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I was at London Gatwick Airport two hours before my flight home. I wandered into the Ted Baker store. I love Ted Baker clothing.

I found a few things I liked, but they didn’t have one of the items I wanted in my size. I was assured I could get it online. Great!

I went to the airline lounge to get on my computer and buy the item. Easy online access, found what I wanted in less than a minute. But when I went to complete my purchase, I could not find the United States as one of the 40 or so “ship to” country options.

So I chose the online “live chat” option to help me buy, and here is what ensued:

Karen: Hello, I’m Karen, one of Ted’s Personal Shopping Assistants! What brings you to our Web site?

Jeffrey: Why can’t I get a garment shipped to the USA?

Karen: I’m afraid, Jeffrey, we don’t ship to U.S. at the moment.

Jeffrey: You ship to Bulgaria, but not to the U.S.? How do I get this garment? I can give you my FedEx account number.

Karen: I can understand that. Do you have any relative or friend in the U.K.? You can get the item delivered to someone who is in the U.K.

Jeffrey: You can’t put the garment in a box with my FedEx number? How about shipping it to your store in Las Vegas? I’ll be there next week.

Karen: I’m sorry; I’ll not be able to do that due to the security reasons.

Jeffrey: What’s unsafe about a sweatshirt?

Karen: I will not be able to place the order due to the security reasons.

Jeffrey: Please give me a phone number of a senior manager at Ted Baker.

Karen: We are not allowed to place the order. You can call on our customer service phone number.

Jeffrey: No – I want a direct line to a manager.

Karen: I’m sorry, I don’t have his number with me.

Jeffrey: I cannot tolerate lies. You have a number; I’ll find it tomorrow, call the manager and report you.

Karen: OK, for the store’s information of U.S., please e-mail us at ask.ted@tedbaker.com. Our team will help you with the details about the availability of the jacket in the stores of U.S.

Jeffrey: I don’t want a TEAM – I want a person. Please give me a phone number of a senior manager at Ted Baker.

Karen: We are not allowed to place the order for any of our customers. You can call on our customer service phone number. There will be the person who will give you the details.

Jeffrey: How about this – I can be reached at 704-333-1112; have someone call me tomorrow, late, or Sunday or Monday. Have someone contact me to get the order.

Karen: I can understand this, Jeffrey, and it’s really good for us that you like our products, but at the moment we don’t ship to U.S.

Jeffrey: You can’t understand anything – you’re a corporate robot that refuses to take “yes” for an answer. Thanks for nothing, lies and a lousy experience – I’ve just spent my last dime at Ted Baker thanks to you.

Karen: I’m sorry I couldn’t help you much.

Jeffrey: You couldn’t help me at all. Have someone from the U.S. call me. Have your boss call me. They should teach you how to say yes.

Karen: I wish that I could help you to place the order, but it’s not in my hand.

Jeffrey: Then pass it to someone allowed to think and help customers.

Karen: I’m afraid nobody can do that.

Jeffrey: What a joke. No one can think or help? Pathetic.

Hello! I’m trying to give them my money, and they refuse to take it “for security reasons.” Huh?

This is a lesson for YOU. How many of your customers are being told “no”?

Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com. © 2009 Jeffrey H. Gitomer