Ralph Lauren customer service=oxymoron

[boxermom]

I'll give you my Ralph Lauren experience so far. More to come.

In mid-September I bought 2 dress shirts at RL for my grandson ($49.50 each, not cheap) and requested gift receipts, telling the salesperson that they would be sent to northern Virginia where Tyson's has a RL store. The shirts are too small and my daughter-in-law took them with gift receipts to her local store. She was refused any credit voucher or credit to my account because they don't carry children's wear at that location. She used her best debate skills (she's an attorney) but to no avail.

She called RalphLauren.com and they say they can't handle it either. The shirts must be returned to the original store where they were purchased. I don't live in Chicago! What is the point of a gift receipt if you can only return/exchange at the same store??? The fine print on the back of the original receipt says nothing about it being invalid at other stores if the item isn't carried there.

DIL is sending me the shirts and I will call the Chicago store to find out what to do. I have been a long-time customer (must've spent $1000 on golf shirts for our sons when they were on the golf teams in h.s.) . So for being stubborn about a hundred bucks they have lost me and dil as customers forever plus everyone we tell about this and my dil knows a LOT of people. Plus everyone here on PF.

Am I being unreasonable or is this too restrictive a return policy? I can only ship the shirts back to the Chicago store. I'm mortified that my dil had to go through all this.

 

[ms-whitney]

I can kind of understand having worked in retail with different tiers or departments (men, womens, children, body)

and technically it could be that they can't

but the RL rep at Tyson should have taken a step out of the norm and volunteered to mail it to Chicago or back to the original store to do the credit or exchange

though, usually it's done at discretion

but if your dil is an attorney and used a lot of persuasion the store should have done something like that if they had the brains to

I'm assuming they don't

 

[GirlieShoppe]

Am I being unreasonable or is this too restrictive a return policy? I can only ship the shirts back to the Chicago store. I'm mortified that my dil had to go through all this.

No, you are not being unreasonable at all, boxermom. I think that is a ridiculous policy. Once I was in Ann Taylor and saw a gorgeous pair of boots. When I asked to try a pair on in my size, the SA told me that they did not carry the boots in-store. It was an online exclusive item but they happened to have a pair because someone returned them. RL should honor the return at any location.

 

[boxermom]

^that Ann Taylor story is even more ridiculous.

I omitted that I bought the shirts at the Michigan Avenue Ralph Lauren store while on a quick trip there so that's the store of origin, though I don't live there any more. I just resent that they couldn't have been more helpful. They will lose a lot of future business because of this one hard-line decision.

Neiman Marcus will physically take online order returns in their stores even though they are technically separate companies and the items I've returned are not carried in-store.

 

[BagaholicAnon]

I'm not thrilled with their CS either. The SAs are not friendly at all, so I stopped going into the store and was just buying online then returning in the store if it doesn't work out. In all cases, they made me wait forever for an SA to come over and do the return! I'd approach someone, then they'd send me over to the register to wait. I've stopped buying from them altogether. I can always get my fix at Macys!

 

[boxermom]

OK, I received the shirts from my dil today (all this postage is ridiculous) along with the worthless gift receipts. I called the Chicago store and asked for the CS person. He was very apologetic and said it wasn't handled correctly at Tyson's. Well we already know that. He tried to talk me into getting stuff in exchange but I said I just want a credit and will include a letter explaining along with the shirts and the gift receipts which are apparently worth nothing in Virginia.

Get this--he said it's not the first bad report he's heard about the Tyson's Ralph Lauren store. Well, why doesn't management step in and hire someone else and re-train staff correctly? I believe there are a number of highly qualified unemployed people out there who are smart enough to do the job properly.

 

[Ranag]

boxermom - you are not the only one who has issues with RL's customer service. My husband had a major fiasco with a return/exchange of a coat last year. They ended up charging our credit card three times for the coat, and we spent hours on the phone with CS trying to straighten it all out. They racked up almost 8k in charges for this one darn coat! We haven't bought a thing from them since. It is not just one store - it is a company-wide problem.

 

[missy_g]

^that Ann Taylor story is even more ridiculous.

