Target — Local services in Ames

DO NOT BUY GIFT CARDS AT TARGET!!!

This is the second time I've purchased a VISA prepaid card at a Target and got scammed. The last time was two years ago from West Des Moines. Apparently they have issues with these cards being tampered with before they're even put in the packaging. Last time, three of the four cards were used in California before I even opened them, and I have Target employees admitting to it on record. This time, I checked the card in the parking lot immediately after purchasing it. I have the entire conversation at customer service recorded. The last four digits of the card and the security code were both scratched off, and there was super-glue on the card over the first two digits as well. Target WILL NOT REFUND OR REPLACE. They make you call the 800 number on the card to try and prove that you weren't the one tampering with it, and they have to start an investigation.

Also, look at the number they gave me for their Guest Relations. That's NOT guest relations, I called it then and there. They gave me a phone number for Medicaid insurance. They expected me to take that number home and call it. I did it right in front of them. Then they were embarrassed in front of the other people returning items and told me to stop yelling. I wasn't yelling, I was talking to the person on the speaker phone. They were very rude to me the entire time, and that alone would have been enough. And yes, I recorded the entire conversation while I was there, a better part of an hour.

I have attached photos, and blurred out barcodes and identifying information because this is an open case. These cases take weeks to resolve, if they're resolved at all, and you have to keep calling and contacting them to resolve the issue, wasting tons of your own personal time. You can clearly see on the card where the numbers were scratched out, and the store it was purchased in.

Target has a policy where they do not refund or replace gift cards, even if they were obviously tampered with before you purchased them, even if you open them inside the store. Do yourself a favor and don't buy any gift cards from Target of any kind. This is an ongoing issue they don't want to admit that they have, and think of the person you might be buying this for, they might not complain because it was a gift, or because they don't want to offend you.

In my opinion, this is organized crime, and Target seems to be involved. I will never shop there again, for anything. I was informed while I was there that returns of any kind, for any purchase whatsoever, can be denied for any reason, and it's at the store's discretion. If you do purchase anything at Target, make sure it's on a credit card with fraud protection. I didn't, and now I'm paying for it with my time and frustration. You have...

Earlier this week, the rear window of my car was shattered by a rock thrown at it in the Target parking lot. I spoke with a member of the staff that had access to the "security" footage and, then, called the police. It turned out that nothing was caught on the video. There are no cameras in the parking lot and my car was hidden from cameras mounted on the store. In addition, the recorded video is not subject to zoom. The bottom line is that Target is protecting their store, but not the parking lot. To make things more frustrating, someone called the store to tell them they had witnessed a rock being thrown in the parking lot, but the staff member who took the call did not get a name or number so the police could follow-up. Target did not throw the rock, but they did nothing to help the police or me identify who did. For those who care, it turns out that Kohl's has an excellent video security system with high resolution and zoom capabilities. That's where I will shop in the future.

I found myself back at Target and regret it. I picked up a few items, but never checked out because there only one cashier working and the two self-checkout lanes were backed up into the women's department. It's bad enough that Target wants us to do some of their work, but it is inexcusable that they don't make it easier. I set my items down and walked out. I encourage more people to do the same. They will get...

Customer service--last night (3/9/2021) around 7:45 in the Ames, Iowa Target store, I had a wonderful customer service experience with Team Lead Haley and team member Abi. I had been to Target earlier in the day for a CVS first COVID vaccine and saw a coat on the clearance rack that I had been considering for my daughter. The coat was now 70% off, so I planned to buy it after my vaccination...but I ended up needing to rush to work. So I came back around 7:30 pm to buy one (There were 10 or 15 of them on the rack in the afternoon.). I was able to find out from a team member that those coats had been taken off the rack to be removed from the store's inventory. I asked a team member, Abi, to speak to someone in management and Team Lead Haley was there shortly. I explained that I had seen the coat earlier and would like to be able to purchase one. Team Lead Haley went to look into it and came back with a coat for me! Both Abi and Haley were extremely kind and helpful! I was so impressed! They...