My experience at Teavana.

For general/other topics related to tea.


Jul 1st, '11, 00:11
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by SteepingTom » Jul 1st, '11, 00:11

OK soooo assuming Teavana is the devil where can I get decent tea...Its the only store near me but I get their Tea online bc they usually have free samples of stuff and if u spend at least 10bux u can use the code save20now which actually gives you free shipping lmao. So for $11 i got two 2oz teas and a free 1oz sample without even taking a drive.


Does anyone have suggestions as to other companies with good tea online? after reading your entire story I'm really disgusted with this company. I always forgive them for the way they sell like crazy when you go in there and how they always over scoop what you asked for and always recommend the most expensive tea. But i can't stand when a company acts like that.

Of course I also don't believe you never gave a cup of tea away but that was probably in the company's best interests to have other people working in the mall drinking their tea they probably recommended the place to their customers who may have spend hundreds in your store.

I can not believe that they accused you of stealing O-rings that is the dumbest thing ever the item couldn't cost more then $2 (with USPS shipping from their warehouse) and it created extra work for you, If you were going to sabotage the company you could have punctured a supply line, flooded the store and closed the place down.




Actually I have a question for you i always kind of knew Teavana was evil but i figured like corporation evil so the other day when i was in there while this girl was trying to sell me a cast iron teapot she accidentally broke the flowering tea pot. They played it off cool like its OK/Funny 'accidents happen' and she never stopped smiling(or selling) but deep down inside I had a feeling she was going to be taken into the back room and whipped or something. What do they do when employees break stuff...also remember to tell me a better company to buy tea from online

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Jul 1st, '11, 00:56
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by debunix » Jul 1st, '11, 00:56

SteepingTom wrote:tell me a better company to buy tea from online[/b]
Check out the TeaVendor Guide. There's a lot of good info in there although the links have not kept up with the nominations lately.

And if you enjoy a particular type of tea, you might head over to a related forum for more suggestions. You'll see throughout the forums many posts about specific teas reference the vendor, and many of the most active posters order most or all of their teas online.

Jul 1st, '11, 21:37
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Joined: Jun 25th, '11, 20:05

Re: My experience at Teavana.

by teaoflife » Jul 1st, '11, 21:37

SteepingTom wrote:OK soooo assuming Teavana is the devil where can I get decent tea...Its the only store near me but I get their Tea online bc they usually have free samples of stuff and if u spend at least 10bux u can use the code save20now which actually gives you free shipping lmao. So for $11 i got two 2oz teas and a free 1oz sample without even taking a drive.


Does anyone have suggestions as to other companies with good tea online? after reading your entire story I'm really disgusted with this company.
Don't be totally "disgusted" with Teavana, they are trying to run a profitable business. Since it appears you enjoy their product, like I do, I would suggest to just keep buying the tea online. You're satisfied with the product, but don't have to deal with the aggressive song and dance at the store. This is what I'll do as I don't want to go into another Teavana store and be put off by behavior that I used to have to push onto customers when I worked there.

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Jul 1st, '11, 22:05
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by SlientSipper » Jul 1st, '11, 22:05

I remember someone was shop lifting tea cups from the store and no one got in trouble for it.
(that I know of)
I really doubt they'd do any physical harm to their employees.

Oh yeah and this site also has some fine teas.
I wouldn't be so confident teavana online either. I've heard some horror stories of people being lied to online. Stuff like, "Its cheaper if you buy online" then its not.

After months of thorough exploring,experimenting and experiencing I have come to one concrete conclusion...
Teavana is a rip off.

Jul 11th, '11, 17:24
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Joined: Jul 11th, '11, 17:11

Re: My experience at Teavana.

by PazzyLupo » Jul 11th, '11, 17:24

Hi all,

First time poster, long time lurker to this site. I love Adagio, and am glad through that site, I was able to find such a wonderful forum dedicated to tea! That said, I'd like to share my customer experience with Teavana from just the other day.

I have not bought tea from Teavana in a long time, as I did not and do not care for the pushy sales tactics, the store in my city's mall being one of the worst I've ever experienced. I used to buy online, and I would still occasionally go in for teaware and storage tins, but no more. Eh, here's a copy/paste of the letter I sent. It doesn't quite do justice to the feelings I needed to vent, though...
Two days ago, July 8, 2011 I was in the store located in the Houston Galleria Mall. As a preface to this, I would like to say I love tea. I really love tea. I have over 70 varieties of loose tea, many of which come from Teavana, some flavors of which have been discontinued, but that is beside the point.

