Peanut Butter, Costco And Customer Service

So last night I got a 1800 unknown call. No name popped up. I do not answer calls from numbers I don't know and figure if it is important, they will leave a message. They left a message. It was a robo call from Costco to inform me that a purchase of Jiff peanut butter may have been on a recall. It is. They said to bring it back for a full refund. My husband bought more from Wally world. Since it was a grocery receipt, he didn't keep it past a few days. I don't keep grocery store receipts very long either. He tried to take it back today and Wally World refused because he didn't have a receipt. Other local grocery stores in the area already had the product pulled off the shelves with a notice to bring back for a store credit. This is a food safety recall, not someone trying to return electronics.

Customer service is rarely good these days across the board. There are two companies that really stick out to me though, they are Costco and Publix. Publix just uses old fashioned helpfulness and hires happy workers. They are a public store, unlike membership only Costco. Point being, it all seems so backwards. Anyway, NPR has a good article on the lots affected. https://www.npr.org/2022/05/21/1100558148/recalled-jif-peanut-butter For safety sake, please check your cupboards and tell your friends to look in theirs too.

Thanks for the heads up.
The manufacturer may be willing to mail you a coupon for replacement product.
It has been many years but I have called about products and had excellent results.

Purchases made with plastic usually allow for tracking which can produce a copy of the original receipt. ?‍

Considering the risk of getting seriously ill is quite real, I am surprised at walmarts actions. That decision was probably from a low level dept manager who has no idea of the astronomical punitive damages you could see if you tried to take it back then later consumed it and fell ill.

I once bought a jigsaw from home depot, it had this weird scrolling head feature that had so much slop in it that when locked it actually prevented the saw from making much forward progress in the material unless you really pushed hard, then the blade would snap because it was wiggling back and forth. It had been a few months between buying it and finding this out and I didnt have the receipt but had the box and it was pretty much new. So I took it back and they had recently replaced their whole computer system, the item had been discontinued and didnt show up in the system. The returns clerk consulted with the tools manager and said you didnt buy that here and pretty much showed me the door with a scowl. All I wanted was an upgrade to a tool twice the price and was willing to pay the difference.
So I get home and fired off an email to home depot corporate, knowing there are things to say to get what you want, and things you can say that get you ignored.
First, be nice. Come off like Pollyanna, even a bit naive and innocent. Praise their company, say something like "I always have such great service at this store. I'm not sure what happened this time." So you want it to sound like this is an isolated event. Thats important because then management thinks all they have to do is solve YOUR problem and their work is done. The worst thing to say is "that whole store is screwed up." Whether true or not, then pleasing you does nothing to solve bigger issues.
So I gave them my story, and finished with a very important catch. "All I want is a tool that will work, without getting me hurt.": Dont mention lawsuits, remember, youre Pollyanna. That isnt on your mind. But in front of a jury at a personal injury trial, the dollar signs are rolling in your lawyers eyes. Just an innocent consumer who told the retailer about a problem and they did nothing about it.
Well the next day I got home from work and theres not one but three messages on my machine from the manager of the store, by the third he is sounding frantic and pleading me to bring the saw in for an exchange. I called him and he was waiting for me at the front of the store when I got there. When we got to the tool dept the same girl remembered me, got a smarmy look on her face and gave him some pushback and he nearly fired her on the spot. I got my better jigsaw, thanked him then left.
A friend once told me about customer service, "never accept no from an employee who isnt authorized to say yes." That applies to nearly any situation you will face. A bad employee says no and thinks thats the end of it. A good employee says "let me ask my manager" or "I dont know, but let me find someone who does."

WYtreasure said:

Thanks for the heads up.
The manufacturer may be willing to mail you a coupon for replacement product.
It has been many years but I have called about products and had excellent results.

Purchases made with plastic usually allow for tracking which can produce a copy of the original receipt. ?‍

Click to expand...

Glad I could help.

Batvette said:

Considering the risk of getting seriously ill is quite real, I am surprised at walmarts actions. That decision was probably from a low level dept manager who has no idea of the astronomical punitive damages you could see if you tried to take it back then later consumed it and fell ill.

Click to expand...

That manager must have fallen asleep in the part of training when it was discussed about food recalls. My husband is the one who took it back there as he is the one who bought it from wally world. It is not easy to shock him, but he told me he couldn't believe it.