Costco Wholesale — Local services in The Woodlands

Very disappointing experience. I love Costco, I’ve shopped here since I can remember and usually the customer service is great, but that was not the case today. Yesterday I returned 4 items from an online order. The gentlemen who helped me, Michael, rushed me and acted too busy to help me (not sure what other reason he’d be standing behind the customer service counter). Even though this wasn’t pleasant, I let it go. I’ve worked retail and I understand how hectic it is around the holidays, so I gave grace even though it wasn’t pleasant at all for me. He handed me my return receipt and the amount seemed way too low for 4 items. He said that if I had an online coupon it takes the whole thing back. I told him it was a $30 coupon and asked if it really takes the entire coupon back if you do even one return and he said yes. He briefly showed me his screen since I had nothing to look at (the receipt only just a returned total, not line items), and he said “see you got everything on sale”. Alright, I guess that’s how it works. So I accepted it and left. Once home I received an email from Costco showing what items I had returned that day and low and behold, he returned the $16.97 coat I kept and not the $52.99 coat I returned. So, today I go back and ask for help adjusting this mistake. A gal named Enid tried helping and she was very nice, but she couldn’t do the transaction and eventually asked another gal named Mel to help and she was also very nice, but didn’t know how to adjust this. A manager came over, and her name tag was conveniently covered up, but her name started with “Le” I believe, and she had a very nasty attitude. After quietly waiting for them to figure this out for maybe going on two minutes since the manager appeared, I tried explaining what had happened and the manager rudely cut me off and with a nasty tone told me “I know what happened, I was standing right here yesterday and I saw Michael show you the items you returned.” I said “yes, but he didn’t show me all of them.” And she said “we can’t see all of them!” I stopped talking after that because I really wanted to give this lady a piece of my mind, but didn’t want to make her obvious terrible day worse. But hey, thanks for trying your best to ruin other people’s day too! Costco, you’re wonderful and I highly recommend you evaluate this manager and how she treats not only your customers, but your other employees. Oh, and Costco does not take your entire coupon back, that was not true and Michael’s attempt at not helping me any further. My coupon was divided per item on my...

Tire buyers beware till they change hazard warranty language. Policy hasn’t been updated since 2013 per form I got so they are milking the fine print here...

Had to give a 1 star. Upset today with tire warranty replacement details. Monthly specials make the tire price competitive. Now I’ve learned that despite buying a warranty you will slowly pay back that “instant savings” special tire price with any hazard replacement. The policy refunds old tire at price paid (w/ discount) and resells new tire at current price. If tread is 100% equal to a new tire you will refund store there original “instant savings”. Next time, I’m going back to Discount tire. I checked their refund policy and as long as it fails in 3 years and has legal tread remaining they will refund price paid and resell at previous price — the refund price. See their: Certificate for Repair, Refund or Replacement. Basically a comparable price today vs paid. Now that’s a warranty. Meaning if you got on sale, you don’t give up the good price. At Costco it boils down to their Hazard warranty details and refunds of previous NET sales price with purchase at new sticker price. See image. Buried in details of warranty. You won’t see it clarified with store advertising of sales prices (also pictured) because it’s the warranty where they get you. Also not on main warranty advertisement (also pictured).

Today I paid back 1/4 of my “savings” received with 4 new tires purchased last month because I took advantage of a road hazard warranty on 1 tire. That doesn’t seem fair. I’m going to price tires completely different next time.

To be extra clear... if I paid less for a warranty and had to prorate for usage I wouldn’t have a complaint as long as I got a good deal and then they resold at fair/discounted price. Not fair to recharge at higher price to take advantage of warranty. I should lock in my “sale” price otherwise I’m not getting a savings long...

I am extremely disappointed with my recent experiences at Costco. The customer service has been consistently poor, with rude and unhelpful employees who seem to lack basic courtesy and professionalism. It's frustrating to deal with staff who don't seem to care about customer satisfaction. Common issues include long wait times, crowded stores, and difficulty getting refunds or exchanges on certain products. Additionally, the pushy salespeople from third-party vendors make the shopping experience even more unpleasant¹².

Furthermore, Costco's misunderstanding and misapplication of Texas laws, particularly around concealed carry, is alarming. They incorrectly believe their store membership agreement supersedes state law, and they fail to display the legally required signage. According to Texas Penal Code Section 30.06, businesses must post a sign that reads: "Pursuant to Section 30.06, Penal Code (trespass by a license holder with a concealed handgun), a person licensed under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code (handgun licensing law), may not enter this property with a concealed handgun"². For open carry, Texas Penal Code Section 30.07 requires a sign stating: "Pursuant to Section 30.07, Penal Code (trespass by license holder with an openly carried handgun), a person licensed under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code (handgun licensing law), may not enter this property with a handgun that is carried openly"². Costco's failure to comply with these requirements shows a blatant disregard for Texas regulations and the rights of their customers.

Overall, my experiences have been far from satisfactory. In contrast, shopping at H-E-B is not only more economical but also a much more pleasant experience. The employees at H-E-B are friendly and helpful, making it worth not buying in bulk and avoiding the entitled attitude of Costco staff. I hope Costco takes these issues seriously and makes necessary...