I'm dumbfounded...Dressbarn return policy

[Meadowlark]

Wow, I need some serious perspective here.

 

I bought some stuff at Dressbarn over the weekend. I bought 6 pairs of shorts/capris which were on sale for BOGO 50% off. I also had a 25% coupon and another 10% off for opening a credit card. So, I went in yesterday to return a pair of capris. The sales lady, also the manager, told me I would get back 2.90 for them. Um, WHAT? According to my receipt, with the discounts, I actually paid $10 something. Now, I am college educated but I could not understand her crazy explanation at all nor could my husband.

 

Dressbarn has this thing on their receipt called "return value" which is what you get when you return in. For some of my items, the return value was more than what I paid, and for some it was less. 2.90 was the return value for the capris, which were regularly priced 32.50.

 

Even weirder, I bought 2 of the exact same shirt but in different colors. I wasn't sure if I'd like blue or black better to go with a skirt. So when I got home, I decided I liked black. Well, guess what? The blue ones return value is $10 but the blacks is $17! Well, I guess I like the blue one now. WHAT? What's worse, when I brought this to the managers attention, she was 100% confident in what she was saying! and I felt like a moron because I didn't understand.

 

Well, I told her for 2.90 I'll keep the darn capris! I do have a call into the regional manager.

 

Does this make any sense to you? I seriously feel like I'm in the twilight zone.

[Katy]

The only dressbarn I ever shopped at said all sales were final and there were no returns under any circumstances.  Which didn't make me happy when an expensive linen dress unraveled after one wash on the delicate cycle, exactly as the label directed.

 

For about the same price I could shop at a department store that returned everything, no questions asked.  Guess which one I shop at now?

[Cinder]

Well that sounds crazy! I've never shopped at Dress Barn so I'm not familiar with their policies. I have had some questions about Kohl's returns but it's usually "I think you refunded me too much?" and them saying "No, and here's why".

 

I hope you get a satisfactory resolution.

[Kathryn]

I've never been there before. That sounds ridiculous. If it's right on the receipt, I don't think there's much that can be done though.

[Pink and Green Mom]

That is nuts.  I would be tempted to return all the things that had a higher return value than I paid for them.

 

But I can be "delightfully difficult" like that.

[Mabeline]

That's crazy. I would insist on getting what I paid for them if I had a receipt.

[gardenmom5]

I'd take everything back and demand a full refund of what I spent.  (or she can give a decent return on the two items she doesn't want to refund.)

 

unless there is something clearly spelled out (which it sounds like there isn't), I'd take this up with the bbb.  (and a letter to their corporate offices).

[unsinkable]

I had something similar at H&M.

 

DS got a herringbone blazer type jacket ($40) and a white V-neck t-shirt ($6). I had a $5 coupon if I spent $30. Great. Let's ignore the tax...I paid $41 for both.

 

The T-shirt was cut really weird and the V-neck looked odd so DS didn't want it. I took it back and she wanted to give me $1 for it! Huh? She was talking about the coupon and the blazer, and if I returned the blazer, I'd get the full price. Huh?

 

She ended up giving me 3.50 back after I told her I was not returning the blazer.

 

It is the first time I shopped there and I probably won't much more because (separate from this situation) they only have a 30 day return policy. I'm spoiled by target and kohl's.

[DawnM]

I have only ever bought an item or two from Dressbarn but I certainly will not buy anything there again.

 

I *assume* they give you the current sale price as that is what they can get for them to resell them, but that isn't the way to do business.

[school17777]

I would just return everything and shop some where else. I don't return a lot of stuff, but the policy does play a factor in where I shop.

[Meadowlark]

I'd take everything back and demand a full refund of what I spent. (or she can give a decent return on the two items she doesn't want to refund.)

 

unless there is something clearly spelled out (which it sounds like there isn't), I'd take this up with the bbb. (and a letter to their corporate offices).

My husbands idea exactly. I wish I wouldn't have worn 2 of the items yesterday....grrr.

 

Update: the regional manager called me and was confused too. She was going to pass it on to their customer care center in NJ, and have the manager call me again.

[Moxie]

How short sighted if them. You opened a credit card. One would assume that means you intend to keep shopping there. One would also think they would try to keep you happy. These are all things I would be pointing out to them.

[momto3innc]

If you add up the return value amounts, will it add up to the total you paid? If yes, I'd return it all, get all my money back, and tell them they had lost my business due to their return policy.

