The Salvation Army USA
Reviews and Complaints

I live overseas. I received an automated phone call asking for money. It was up to me (!) to call them back to take myself off of their call list. Everything was automated and I did not have the option of speaking to a living person. I am furious.

I have called several months in a row for assistance with our electric bill. For three months straight I have been told they have no funds for electric, only gas, and they do not know when they will have funds available for it. I find it very odd that they can sell so many items in their store and get government subsidies but can not help families in need the way that families need them to. This is a recurring problem that they have been doing for years and something needs to be done about it. Someone needs to over see this kind of help because they are not helping needy families like they claim to be.

Today, for the third time, they inflated the price at the register. In all 3 instances, these were not stickered items, but items that are listed at specific prices: 1) The first incident, about 6 months ago, was about a cd. There is a price list posted by the media items. Cd's are posted at 2$. That is the only posting about cd prices. When I went to the register, I was informed that as it was a set of 2, it was actually $4.99. I pointed out that at $2 each, the price should be $4. I was informed that all sets were $4.99. There is no posted price about any cd sets at all. I did not purchase the item. 2) About 4 months ago, there was a sign posted in the book section stating that books were 50% off. I selected 3 books and took them to the register. At the register I was informed that there was no sale, that they had forgotten to remove the sign, and that I could not purchase the books for 50% off. I left the items. Now, at this point, I no longer had any interest in shopping at this store. My father still shopped there, and informed the manager, Monica, about these two incidents. She told him, that should it ever happen again, to inform either her, or one of her supervisors, as the posted prices were to be honored. Today, I went back, and so occured the third incident. 3) I wished to purchase a dvd that was part of a bluray set. There was a posted price list that stated dvds are $3 and no mention was made of any blurays or bluray sets. I was informed at the register that because it was with a bluray, it was actually $4.99. I stated that there was no posted price and that I wished to speak with the manager. The clerk left, returned, and stated that no, there was no posted price, but that there was supposed to be and that I had to pay $4.99. I did not purchase the item. As no supervisor or manager came back with her, I had to find the supervisor, Heather, who informed me that it was her fault, she had not posted the price, but that I had to pay $4.99 if I wanted the item. I did not purchase the item. Now, I realize that this is a thrift store, but I was shopping there because I have a budget and I have to live within it. Retail locations are prohibited from summarily changing the price at the register when the prices are posted, but apparently the staff at this store do not believe that this applies to them.

I just moved and have a large donation of household goods & clothing. My initial scheduled donation pick up date was Friday, August 28, 2015, between 9-11am. I took time off from work to let them in and they never showed up. Their customer service team rescheduled it for Friday, September 18, 2015 from 9-11am. Again - I took time off of work and they never showed up again... Their customer service dept said it never actually got rescheduled - nothing was in the system... I asked to speak to their manager... He said she would call and NEVER did. I thought the Salvation Army was a good organization but with this poor customer service and mis-management, I don't see a long future for them...

hi my name is tracy Doncaster and I was on a work placement in one of your charity shops in Eastleigh when I was asked to leave due to the fact another member of staff asked me to ask out another member of staff and the manager sue didn't like it she said I was picking on a downs syndrome member of staff I have been bared from the store I have lost all my benefits because the work placement was through the job centre and I am very upset and distressed and also I am being made homeless because of this the manager sue said I was stealing as well and I was swearing and not doing any work I feel like I am being picked on bullied victimised and used I would like this sorted out as this has made me ill I have been in hospital with an asthma attack

I made an appointment to have two couches, loveseat, ottoman, and 70lb tv to be picked up at my residence. I did this online. I was told the truck would be here on that thursday. I never received a confirmation email nor a phone call with an estimated time of arrival. I called the company on thursday morning and i got an estimated arrival time between 1:30 - 4:30. I called back at 4:40 when the truck was not here. I was connected to dispatch who told me they were on their way to my residence and that the truck had four small pick ups and should be here within 1 hour to 90 minutes. They never showed. I was at work the next day and received a phone call from my son that salvation army truck was at my place and that they would not take the furniture because my son was only 15yo. I never got a call / email that they would be showing up the day after they were scheduled to show. I called the company the next day. The woman from salvation army said that the truck could not come until the next thursday. Thursday came (Again, no confirmation email / call) , so i called the company. Again, the truck will arrive between 2:00 - 5:00. The truck showed at 4:40 and immediately stated that their truck was too full to take my things. Why did i even need to list my items if it didn't matter! I am so upset. That is 3 - 4 days of my time wasted thanks to salvation army. I was trying to help out those in need and instead, this company wasted my time! Full disappointed! Never, never again!

Everytime I or someone else go in and buy something there is always a problem with attitude discrimination, I spend alot of money there and I dont need someone to follow me around and also think that im stealing, now I noticed and an ex employee that they fired because she did not want to steal told me that the managers husband takes home all of the best ant top quality brands of anything worth taking, both the mother and the daughter do it, they constantly steal to sell it outside of the salvation army. The lady is called alma and I dont know her daughters name, but every customer knows that between her, her daughter and husband steal all the good brands. If you inspect the store and ask around you will see what im talking about

I went into Salvation Army store when they had color coded discounts on.As I finished shopping and was in line to pay, the customer ahead of me brought it to my attention that a store clerk, Johanna had removed the Green color discount tags.Lo and behold, when it was my turn to pay, I politely asked her to honor the discount as that was why I came in to begin with.Johanna refused so I got the attention of her manager, Sean who simply reasoned with me.He advised Johanna to honor the discount.However, to my astonishment, when I held my money in hand, Johnna would not touch the money and simply ordered me to put money on the table.This was border line racism and really disrespectful.Nobody should be treated this way.

