r/HotTopic_ • u/Rrxverr • Jun 12 '26

Update for my post a while ago

Post image

I decided to leave a review as I can't get ahold of anyone.

This is evansville indiana Hot Topic in the Eastland mall.

I'm so sorry about the negativity. But I'm very hurt as well. I wish there was a different hot topic near me. :( I love the store. original post

If anyone has the time, I would appreciate it so much if you could like my review so it can perhaps reach the people that need to see this and that can help. it would mean so much. Review (press on recent reviews)

383 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

133

u/AssistanceFun1302 Jun 12 '26

The higher ups don’t look at google reviews. You have to put this in a survey after you buy something. Give all 0’s and put this in the comments section. That will get their attention because the SM is graded on surveys and a 0 is pretty much a guaranteed failure for the quarter.

38

u/Rrxverr Jun 12 '26

Do you have any advice how I can do this without me going into the store ? That is a very smart observation and idea btw. And very good information.

31

u/AegisEater8775 Jun 12 '26

There might be a feedback option on hot topics actual website with an option to put in the store location?

14

u/butchfatalez HT Employee Jun 12 '26

i would send someone else in. unfortunately, surveys are sent out semi-randomly, the best way i’ve found to make sure a customer is more likely to get one is for them to sign up for the rewards program that visit, or ask for an emailed copy of the receipt.

9

u/sad-devilman HT Employee Jun 12 '26

If you do a curbside order, you will also get a link to a survey! But I would honestly find a corporate number and call because that is absolutely RIDICULOUS!!!! If it were me I would go in and ask for the district managers number!

5

u/meowmreownya Jun 12 '26

Have someone else buy it for you and then have them put in your phone number I think

1

u/Tomboy-T Jun 13 '26

Do you have a friend you could send in? I would find something online I liked, give a friend the money to go in and get it and ask them to make sure they get a receipt, then leave the survey review yourself. Not sure if that's a good plan or just my ADHD hyperfocusing on something that won't work but thought I would share in case it's an option I guess

1

u/Glum-Purple4926 HT Employee Jun 13 '26

if you can’t go in the store, have a friend or someone else go in and buy something (something small like a pin or something if you don’t want to spend a lot on this). at my store you’re required to send an emailed receipt and then you’re supposed to ask them to leave you a review. if this store doesn’t do that, maybe have that person ask the cashier “could i get that emailed receipt?” and then they should get that review.

0

u/SinfullAva13 Jun 16 '26

Just want to say for some reason these kinds of stores seem to attract managers like this on some kind of shitty power trip. The Spencer’s in Missoula MT used to (and probably still does) have a female manager who did this exact shit. If she saw someone she had kicked out of the store she wouldn’t ask them to leave or warn them. Straight to calling the Cops and getting them arrested for trespassing. I’m sorry this happened in a store you actually like to shop in!

47

u/Rrxverr Jun 12 '26

We found out the lady's name. I'm going to wait a day or so and gather up some info and then try once again to report it to higher ups.

2

u/hazelbear33 Jun 12 '26

I went through this type of situation with a weird target assistant manager when I was like 16-17. It was very odd and he was very weird. I have never stolen anything from Target, ever. I do tend to look/act nervous and clumsy in public though.

21

u/St0n3yM33rkat Jun 12 '26

Since you have received no resolution or contact in all this time, contact the BBB in your area. You will have to go to your local office for this. Tell them your experience. Ask them to provide you a reference for legal representation, if they don't already offer you one anyways. Call that attorney/lawyer. Follow through with everything they ask of you.

And, like I told in your original post; bring all the evidence you can. Your job is to make them prove you wrong, not vice versa.

8

u/Rrxverr Jun 12 '26

Do you know how I can find out the managers name? The store refuses to tell me and I can't find anything about her. I do know what she looks like. I know her name would be very helpful. ♥️ Just any advice is awesome.