If it didn't add up to what I paid them....well...they'd get an earful!

[Jann in TX]

Nature of BOGO offers and returns.  When you returned 'half' of the BOGO the remaining item you kept reverts to full price.  Their only obligation is to return part of the sales tax (depending on how they rung it up).  If you were to 'exchange' your item then it would be a different matter and would be a simple trade.

 

In your mind (as the customer) you see the BOGO as the itmes each being 50% off.  With BOGO this is not really the case unless you purchase 2 items (and do not return one)-- then the represented value is 50% off.  With BOGO one item is full price and the other is 'free'.  You returned the 'free' one.  They gave you a token amount back due to the way the original discount was entered into the system.

 

If you were to go back today and purchase the same exact items-- but only half of a BOGO pair-- using the same discounts the total would be $2.90 less than what you originally paid (again probably because of tax laws on discounted merchandise).

 

It is confusing, but they are not ripping you off or keeping your money.

 

Good business practice?  Only if their are no returnes--then customers feel they got a great deal! 

 

I personally prefer to just have a set price and pay it-- no phony discounts (marking up prices then 'discounting' to make customers feel they have made a great deal) ... unfortunately most of the American consumers like to see a 'discount' so would rather pay $11 for a shirt that was disounted instead of $10 for the SAME SHIRT that is tagged at full price!  (JC Penny tried the 'all the time low price' model recently and it failed!-- so they are moving back to inflating sticker prices so they can have items go on 'sale').

 

[gardenmom5]

My husbands idea exactly. I wish I wouldn't have worn 2 of the items yesterday....grrr.

 

Update: the regional manager called me and was confused too. She was going to pass it on to their customer care center in NJ, and have the manager call me again.

 

do you still have the tags?  take it back anyway.  unless they have the great-big tags that say it won't be returned if they're removed, just take it back.

 

glad to hear the regional manager was confused.  first step in getting rid of such an stupid policy.  and be sure and let them know  you're telling all your friends (in their target demographic) on a national chat board about their stupid return policy and even the ones who have shopped at dressbarn have vowed to never shop there again because of this stupid policy.  ;p

 

I've hardly ever shopped at dressbarn, but it makes me think Nordstrom's return policy is worth their prices.   (I shopped there a lot when I was much younger.) 

[Meadowlark]

If you add up the return value amounts, will it add up to the total you paid? If yes, I'd return it all, get all my money back, and tell them they had lost my business due to their return policy.

If it didn't add up to what I paid them....well...they'd get an earful!

So, yes. I just added up all of the return values, and it does equal what I paid. So, great if I wanted to return all of it or even the two items that were paired together. So, each item is paired with the BOGO one on the receipt. The return values put together do equal what I paid. But, the customer is being punished for returning the "wrong one". How much you get depends on which items the register paired together.

[gardenmom5]

honestly - I wouldn't trust them to refund the amount shown for the higher priced item if I didn't return both.  I would assume they'd switch it out.

 

even in a bogo- if one of the items is returned, they should refund 50% of what the two item's together cost.  that is NOT what they are doing.

So, yes. I just added up all of the return values, and it does equal what I paid. So, great if I wanted to return all of it or even the two items that were paired together. So, each item is paired with the BOGO one on the receipt. The return values put together do equal what I paid. But, the customer is being punished for returning the "wrong one". How much you get depends on which items the register paired together.

 

[Meadowlark]

honestly - I wouldn't trust them to refund the amount shown for the higher priced item if I didn't return both. I would assume they'd switch it out.

 

even in a bogo- if one of the items is returned, they should refund 50% of what the two item's together cost. that is NOT what they are doing.

EXACTLY. That is what I expected.

[kbutton]

Nature of BOGO offers and returns.  When you returned 'half' of the BOGO the remaining item you kept reverts to full price.  Their only obligation is to return part of the sales tax (depending on how they rung it up).  If you were to 'exchange' your item then it would be a different matter and would be a simple trade.

 

In your mind (as the customer) you see the BOGO as the itmes each being 50% off.  With BOGO this is not really the case unless you purchase 2 items (and do not return one)-- then the represented value is 50% off.  With BOGO one item is full price and the other is 'free'.  You returned the 'free' one.  They gave you a token amount back due to the way the original discount was entered into the system.

 

If you were to go back today and purchase the same exact items-- but only half of a BOGO pair-- using the same discounts the total would be $2.90 less than what you originally paid (again probably because of tax laws on discounted merchandise).