The point is, while at the store, I was approached by one of the employees and asked if I would like any teas today. I mentioned that I had a large quantityof tea already, and I was there to look at storage tins and containers, as I found the ones I'd purchased from Teavana before to be of excellent quality for storing teas. I made my way over to the section of the store where the containers were kept, anddid not realize the employee had followed me. I was holding a box set of 4 containers, and turned it to check the price, when I realized she was standing so close to me that had I not jerked my arm, I would have hit her in the face with my elbow.

I did knock the containers down and apologized profusely for doing so, cleaning up after myself. I told her I was sorry, I didn't realize she had been that close, and I checked that the containers weren't damaged - as I would have purchased them if I had damaged them in any way. I joked that I didn't mean to drop them, and that I was clumsy. The employee looked right at me and responded with "Yes, that's why I followed you"

To say I was insulted would be an understatement. I understand that in a small shop, with many high priced items it is imperative to have a strong employee presence. However, to imply that employees have to follow a customer around so close as to risk bodily harm, and then to say right to their face they are following them to make sure they don't cause damage and to make sure someone pays if they do accidentally damage an item? I feel that to be condescending, overbearing and unprofessional.

I have long had issues in the past with Teavana store practices, especially at this one location. To begin with, when I ask for two ounces of a tea, I want two ounces. Not 2.8, not 3.1, and not 4. To overmeasure, than label as if I'd agreed to the excess is presumptive and sours the experience, not to mention I feel it an underhandedbusiness practice.

I realize this letter will most likely do no good, and change nothing as to how this store works. I know of several friends who have made similar complaints and yet each time I return to the store, hoping to see a change, nothing has been altered. I am airing my grievances, and explaining that this final act - this implication that customers cannot be trusted and are to be treated like supposed criminals - has finally soured me on Teavana. It is not in fact, a tea nirvana, it is instead a tea purgatory, and I will no longer purchase any products from this company, whether via store or website.
I received a response today, asking my full contact information (Full name, address, phone number, etc), plus receipt number, and what all I purchased, so they could better "help me". I responded saying I had walked out without purchasing anything, and I wasn't comfortable giving out my full contact information. They had all the information from the complaint, as well as a way to contact me. The woman from Customer Service who answered asked for the info, claiming it was so the Management Team could be notified and I could be contacted. Not sure for what.

This isn't the only issue I've had with the company, but the rest were with Teavana.com (not sending a correct order, charging different prices, etc, which were ALL cleared up, but only after repeated attempts and a threat of a chargeback with my bank...)

I've read the entirety of this thread. I know that with every company there are good stores, bad stores, as well as good/bad employees, managers, etc etc. I do love some of their blends, but everything I've enjoyed in the past has since been discontinued. So, I think, should my association with said company. I'm done with them. This is the proverbial straw, so :p to Teavana.

Jul 20th, '11, 02:27
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by o0humungo » Jul 20th, '11, 02:27

Hello,

This is my first post on here and after my horrible experience today at teavana I felt the need to look up "teavana horrible customer service" on google and stumbled upon this blog. It makes me feel better knowing that I am not the only who has gone through this with teavana.

I recently purchased one of the tumblers there only 4 days ago from today and when I went to wash it yesterday, I saw that it was dented. Of course I was going to exchange it seeing as to how it's a new item. I drove one hour just to get to the closest teavana near me today. Immediately even before I walked into the store I saw that there was only one person there and she was standing right in the front of the store. I turned the corner and she was right there. I pulled the tumbler out of my bag and explained to her that there was a dent on my tumbler and I wanted it exchanged. She opened it and saw that there was water in it, of course from me washing it the night before and immediately I knew I wasn't just gonna be in there for a little bit. She inspected it for a good 2 minutes and explained to me that she was a new employee and she wasn't able to exchange it because she was new and needed approval for it. So she continued to explain to me that since her manager was not there she needed to call her and ask her about it. I said it was alright and looked around.

