.” She said. And she walked awayfrom me once again.
The girl in the window beside me said, “What the heck?”because she seen the whole thing. “I thought the Money Orders were free here?”
I responded with; “I did too, but obviously they come out ofthe employee’s personal wages.”
We both proceeded to laugh.
The teller came back to the window, I asked what the problemwas, she put her finger up into the air; which explains to hold for a minute-andpicked up the phone and dialed, and she dialed with her finger so hard I do notunderstand how the key pad to that is not broken. Now mind you, the cords ontheir phones are quite long, and she managed to stretch it out, and stand nextto another employee, talk about me, and to the person on the phone all at thesame time. This I found quite rude, but apparently this is a practice thatAmScot uses with their employees.
I heard the teller explain my Money Order amounts, and myname, and everything. She turned away from me and spoke some more whisperingtoo. The other teller was giggling and rolling her eyes as she looked me over.Yes as a matter of fact, I was being judged. I was quite certain of that.
I looked around to see if there were cameras, hoping thatthere were. I had seen several. Good, because I knew I was going to have calland complain. I also knew I was going to use the Social Media to reference thiswhole situation. Customer Service is not suppose to be something that has gonedown the tubes, it is something that Businesses are supposed to strive to useto build up their businesses and impress other Customers as well as otherBusinesses. It’s called good Business ethics. Apparently AmScot never learnedthese Business Principals.
Once the woman finally finished on the phone, and talking toher Associate, it had been forty five minutes. Yes, you read that right. Why Istood there, because I wanted to see what it was I had done wrong, and I alsowanted to prove to the World, that yes, AmScot does not offer free Money Ordersafter all, because what I am now learning, is apparently, they don’t.
“Mrs. Williams you’re a Landlord are you not?” she said tome, making sure her Associate heard her from behind.
“Yes, what does that have to do with anything?” I asked.
“I cannot sell you these Money Orders because the money isnot yours and you are depositing it into another’s account.” She said. Noticeshe said “sell”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” I said. “Apparently you like toassume. I am not making any deposits into anyone’s accounts and the money is infact mine! When a tenant pays me rent the money is mine to do with it as I seefit! If I want to pay my FPL, or Cable Bill so be it, it is my choice. And Inever ever told you what I was doing with any of my Money Orders, check yourtapes!” I explained.
“I am sorry, but I am going to be forced to call the IRS toreport you. What you are doing is fraud.” She explained.
“Excuse me? You don’t know what I do, or claim on my taxes!What is your problem?” I gasped. “For all you know I already claimed myrentals, in fact I do taxes myself thank you. I am certified! What is with youreally?” I am getting furiously upset.
The woman beside me steps over to my window and says: “Eithergive her the free Money Orders or take down the sign that says free MoneyOrders!”
We both started laughing.
“You know what Mrs. Williams I am going to be forced to callthe Police, here is your ID, I am calling them right now, I don’t have to putup with this, you are committing Crimes right now and we both know it and thisis illegal!” The teller gasped as she started dialing the phone.
The woman beside me, says: “My word!”
“I’m out of here; I think they have enough on video to provemy point that the free Money Orders are a scam and a farce. This is total bullcrap and I will prove it one way or another.”
I left, and then I went home, posted it on www.twitter.com and www.facebook.com on both of my personalpages and I also found the Companies personal pages on Twitter and Facebook andposted on their walls as well and linked to them.
Eventually a Mark from Corporate called me, and when he didI ended up arguing with him and hung up on him two times, the third time hecalled back, I finally listened enough and didn’t hang up on him and weconcluded like Adults.
He apologized, promised me that the District Manager wouldhave a talk with the employee in the store on US 1 in Rockledge. He claims thatthe videos do work, but that they would not need to reference them, that theybelieve Customer complaints. He says Customers do not just call in for anyapparent reason.
He asked what I wanted, I said I did not want the employeeto lose their job; jobs are too hard to come by, however I did want her reprimanded.I was humiliated, and then I had to go elsewhere and spend money on the MoneyOrders. He asked if I wanted to Money Orders refunded, I said it wasn’t the point,he asked how much I spent, I explained seventy cents each times nine which issix dollars and thirty cents. He told me he would send me a check to refundthat, and again apologized.
I had to explain to Mark, over and over again, that I washumiliated. I also had to explain about how I round up, and that I preferpaying my bills on my own, and that I have a routine. You could tell Mark isfamiliar with handling Customer complaints, as I was quite upset, he stayedvery calm and handled the situation like a professional, unlike his employees.
Once the check arrived, it came in a card; he wrote more ofan apology and included a gift card for OutBack Steak House for Twenty FiveDollars. That was much unexpected.
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| What I received from Mark at AmScot |
As you can well enough tell, NO AmScot Money Orders are notalways free, not if you are purchasing for someone else, and/or depositing intosomeone else’s account, and yes there is an asterisks in the fine print thatyou never see. AmScot just doesn’t tell the whole truth.
AmScot has their own web site to learn more and ask anyquestion and can also be found on both Facebook and Twitter. www.AmScot.com for any questions or concernsyou may have, I do suggest going there first.
Everything I put in this blog did happen as I have written it, AmScot can attest to this as it was recorded in their location in Rockledge, Florida.
This happened February 2013.
If they change their practices after this blog post, so be it. Until then, this is how things are handled as of now. Money Orders are not always free.
And by the way, YES I threatened to report them to the Better Business Bureau. If you look on their web site, they are supported by the BBB. I believe that's why they made certain to ask that I not make a complaint. I did however, tell them point blank, I would be making this blog post, and I would link them to it. I have nothing to hide, as I did nothing wrong.
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