I omitted that I bought the shirts at the Michigan Avenue Ralph Lauren store while on a quick trip there so that's the store of origin, though I don't live there any more. I just resent that they couldn't have been more helpful. They will lose a lot of future business because of this one hard-line decision.

Neiman Marcus will physically take online order returns in their stores even though they are technically separate companies and the items I've returned are not carried in-store.

How is Ann Taylor ridiculous? They take items that are bought online and exchange in store even if they aren't carried in the store. I think it's an excellent policy and saves people from having to send stuff back and wait for a credit.

As for RL, I think the policy should be the same. It shouldn't matter WHERE you bought the item, they should honor all returns. I know several stores that accept returns no matter where the item was bought.

 

[GirlieShoppe]

How is Ann Taylor ridiculous? They take items that are bought online and exchange in store even if they aren't carried in the store. I think it's an excellent policy and saves people from having to send stuff back and wait for a credit.

I agree, AT has an excellent return/exchange policy!

 

[boxermom]

How is Ann Taylor ridiculous? They take items that are bought online and exchange in store even if they aren't carried in the store. I think it's an excellent policy and saves people from having to send stuff back and wait for a credit.

As for RL, I think the policy should be the same. It shouldn't matter WHERE you bought the item, they should honor all returns. I know several stores that accept returns no matter where the item was bought.

I meant that an item is displayed in the store that isn't available for sale. I agree that taking the return was good cs, just that it would be frustrating for someone to see a display item that isn't available for purchase.

I have only bought gc's from AT, so have no experience with their customer service.

 

[Love Of My Life]

RL does need to improve on their policies as well as CS like so many other stores do

 

[sbelle]

Boxermom -- I would be mad and frustrated! When something like that happens to me I now write a letter (not email) to either the store manager or the regional manager. If I am really mad I write the head of the company! I think they need to hear.

 

[boxermom]

sbelle, my dil should do that on her company letterhead with her full attorney title. Probably not allowed, but that would get their attention. I am quicker to write to *the top* these days. With the internet, we have so many choices of where to buy; no retail or service company can afford to treat customers poorly.

 

[viciel]

OK, I received the shirts from my dil today (all this postage is ridiculous) along with the worthless gift receipts. I called the Chicago store and asked for the CS person. He was very apologetic and said it wasn't handled correctly at Tyson's. Well we already know that. He tried to talk me into getting stuff in exchange but I said I just want a credit and will include a letter explaining along with the shirts and the gift receipts which are apparently worth nothing in Virginia.

Get this--he said it's not the first bad report he's heard about the Tyson's Ralph Lauren store. Well, why doesn't management step in and hire someone else and re-train staff correctly? I believe there are a number of highly qualified unemployed people out there who are smart enough to do the job properly.

Been shopping with RL online and in store for years and haven't had any issues (except for the occasional snooty SAs, but that's a whole different story for a different day) with their exchange/returns CS. Reading through your story, I don't think you did anything wrong, sounds like to me you did everything right - by now you've probably 'spent' more than the initial $100 after all the efforts, time and energy, dumped into getting this straightened out. I miss the good old days when stores would send along store credit/voucher along with an apology.

 

[boxermom]

The never-ending RL story: I still can't meet their requirements. They called to say they received the shirts, but couldn't refund my credit card because I included the gift receipts and not the original receipt (I wasn't told that was necessary, plus I'm not giving them my only original receipt--that's my main evidence of a purchase). Then they began talking about 30 days v. 60 days and that my dil tried to return them at a RL outlet--not true; she went to the RL store at Tyson's Galleria, NOT an outlet. It's beyond unbelievable.

I asked for a merchandise voucher and she said she'd talk to her mgr. and call me back. I was busy this afternoon and requested an email which she said was not possible. Then when she called back she said she would email (apparently it became possible to email) confirmation of my credit voucher. I am still waiting and it's been several hours.

I beg of you, avoid Ralph Lauren unless you are positive your item will not need to be exchanged or returned. I am in some circle of retail hell and can't get out.

They do not want to refund my $99 + tax.