A couple minutes later she came out and told me that she did not get approval to exchange the item and that because there was water dots in the tumbler she could not take it back. At this point I started to get a little angry. I explained to her I only bought it FOUR days ago and that I have not even used the tumbler yet. I was getting ready to use it then saw that there was a dent on it. Then she told me that they inspect all their products when received and then her and the other employee who walked in minutes before started ganging up on me. Saying that because its stainless steel it's easily dented and what not. I was in complete shock. The other employee was clearly rolling her eyes at me and it was extremely disrespectful. I was almost getting angry and you could tell I was irritated. The girl then told me that I could come back when her manager is there and that I could talk about it with her. I LIVE AN HOUR AWAY. Basically they wanted me to come back and talk to their manager when it is most convenient for them. That right there is just HORRIBLE customer service to begin with. I have worked in a bank for over 2 years and I have also worked in a restaurant and I know what customer service is about. Teavana blew me away. I was shocked at how much they disrespect their customers and it was just horrible.

I didn't want to seem like the crazy customer since there were others there and I knew I wasn't going to get my exchange. So I told her I would come back Friday since that is the only day I could go because I have my job and teavana is not my first priority. But as their customer, I should have been theirs. Apparently building strong customer relationships just doesn't matter with teavana. So after I told her that I would come back and speak with her manager she said "okay" and tried getting me out of there. I said I was going to buy tea and the other employee rolled her eyes and walked away. I was appalled at the gesture but I ignored it. I bought my tea and every time she scooped it up she always went over. Their printer was broken so she hand wrote everything and then she told me that the smaller 4oz tins were discontinued when I knew it wasn't seeing as to how it was still sold on their website.

I bought my teas which to my surprise added up to much more than what I have expected and walked out an angry customer. As soon as I walked out of the store, I sat down on one of the chairs by the food court, went on teavana's website on my phone and called up customer service. I explained to her what happened and when she asked me why they wouldn't exchange the product I told her it was apparently because the girl was new and her manager wasn't there. I explained to her I was irritated at the fact that I have to come back when its most convenient for them. She apologized and took down my order number and the store number and told me she was sending me out a new tumbler free of charge and that I could discard my dented one. I was shocked when she told me to just discard the one with the dent because I at least expected for them to tell me to ship it back. She told me that she'll follow up with the store about their exchange policies and that was the end of that. Happy with the conversation, I said alright and thank you.

As of right now, I am still a fan of teavana's but only hanging on by a thread. Another horrible customer service move on their part and I am out. I really do hope they do something about their sales tactics and REALLY improve on their customer service and build better customer relationships or they're going to lose a lot of customers.

Jul 23rd, '11, 13:02
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by CasualConnoisseur » Jul 23rd, '11, 13:02

My first experience with Teavana came a few weeks ago when I wandered into the store in a mall. They're the closest tea shop to me at four hours away, so I was understandably excited. Right up until the second salesperson accosted me and dragged me through the pitch (the first one was great and left me alone). No, I already have a teapot, thank you. No, I wouldn't like to buy a pound of tea. Excuse me, I'm just looking. Leave me alone please.

They had some decent steeping tools, and I loved being able to look at the products before buying, but the pushy sales tactics caused me to leave confused. What had just happened? If I go back, it'll only be because they're the closest tea shop to home.

Jul 27th, '11, 01:16
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by wonderlandless » Jul 27th, '11, 01:16

I am currently in training at Teavana and I have to say just sitting in training listening to the corporate trainer teach us how to tactfully harass a customer is making me extremely uncomfortable. Thank god I am just a barista and I don't have to deal with sales.

Makes me feel terrible for my coworkers, though... None of us feel comfortable harassing our poor future customers, so I think we will go through workers quickly. :(

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Jul 27th, '11, 18:52
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by SlientSipper » Jul 27th, '11, 18:52

wonderlandless wrote:I am currently in training at Teavana and I have to say just sitting in training listening to the corporate trainer teach us how to tactfully harass a customer is making me extremely uncomfortable. Thank god I am just a barista and I don't have to deal with sales.

Makes me feel terrible for my coworkers, though... None of us feel comfortable harassing our poor future customers, so I think we will go through workers quickly. :(

Oh man, I feel for you. Don't expect to stay long. They will find the dumbest reason to fire you. Make sure you know your states labor laws.
I know you need a job so I don't take it personally that you work there but, I hate that place. Also you should watch out for Nancy B. She's a sociopath.

