Mobility problems & AG Place NY

[Magdalen]

Originally posted by GreyMyst:

It also might not have been obvious to the employee that you had mobility problems. (of course if she had enough time to complain, she should have noticed)

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yeah you think she would have noticed the cane
[img]graemlins/sure.gif[/img]

[moderator]

Just a thought: Has anyone with disabilities called AG Place ahead of time? You have a right to special treatment. When my dad uses the airport (though rarely!) he calls ahead of time in order to inform them that he will need someone to push him around in a wheelchair. He is severely, noticeably disabled and is filed with the government as such, but he does get special treatment if he asks for it. The key is to let them know you're coming ahead of time, and expect to have special treatment from the get-go. Perhaps AG Place has some wheelchairs or something else, and will give you a personal shopper to escort you around, if you just ask. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I do think it's not fair to people with disabilities that they have to call ahead of time, etc. but sometimes it's better than nothing. I have hidden disabilities and never get any type of special treatment (dealing with schools has been the biggest nightmare), and understand why people are frustrated. Whenever I tell people I have severe health problems/disability, I get the cliche: "Well, you don't LOOK sick!" Yes, but I FEEL sick, and 200 people/year in the US alone die from just one of the conditions I have.

There needs to be a lot more disability awareness in the country. Amazingly, everyone who says "Well, you don't LOOK sick" smiles as if they said something quite clever and unique to make my day, that I've never heard before. [img]wink.gif[/img] (For educational purposes: Those of us with chronic illness feel sad when told this, not happy.)

I could go on and on about things people have said, done, etc. Let's just say those of us with health issues/disabilities are presented with this type of issue on almost a daily basis. The best you can do is try to educate the company so that others are helped by the experience you went through.

Good luck! [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ March 24, 2006 10:43 AM: Message edited by: Melissa ]</font>

[Bizzabee]

I know it is difficult for people who don't have natural bull dog tendencies, but it does pay off to hang in there. If you called American Girl and didn't talk to someone who was willing to help you, ask to speak to his or her supervisor. If they can't help you, ask to speak to their supervisor. If they try to give you the run-around, tell them their response is unacceptable and you will speak to anyone who can offer you some assistance in resolving this matter satisfactorily. Be prepared to spend 45 minutes to an hour on the phone if you have to.

I have spent a lot of time working in retail, and am now a lawyer, and this is the only method I have found to making any headway with a recalcitrant company. As other people have pointed out, the employee made a mistake. A stupid, horrible mistake. The company does not want to own that mistake, so they need to make sure that their loyal customer (you!) comes away from this experience feeling that they are valued and that they have been heard. Somewhere in AG there are people who understand their corporate philosophy (this is a great company, after all) and are going to help you. You just have to stick with it long enough to find them.

Good luck!

[angelnise]

I have mitral valve prolapse, but a lot of people have it and don't have any problems. Well, I'm the 1% out of the 10% that have a lot of problems. I can't exercise for more than 30 minutes at a time (which is horrible for someone who lettered in tennis in high school and loves extreme sports). Sometimes, I have a *spell* in a shopping center. Everytime that has happened, the people acted like I was just being a pain because I wanted to check out quick and leave (I was trying to get a water to avert the nausea). They even pushed me out of away. No one ever gives anyone the benefit of a doubt. What a bad society we have sometimes. At least we know a handful of people here who would never do that.

[tatabatata]

Hello ladies!
Me being who I am, I HAD to do something. So I probably got myself where I should not have (apologies!), and emailed American Girl about this issue.
I made it clear I was not the directly affected person in this instance but that, having been at AGP several times, it is obvious that something needs to be done.
I'll let you know if I get an answer.
The only way in which they can do something, is if they know that there is a problem. Given that they should have "customer service quality control" but the place is so ridiculously mobbed most times, that it is difficult for them to know.

And on top of all (and at the risk of being hated by many) remember: this is NY for you!!! get out of my way, don't look me in the eye, you are bothering me, I am better than you New York!!! The whole place is so cold and unforgiving that each time I go in I can not wait one more minute to get out of that city!
Long live Boston!!!! (and the Sox!)
[img]rolleyes.gif[/img]
Ana

[wiccacat]

I just want to thank everyone for the support with this problem. I'm very shy in person and i hate making phone calls. I rarely complain and i've been known to leave a store without something i wanted badly because i was afraid to ask a salesperson to take it out of a case or off a high shelf. So i really don't want to make a big fuss about this incident. I had great hope when AG opened in NY because most newer stores are easier to get around in and have working elevators. But AG gets so crowded that it's usually hard to handle. I've never even been to the top floor (Bitty Baby) because of the difficulty with using the elevator, even on a good day. With one elevator out of order it's even more difficult. It's been broken for a couple of weeks that i know of. This seems like a long time to me. The elevator in my workplace is very old and breaks frequently but we usually get in fixed in 24 hours.

[Kenshinchan]

I'm very sorry about that horrible experience. I'm sure the crummy treatment was mostly because they didn't understand that you needed special consideration; my father uses a wheelchair and I don't feel like I've ever seen him being treated even 1/4 as badly as you were. That doesn't make it at all right, though!

I'm shy in person, too. (I'm somewhat better now, but still pretty shy. Get a job working with people, or at least talking on the phone, and you may find yourself more confident. [img]wink.gif[/img] ) So I'm guessing you're a bit like me, in that you're probably more comfortable in front of a keyboard, than actually talking to a person. So I strongly suggest you write a letter or at least an e-mail, because management REALLY needs to know about your experience. I almost can't believe they told you to order your doll online! AG dolls are so expensive, I'd imagined their store would have wonderful service, but it sounds more like a zoo to me. I had been a bit curious about the store, but now I don't think I'd ever go there, at least not in NY.

(If you ever go back when it's less busy, I find when I'm in a toy store, I do much better if I pretend, to myself, that I'm shopping for a child, instead of myself. Then I don't feel like they think I'm weird for being there. [img]smile.gif[/img] )

[moderator]

wiccacat, I agree with the previous poster. Please do write a letter. (Snail-mail is usually the best way to go, since it is more likely to get forwarded to the correct person, and it's illegal to open someone else's mail.) I am very softspoken and do not speak up for myself in person. However, writing is my strong suit and I've written a lot of letters to companies over the years.

I once wrote to American Girl with a complaint about misinformation in a book. The response was incredibly kind and prompt. I know from experience that AG is willing to admit when they have made a mistake, and they make it right. So please don't feel scared, and do try! At the very least, know that just by writing a letter, you will be being an advocate for others with mobility impairments.

While we can write and write about the problem of disability awareness here (as I mentioned in a previous post, I could go on and on about ways people and places have done wrong to me and my family), until AG is alerted to it, then they don't have the opportunity to change and make amends with you. Please give AG that opportunity. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. [img]graemlins/rose.gif[/img]