I have in the last couple of months been having financial problems, and it is affecting my ability to pay my bills. I am currently on public aid. My electric/gas provider gave me my local Salvation Army to contact regarding receiving help paying my bill.I contacted them and spoke with a gentleman by the name of bill. whom told me I didn't qualify because I have been out of work 5 months and their program states it has 4 months or less. I explained and pled my situation but to no prevail, he stated we can't help and hung up the phone. I called back to speak someone else regarding the matter and I just received his voicemail. I don't believe this situation was handled properly. There are my people out here such as myself trying very hard to regain selfsufficenicy and I believe not one should be treated that way. He seems to not represent the Salvation Army in a proper way. I have always had a different image of what the Salvation Army was and that was not it.

I went into the store about 3 weeks ago, and was looking at some of the antiques. Their was a worker setting up items up on a shelf. They caught my attention so I wanted to buy some items. When it was time to pay I put all of my items on the counter, I had chose out 3 porcelain figures and each one of them were priced at $5 I had also chose a pair of pants for $3.99. When she saw the items she scratched the price off In front of me and told me that the porcelain figures were not $5 but $15 if I wanted them. She also changed the price of the pants and told me that she couldn't give me the pants because they were expensive brand. I did not understand why they were out on sale if they were not on sale or why she would have a certain price on an item and then change it in front of my face. I believe this is not right, and I decided to not end up buying anything. I would like for you to take this in custom, because this may be a discrimination knowing that she was a different race than I am.

I was in El Dorado Arkansas looking for the water department. I seen a nice couple walking and stopped them and asked them if they could give me directions to the water company. They stated that they were from out of town and go into the Salvation Army and asked them. They said they would be able to tell me anything that I needed to know. We was parked right there in front of the building so I went in to ask. When I walked in there was an open window and 2 ladies sitting behind it. I could see that they were writing and I didn't want to interrupt them, so I waited for them to acknowledge me. The 1 lady looked up at me and said "You need to sign in" and looked back down at what she was writing. I said "Excuse me, I just have a question." She said without even looking at me" You are in this building if you want any questions answered you have to sign in" I told her that I just wanted directions and it didn't have anything to do with that building or what was going on in that building. She was so rude! If that is the way that the Salvation Army handles situations and people in distress I feel sorry for them even more. She needs to take customer service classes and learn how to deal with people. If that is the way they deal with people, I would never help them with anything nor would I want my name associated with them.

I always shop at this salvation army, never had a problem until today. Bought a receiver for an entertainment system for around 50 dollars. Item said "tested" as if it worked.. Bought it seeing it would work.. Got home, hooked it up and it's not powering on. I called the Salvation Army I purchased it from and spoke to a very rude manager.. Told me the item is sold as is and they can't do anything about it. I wouldn't have wasted 50 dollars on something that doesn't work. As the manager could tell I was very upset he said "item sold as is, I don't care". I will gladly take my business elsewhere and ensure people I associate with know not to go here..

I need to file a complaint against the Salvation army Crossroads shelter in Denver Colorado. They have announced as today only the very limited very exclusive paying bed clients can take a shower. That leaves about 400+ ppl without proper hygiene for tomorrows work day. Not to mention how unsanitary this is. Everyone is worried about getting the many skin infections from dirty ppl sleeping on dirty mats. Not to mention the ppl like myself who have a job and need to be clean to keep it. I am doing everything in my power to get this over turned and I believe that you will do everything in your power to get this over turned. Thank you so much for you time. Bless you and have a blessed day.

On Feburary 28, 2014 I discovered that my personal bed was defiled in my home i.e. someone committed a hate crime against me by putting smearing my bed. I have reported this to the police and the RCMP as I believe the individuals did because I was raped.

I feel very unsafe especially because it is community knowlegde that when I visited my doctor I declared in 2012 that I thought I was a Virgin. I did not know that I was assulted.

I have asked the housing worker for speedy relocation. Yvette Caines.

Emanuel has committed gender discrimination on July 28, 2014 when he asked me about dragging. Since that time I have made multiple reports about other housing workers assigning defiled sheets to my bed via the online system in 2014.

I experienced racial and gender discrimination from Emanuel a Salvation Army worker on April 26, 2015.
Emanuel indicated I was too slow. He wrote down bed busy (opposite of dragging).

Now when I look at it Emanuel knew about the hate crime and showed additional. I submitted a complaint against the Director of IT of Canada Revenue Agency about gender crimes and the dates of interest was 26-29. It is because they were my cycle days.

In addition I have asked for Styrofoam cups because I am afraid of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and they have refused. The cups were offered temporarily but the employees reverted to insisting that the residents use tea cups even to drink juice.

I felt it was a show of Army power i.e. You are in the Army know and you are a Social milieu your health does not matter.
The environment is one in which there is no care in what is done or how it has an impact.
There is no internet services to even do a simple thing such as send an email. There needs to be phone services so that in a crisis family or loved ones can be contacted for emoitional support. There needs to be training (empathy and making decision why do they do the things they do? And there is no one rule for every situation).

I have mad many complaints work with the police.

Cheers
Tanya

This Kroc Center has the worst customer service and unprofessional staff that I have ever known! Even the administrators are lazy, constantly mistreat or rip off customers, and allow employees to be rude to clients. Don't waste your money joining this facility!

I have never donated to this organization before. This would've been my first time. I scheduled a pick-up date. Due to the fact I received a call on 3/25/15 stating they only take televisions that are flat screens I cancelled by pick-up date. I have never heard of a donation organization that specifies they only take "FLAT SCREEN TV'S". This is the whole purpose of donating because not everyone has a TV. When did an donated organization become so picky. Homeless picky need all items and so do veteran.