Jul 29th, '11, 19:38
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by lorianne » Jul 29th, '11, 19:38

Wow! I visited a Teavana for the first time yesterday. I left thinking-WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED? Thus, my desire to jump online and explore this company further. First, the way I discovered Teavana (2 months ago) was via a "high end" mall and was immediately fascinated with the store front. I am in the process of starting an unrelated business but love doing research on successful start ups. It was a busy day and I did not go into that location. Well, yesterday while shopping at another mall in the same city I came across another Teavana store. The post by EarthPrince in 2008 is still true today. Word for word letter by letter-unbelievable! I am not one to get suckered. I like what I like. You cannot sugarcoat me, trick me, or make me purchase something I do not want. I am budget conscious but love quality. I do not mind paying for a good product. Ok, now let's go through my experience. I was lured in by those delicious samples. I walk in and I stated-I am a novice can you please teach me about fine teas. You can imagine that is not the thing to say upon entering a Teavana.

1)Samples-she open tins for me to smell
2) I explained that I was a tea drinker but not loose tea-your typical earl grey, green, and oolong tea. I was then given the health benefits of different types of teas.
3)Next, those darn cast iron teapots. I was told it was the best way to enjoy the tea. Ok, how to choose? She explained the dragons on the kettle. Something about 4 toes vs 3 or some kinda crap like that. I settle on the small pewter for $99.00.
4) Oh, you need a trivet to protect your countertop-throw that in for $17.95
5) Do you want cups-I was able to say no on that one
6)Now, we have finally make it to the counter. I am then introduced to the tin can. I say no I have many things like that at home. She explains it will keep it air tight. Ok, throw it in for 7.00.
7) Next, I was ask if I used sugar or a substitute-the german rock salt makes it's apperance. Throw that in!
8)Now, FINALLY the tea. She explained that to achieve the samples I would need a blend. I purchased 4 different types. Each time it was a little over 2 oz- is that ok- oh, sure no problem.
9)Next, are you a coffee drinker? I answer yes. JavaVana makes it's appearance. Ok, sure!
10) I have now made the long trip to the register. Out pops the teaspoon. Ok, throw that in!
11) Next you are so close to a pound are you sure you don't want to save 10%? Some how I mustered up the strength to say NO and please do not show me another thing.
This post is for new customers contemplating their visit. Do not buy teapot I found a cast iron teapot with trivet and 2 cups for 40.00 on Amazon. Ask to measure 2 oz not over. Do not buy tin! I want to return the teapot, trivet, and can but am afraid to ever re-enter the store. So, I will keep the products. How they got me??? Well, I love good customer service and knowledge of merchandise. She was very nice a bit hyper but nice.What I do not like is being tricked into spending almost $200.00. I will not be a repeat customer. I cannot believe they are still following the same manual. They are very successful but I would be curious to know how many repeat customers they have. Sorry, so long but I feel like a fool and I needed to get that off my chest. I believe in capitalism but this is ridiculous. I do not-I repeat-I do not respect any company that is mean or rude to their employees. I will not support such a business. Thanks for reading!

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Jul 29th, '11, 22:23
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by iannon » Jul 29th, '11, 22:23

:) Lorianne,
welcome and I hope you will be a repeat customer/visitor here at least!

Aug 7th, '11, 02:53
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by sammy » Aug 7th, '11, 02:53

Earth prince,

wow your a strong person, I went to Teavana, it was one of the most corrupt places that I have ever been too, I'm so sorry for you, all these people saying things like "if you don't like leave" are just wrong.


This business has very unethical business tactics and should be avoided at all cost.

Aug 10th, '11, 00:46
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by Streak » Aug 10th, '11, 00:46

scentdliquidsoap wrote:As far as quality goes, I know that Teavana has very high quality products. I know, because I use them and can testify for each and every one.
I really have to comment on this....

I bought Teavana's gyokuro and silver needle white tea. What I actually received were lower quality teas in packages with "silver needle" and "gyokuro" on the labels. I view it as a learning experience; I was a newb and didn't know better. Since then, I've bought gyo and silver needle from reputable vendors, at prices that were comparable to (and often less than) Teavana's prices, and received much higher quality tea.

Maybe there are a few individual Teavana stores here and there that are decent as far as customer service, but whether due to ignorance/inexperience or dishonesty, the company obviously can't be trusted to provide quality products.

Aug 26th, '11, 17:07
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by Celewen » Aug 26th, '11, 17:07

Yes, I'm another new member making this their first post on this forum. I am a former employee of Teavana and have to admit that what most of you are complaining about on here are precisely the reasons why I left the company. Teavana's sales practices are horrid. I knew I should have left after seeing the training manual (my other two co-workers who were hired the same time as me were smart and left after the first week). The only reason I stayed was to make a little extra money during the summer and I have to admit, I really did like my co-workers, so it made it a little hard to leave them. (Not to mention, there was also free tea all day.)