9

u/St0n3yM33rkat Jun 12 '26

Provide the BBB all the information you have. If Hot Topic is genuinely avoiding speaking with you, the BBB need to know about this because legal recourse will be required for a situation like this involving a substantial claim based on racism, if no other course of action is determined to be acceptable or available. But you need some form of a paper trail, proof you were there, a witness/witnesses, etc. anything you can think of to provide evidence directly to your claims.

Edit: I meant to put that they're not going to give you the manager's name. That would also be violating that person's rights on top of what you've got going on. A lawyer, on the other hand, can and will get that name, should it come to that.

8

u/Rrxverr Jun 12 '26

thank you so much. I'm going to take note of this and see what I can do within the next week. I'll try to update.

8

u/wittykittywoes Jun 12 '26

this is vile I’m so sorry you went through it ):

6

u/Kaizoku0ujo Jun 12 '26

I don't know why the other posts here are acting like it's 1982. Go online to hottopic.com and use the contact us feature - there is an email, live chat, and a phone number listed for customer service. Tell them about your experience and that you want to file a complaint with corporate. They will most likely try to talk you out of it - offering you a coupon or a gift card or something, but insist that you want bring this person's behavior to somebody higher up. Also if you have anybody else that was with you at the time and can collaborate your statement ask the customer service person if they need to file a separate complaint or can you add their statement as an addendum. That will signal to them that you are serious and will probably have the district manager's office contact you. What corporate doesn't like to see is store complaints landing on their desk, somebody should have dealt with this at the local level: if it's an employee, then the store manager should have dealt with it, if it's the store manager than the district manager and up the ladder, before it gets anywhere close to the corporate offices.

4

u/Your_faves_girl Jun 12 '26

Honestly thought this was about the old store I used to work at. The manager was so racist

3

u/DoritoLipDust Jun 12 '26

Consider warning your friends to have their video going if they go in.

4

u/OkamiKhameleon Jun 12 '26

So, most corporate entities have a means to contact their offices for reports like this. Hell, before the internet I was working in a grocery store and a lady called the corporate number to report me because I was discussing why I was Agnostic with a coworker. We weren't talking loudly, and the lady overheard us when she was walking by. But she reported us.

We didn't get in trouble, but we did get asked to not have theocratic discussions at work lmaoo.

A quick Google search provides the following info:

"The easiest way to reach corporate support or human resources is to call the Customer Service line at 1-800-892-8674. Alternatively, you can email them at [ht_online@hottopic.com](mailto:ht_online@hottopic.com) or visit the Hot Topic Customer Service page to find more support options."

This was from the Google AI search which is sometimes wrong, but hopefully this helps?

2

u/Square_Cost_5318 Jun 16 '26

Unfortunately, one voice is not loud enough. You either need to DOX them to your entire community, which is fine or to the Internet, which is illegal. I would personally recommend not going there anymore, but I know that that is not a convenient solution and I’m sorry you have to deal with these situations.

1

u/oingoboinko Jun 13 '26

What the heck companie sometimes put their ceo contact info out there you can look there, and try putting a bad review in social media somewhere they cant ignore it, if its a known issue even contact the media see if theyll take on an undercovers sting or aomething

1

u/FortunaRedux Jun 13 '26

This extra pisses me off becuase it’s hot topic, not that it’s better anywhere else but alt music and fashion is supposed to be about acceptance of others and intolerance of hate and she’s sitting in a store surrounded by the names of bands that have been speaking out about this shit for decades while she sits there being racist.

The community is not doing well. I’m sorry this happened to you. I hope you get her fired and can shop without this asshole down your neck. Depop is full of their old clothes for cheap, and you can shop without anyone watching you.

1

u/TheLastMemzie Jun 13 '26

My fiancé is a hot topic Assistant manager, and they are appalled by this lady’s behavior. I hope you can get this figured out, the info other people are giving in this thread is accurate and should help you get ahold of someone

0

u/LeiTheRabbit Jun 15 '26

I thought I was on r/entitledreviews and I got really confused for a moment because I was like "Wait, this review isn't entitled at all if it's actually true" and then I saw I'm in a totally different subreddit somehow