Banned from making too many returns? - Share your experiences!

[juicypinkglam]

Personally I've never been banned...

But I'm a shopaholic that buys and returns frequently (usually online)...

Is it bad that I order a lot of stuff from online and then return it?? I do it because I like to try them on and see them in person first, then compare to see which items I like best and which I can do without... So I end up only picking the best items of the bulk. And because of the flexible and free return policy either by shipping or in store.... Plus i LOVE the feeling of getting packages in the mail and new stuff to see/try on but i won't always keep EVERYTHING.

I need to make sure each item is perfect and suitable to my liking in person..I hate hoarding junk but I like examining variety and comparing different items side by side... it also gives me a sort of "fix" when i can order a bunch of stuff and mix and match, I don't mind the hassle of repacking or returning to the store.

Plus I'm super paranoid that if I really like something and don't grab it soon it will be sold out... so I purchase in safety knowing if I change my mind I can always return it but not always buy it if its out of stock...

It sucks if they will ban me for this

 

[bumble1]

I buy a lot because I want to see everything in order to make an informed decision. So I do return a lot, but keep a lot as well! I have no idea how stores view customers like these. I've heard so many horror stories from SA's about lying, thieving customers that I'd like to think that returning products with tags/receipt in a timely way is at the bottom of their list of worries. Can any current or former retail associates chime in?

 

[merekat703]

I rarely make returns for refunds. I usually buy online, or for my children while shopping without them. In the case of items that don't fit, I'll take them to the B&M store to exchange. Usually, I'll end up spending more.

I used to purchase a lot of Coach. They had a ridiculously liberal return policy that people took advantage of. You had to be really bad to get a letter from them. I remember people returning bags that had a stitch on the strap loose and Coach gave them a brand new bag. The bags were used to death.


I remember buying a $1000 bag from them and I wore it into the store (the day after I bought it). It had all of my stuff in it too. The SA asked me how I liked it and I told her it was a little awkward to get into and heavy. She took the bag from me and told me to pick out a new one.

I don't know if their policy has changed though. I rarely shop "in store" anymore.

When I was an SA the Coach letters were mainly for resellers. Not a lot goes into the basic shopper who returns a lot. Their main focus is on the customers who buy in bulk. Many bags can be returned if there are stitches loose or even worn, there is a list of products that are defected and can be returned no questions asked i.e. the Carly for the fraying and Sabrina's with defected dye jobs (fading) otherwise its based on the Managers opinion and usually if the customer has a valid case the return is made.

 

[bagolicious]

Hello everybody,

I was reading up on stores' return policies and did not realized that stores could ban you from making too many returns!

This totally shocked me as I did not know that stores could do that!
I read that a TPFer received a nasty letter from Bl**mingdales from returning too many pairs of shoes. But the shoes were mostly from online and unworn with the receipt to boot! She did not do anything wrong!

This worries me. Over the past month, I ordered almost $1k worth of jewelery from Banana Republic (in separate orders). They were meant as gifts but I was very disappointed at the quality.

I had no problems doing the returns although a couple of BR clerks checked the items very carefully (making me feel really bad).

I am now worried that I could be banned from BR because I have a very high return rate. I use a store card so I know that I am definitely being tracked!

Does anybody have similar stories to share or experiences from being banned? How do we know what triggers a ban? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

This is nothing new. Department stores were banning obsessive returners back in the 70s. They would send out a letter to obsessive return customers. I knew some people who had gotten banned.

When I buy an item, then 99% of the time I keep it. I do very few returns.

 

[L etoile]

The one thing that i tend to return is shoes because i always purchase more than one size of the same shoe to try. I can sense that one of the local Saks SA's is annoyed about it because i buy online and return in store, but the store never has my size and the selection at my local Saks sucks. Also, i find that most of the shoes in-store have been tried on and look worn, where the online shoes usually come straight from the warehouse. I really need to buy a 7.5 and 8.0 because the shoe sizing is never consistent, even among the same brand. I dare them to ban me, though, because i buy clothes there like it's going out of style.

 

[kittypimms]

Wow, I didn't even know you could be banned for making too many returns.

I am not in any danger of this, however, because unless it's a very expensive purchase I am unhappy with, I often don't return items...I keep forgetting and then eventually it's too late to return!

 

[rozmahfoz]

To be honest I don't think you have anything to worry about. I used to work at a designer bag store and it takes a lot for a customer to get banned by the company. We used to have ladies who would come in and try to return their "damaged" bags (they just used them for whatever length of time and want a new style) and even though we all knew what they were doing we had to smile and do our jobs as associates. It also doesn't matter how many times a store launches complaints to head office if a customer is abusing the system. It is very difficult to actually get yourself banned from a store. Those who do get banned will get a letter from head office that they are no longer welcome to shop with them and the the stores are also notified. You have to be on a whole another level if company is willing to go as far as to ban you.