Where to begin...I don't really want to reiterate what everyone else has been saying, as it would be like beating a dead horse. However, to those of you who think Teavana is great, I ask you to think again. You're being sold average quality tea and merchandise at VERY high prices, which the sales people have to push or otherwise might get written up for not making their sales goals. Teavana went against my morals. I've long had it engraved into my brain to help people save money, not spend a ridiculous amount of money on things they don't need. Seriously, who really needs a cast iron teapot?

So lets just say my sales weren't the best they could be. I couldn't sell my soul to the devil to make a few sales and bring in more money to the "top" while I worked for a minimum wage. Its clear that Teavana doesn't care about their employees or customers. They make sure we, the employees, understand that we're replaceable and can lose our jobs at any time if we don't make enough sales. That's why sometimes customers who just happen to walk in feel so pressured by the sales persons. The pressure was to the point that I could tell that customers were uncomfortable, and quite possibly wouldn't come back again.

I was actually rather disappointed with Teavana's selection of tea. Everything tasted more like juice than tea and they didn't offer very much selection when it came to the, what I call "traditional teas." The ones they did sell were ridiculously overpriced (well, I guess everything at Teavana overpriced). For instance, Teavana sells 2.8 oz tins of matcha for $35. I found the same amount of matcha at the local Asian supermarket for only $10. Is Teavana's matcha a "higher grade/quality?" than the one at the supermarket? I highly doubt it.

To conclude my short rant here, I just want people to know what they are getting into when they shop at that store. I encourage people to look around at local tea shops or online now. Teavana might look enticing, the sales people might even be nice, but just realize that they are just reading off a script and really don't know anything about the tea/merchandise they are selling unless they actually did some more research other than what they learned in the training manual. Teavana doesn't care about you, they care about the money.

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Aug 27th, '11, 02:06
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Re: My experience at Teavana.

by SlientSipper » Aug 27th, '11, 02:06

Celewen wrote:Yes, I'm another new member making this their first post on this forum. I am a former employee of Teavana and have to admit that what most of you are complaining about on here are precisely the reasons why I left the company. Teavana's sales practices are horrid. I knew I should have left after seeing the training manual (my other two co-workers who were hired the same time as me were smart and left after the first week). The only reason I stayed was to make a little extra money during the summer and I have to admit, I really did like my co-workers, so it made it a little hard to leave them. (Not to mention, there was also free tea all day.)

Where to begin...I don't really want to reiterate what everyone else has been saying, as it would be like beating a dead horse. However, to those of you who think Teavana is great, I ask you to think again. You're being sold average quality tea and merchandise at VERY high prices, which the sales people have to push or otherwise might get written up for not making their sales goals. Teavana went against my morals. I've long had it engraved into my brain to help people save money, not spend a ridiculous amount of money on things they don't need. Seriously, who really needs a cast iron teapot?

So lets just say my sales weren't the best they could be. I couldn't sell my soul to the devil to make a few sales and bring in more money to the "top" while I worked for a minimum wage. Its clear that Teavana doesn't care about their employees or customers. They make sure we, the employees, understand that we're replaceable and can lose our jobs at any time if we don't make enough sales. That's why sometimes customers who just happen to walk in feel so pressured by the sales persons. The pressure was to the point that I could tell that customers were uncomfortable, and quite possibly wouldn't come back again.

I was actually rather disappointed with Teavana's selection of tea. Everything tasted more like juice than tea and they didn't offer very much selection when it came to the, what I call "traditional teas." The ones they did sell were ridiculously overpriced (well, I guess everything at Teavana overpriced). For instance, Teavana sells 2.8 oz tins of matcha for $35. I found the same amount of matcha at the local Asian supermarket for only $10. Is Teavana's matcha a "higher grade/quality?" than the one at the supermarket? I highly doubt it.

To conclude my short rant here, I just want people to know what they are getting into when they shop at that store. I encourage people to look around at local tea shops or online now. Teavana might look enticing, the sales people might even be nice, but just realize that they are just reading off a script and really don't know anything about the tea/merchandise they are selling unless they actually did some more research other than what they learned in the training manual. Teavana doesn't care about you, they care about the money.

Welcome to the board. I do hope you stay awhile good sir.

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