Zoo Clothing

Just went in today the ladies that were working were absolutely exceptional so helpful with sizing and very polite so good 😊!

Absolutely love this place. Friendly staff too

Good range of clothes, reasonably priced, quality is good and staff are friendly.

Great

Staff can be pretty intimidating and rude, clothing however is nice

This review is based off an experience I had at Fox Boutique (Zoo’s sister store), but was with the Store Manager of Zoo Clothing, Chloe.

At the end of January, I purchased a black skirt at Fox Boutique. When I went to wear the item yesterday, the fabric ripped from simply the lightest adjusting after I put it on. It had only ever sat in my wardrobe in the bag I purchased it in, tags still attached. I no longer had the receipt, so I hoped to exchange the item.

I went into Fox Boutique today with the skirt and told the sales assistant what the situation was. I expressed that I was happy to simply exchange it – the skirt was $30, so I wasn’t too concerned. I also had my bank statement showing when I bought the skirt and for how much. The girl who served me then had the Store Manager of Zoo Clothing brought over, Chloe.

Chloe is easily one of the most disgraceful and rude customer service professionals I’ve ever spoken to. She showed complete disdain for me immediately, and without even speaking to me said “Yeah, there’s nothing we can do”. I told her that “Respectfully, the skirt is clearly faulty and there must be something we can do”; I reiterated that I was happy simply to exchange the item. Her immediate response to this was to tell me that if I wasn’t pleased, I should lodge a complaint with Fair Trade. I responded that I would prefer to resolve this amicably in store. She pushed this line again, and was extremely condescending, smirking, scoffing, and making rude comments to the other sales assistants about me as I stood in front of her. It was honestly disgusting.

Eventually, Chloe said she’d take my name and phone number and call the store owner, and that she’d take the issue as far as she could to find a resolution (which at this point, I didn’t trust her to do at all). She then suggested that because the tag of the skirt was tied on with a knot, that I had worn it. The skirt had absolutely been bought this way, which she refused to believe because apparently none of their items in store have tags tied on (Side note: when I came back to the store for my credit note, I checked every skirt still available in the style I purchased. Surprise, they ALL had the tag tied on). Chloe also kept repeating that because the item had been bought on sale, I was not entitled to a refund at all, faulty or not. Just for Chloe’s knowledge, the ACCC and Fair Trading don’t discriminate against whether an item was on sale or not. If it is faulty, you are entitled to compensation. As it states on Fair Trading NSW’s website, “When you have a major problem with a product, you have the right to ask for a replacement or refund.” Notably, a business can only “refuse to give you a free repair, replacement or refund if you simply changed your mind, or you misused the product or service in a way that contributed to the problem”.

Chloe’s behaviour was absolutely shameful, and I imagine that she has likely lost these stores many customers because of her rude and pretentious manner. I know that I will never shop at either store again because of this experience with her, beyond using the credit note I now have. It is such bad business to dismiss customers with faulty items and act with such hostility, shutting them down immediately and telling them to go to Fair Trade. A Store Manager should be aware of the significance of developing rapport and customer loyalty through kindness and understanding. Refusing to compromise, especially when the customer is so willing to do so, is just embarrassing.

After giving my details and leaving the store, I called their Penrith store and told them the same information about the skirt, to which they immediately told me to come in and exchange it there. Fox Boutique Macarthur Square then called me shortly after and told me to come back to receive a credit note. The sales assistant I spoke to on the phone said that “in Chloe’s defence, that is just how she talks”. If your everyday manner of speaking is condescending, rude, and dismissive, perhaps you just shouldn’t work in retail. Just a suggestion.

The girls in this store lie about refunds to make sales. Buyer be aware read the policy.