 

[lpaigenyc]

I was never banned but I did receive a letter from Bloomingdales enquiring whether I was 'disappointed' with the quality of their merchandise because of all of my returns! Truth be told I was just trying to find a dress for a wedding I was in and was buying and returning a lot, some in store purchases, some online. I ended up using a dress I already owned. I still shop at Bloomies though!

 

[gordonwang]

Omg... I bought something on presale in Barney's and found out that it is 40%off instead of 30% and I already paid ... Did it happen to anyone before??? Can I get the money bk??

 

[meluvs2shop]

The one thing that i tend to return is shoes because i always purchase more than one size of the same shoe to try. I can sense that one of the local Saks SA's is annoyed about it because i buy online and return in store, but the store never has my size and the selection at my local Saks sucks. Also, i find that most of the shoes in-store have been tried on and look worn, where the online shoes usually come straight from the warehouse. I really need to buy a 7.5 and 8.0 because the shoe sizing is never consistent, even among the same brand. I dare them to ban me, though, because i buy clothes there like it's going out of style.

i do that a lot too when buying shoes online.

as a matter of fact, i do it often. i just bought my husband clothes for Christmas and since he's in between sizes, i ordered 2 of everything! lol

 

[shopaholism]

Yikes! I hope I'm not one of these people--sometimes when I'm at home, I'll visit TJs/Marshall's and get a couple things for my online boutique (usually not more than 1-2 items at a time, though) and if something sits for a couple months without selling, I'll bring it back (with receipt) on my next trip for the store credit. This also happens sometimes if I get an item specifically for one buyer (who has either asked for a certain style or a size I've out of) and that transaction ends up not happening. I try not to do this often, but I think returning is fairer than hoarding items that aren't selling and that someone else may want...

 

[lilmountaingirl]

When I was an SA the Coach letters were mainly for resellers. Not a lot goes into the basic shopper who returns a lot. Their main focus is on the customers who buy in bulk. Many bags can be returned if there are stitches loose or even worn, there is a list of products that are defected and can be returned no questions asked i.e. the Carly for the fraying and Sabrina's with defected dye jobs (fading) otherwise its based on the Managers opinion and usually if the customer has a valid case the return is made.

I refuse to shop at Coach because of their reseller letter policy. I purchased Coach bags from the outlet for all of my bridesmaids and important family ladies for my wedding. Some were duplicates. I spent a ton of money and bought 15 bags. i went back to exchange three of them for different ones and they accused me of reselling and gave me a letter. I brought every single bag back the next day and complained to corporate who pretended to care and did nothing. Big mistake for them.

 

[merekat703]

I refuse to shop at Coach because of their reseller letter policy. I purchased Coach bags from the outlet for all of my bridesmaids and important family ladies for my wedding. Some were duplicates. I spent a ton of money and bought 15 bags. i went back to exchange three of them for different ones and they accused me of reselling and gave me a letter. I brought every single bag back the next day and complained to corporate who pretended to care and did nothing. Big mistake for them.

It really varies from store to store as sad as that is. Some SAs are sneaky and want the re-sellers so the store will make the $$ and others are more hardcore. A lot of Brides shop for their gifts at coach and that wasn't right for them to treat you like that. I'd say don't refuse all coach, try another outlet. When I want to do a charge sends/holds I've has SAs tell me over the phone that they will do a charge send/hold and others that say they don't do that and I feel like saying "I will walk you thought the steps on how to do it". Some lie and some are very helpful..

 

[annie_finance]

You shouldn't worry about making too many returns. If the sales associate at store gives you a hard time, just call the customer service of the company. They should worry about losing you as a customer in the long run.

 

[emcosmo1639]

The one thing that i tend to return is shoes because i always purchase more than one size of the same shoe to try. I can sense that one of the local Saks SA's is annoyed about it because i buy online and return in store, but the store never has my size and the selection at my local Saks sucks. Also, i find that most of the shoes in-store have been tried on and look worn, where the online shoes usually come straight from the warehouse. I really need to buy a 7.5 and 8.0 because the shoe sizing is never consistent, even among the same brand. I dare them to ban me, though, because i buy clothes there like it's going out of style.

I do this a lot with jeans and shoes. Sizing is never consistent with these so for me it's easier to buy a couple pairs and then return the one that doesn't fit. With jeans I'll sometimes buy 2 pairs in the same size and return the one with the shorter inseam (lots are handcut now so inseams can vary a lot and I'm really tall so every inch matters!). I guess I've learned my lesson a few too many times where I've bought an item in one size, it didn't fit, and the correct size ended up sold out. As long as I return as soon as deciding, with tags etc then I don't feel bad.