Staples Customer Service

Once before I dedicated a few blogs to examples of poor customer service that I had experienced with a variety of dealers.  Yesterday I had another such experience that I must share with you.  Last week I was completing a special project and needed 20 report covers before the product could be mailed out.  I drove to the nearest Staples which is 17 miles roundtrip from home.  There I purchased four sets of clear report covers ($31.76).  When I returned home I opened them to complete the reports.  Most were fine, but about four were defective and the holes didn't line up properly with the pins.  However, I was still able to use three of these.  And with those done I mailed and distributed the finished product with the intention of taking back the one remaining bad one to have it replaced.  That one in particular was over .5" off and couldn't be modified or used.  So yesterday I returned to Staples expecting that there would not be any problem. Why would there be any?  Nobody was staffing their customer service counter so I waited in line to get instructions from a clerk.  When I finally reached the register, I showed the clerk my receipt and the defective cover.  I explained the situation and asked to have it replaced.  I didn't know if they would take one out of another pack or five or give me one which was also available in a single pack.  The clerk never even apologized for the defect but he told me that he couldn't help me.  The only way it could be replaced was to bring back the entire set of five.  I explained that this was now impossible and stated that even if it were, a third roundtrip to Staples would be both expensive and inconvenient for me for one cover.  He assured me that he could only help me out if I would return the set of all five covers.  I found this both incredible and stupid.  I guess that despite the struggling economy, Staples must be doing well enough that they can afford not to stand behind their product to satisfy a regular customer.  So I left as an irritated customer and I will get my cover elsewhere.  I guess what I should have done was purchase another set of five, then leave the store and replace one of the five with the defective one before going back in and returning the pack for a refund.  But that would have been dishonest.  And I don't think that I should be dishonest just to beat terrible customer service.  Unfortunately, I will still probably return to Staples because I have over $50 in Staples Reward credit to spend.  But I just can't believe that a company would treat a regular customer like this.  But it happened.  Buyer beware!  Well I guess there is always Office Max ... Office Depot ... and better yet, online.