 

It is confusing, but they are not ripping you off or keeping your money.

 

This is my understanding of BOGO everywhere and not just at Dress Barn. It's this way at most grocery stores too. When I was in high school, I worked at a grocery store that didn't use electronic scanners--cashiers were instructed to treat BOGO items as 2/$x, and if you bought one, you paid half price. Then I moved and found out that grocery stores with scanners work the way described above--the first item is full price, the second item is free. 2/$x is another story--each store is likely to treat the discount differently--some will charge full price if you don't buy the specified number of items; others will discount the items individually.

 

[SKL]

I don't know, but maybe they recalculate what the bill would have been if you bought everything except the capris, and give you back the difference?

[nukeswife]

They are not punishing you for returning the "Wrong one" they are honoring the sale of BUY ONE at full price, Get ONE at full Price FREE.  If you had only purchased one item you wouldn't have paid full price, not half. 

[Mrs Mungo]

Nature of BOGO offers and returns. When you returned 'half' of the BOGO the remaining item you kept reverts to full price. Their only obligation is to return part of the sales tax (depending on how they rung it up). If you were to 'exchange' your item then it would be a different matter and would be a simple trade.

 

In your mind (as the customer) you see the BOGO as the itmes each being 50% off. With BOGO this is not really the case unless you purchase 2 items (and do not return one)-- then the represented value is 50% off. With BOGO one item is full price and the other is 'free'. You returned the 'free' one. They gave you a token amount back due to the way the original discount was entered into the system.

 

If you were to go back today and purchase the same exact items-- but only half of a BOGO pair-- using the same discounts the total would be $2.90 less than what you originally paid (again probably because of tax laws on discounted merchandise).

 

It is confusing, but they are not ripping you off or keeping your money.

 

I agree. If the items were BOGO 50% off and you return the full price item, then you no longer get the other item for 50% off, so they subtract the difference from the return value. It is always like this with BOGO sales.

[Laurie4b]

I think they should have given you 50% if it was BOGO.

[Valley Girl]

Could you do an even exchange on the item(s) you don't want?

[Joker]

I've always understood this to be the policy with BOGO sales. If you had only purchased one pair of capri pants, you would have paid full price. They would not have given you one pair at 50% off just because you chose not to make use of their sale.

[Laura Corin]

From having worked in retail: the blue and black shirts probably came in at different times and are therefore at different stages in their markdown cycle.  If black came in in March and blue in April, black will now be marked down by 50% but blue only by 25%.  They will look identical, but their 'season' will be different.

 

L

[Laura Corin]

I think they should have given you 50% if it was BOGO.

 

The BOGO existed in order to persuade you to buy two - it's not the same as 50% off.  So if you return one, you have declined to make use of the offer.

 

L

[Meadowlark]

From having worked in retail: the blue and black shirts probably came in at different times and are therefore at different stages in their markdown cycle. If black came in in March and blue in April, black will now be marked down by 50% but blue only by 25%. They will look identical, but their 'season' will be different.

 

Really? There were 4 different colors all on the same table, priced the same. i guess I'm not understanding?

L

[Meadowlark]

The BOGO existed in order to persuade you to buy two - it's not the same as 50% off. So if you return one, you have declined to make use of the offer.

 

Ok, so why the 2.90? Why wouldn't I get at least what I actually paid for it, which was half of the original price?

 

L

[Guest]

Burlington Coat Factory has/had a very unhelpful return policy, too. I haven't shopped there in a decade, but I remember being shocked that they had a less-than-stellar policy.

[FaithManor]

I no longer shop at dress barn because of their policies.

 

I bought a dress there, wore it once, and the zipper broke. I wore it exactly three days after purchasing it. They would do nothing. When I was overcharged for an item and had not even left the store yet...literally, 45 seconds after checking out, they refused to refund the difference saying that it was my job to catch the error before paying. I'm not kidding.

 

My mom attempted to return a skirt that faded...as in lost about half it's dye on the first wash. She had only owned it two weeks and still had her receipt. Even the manager admitted that it was manufacturer's defect but the rule was all sales are final. If you leave the store, it's your problem.

 

So, we simply wrote the company a letter and the local store manager as well stating that we wouldn't shop there any more and we do not. They NEVER responded. My guess is that over time, their customer service issues will come back to bite them in the butt and end up going out of business. Coldwater Creek is going out of business at the outlet mall near here. It's not surprising. A lot women like their clothing and the sales, but their customer service at that store was less than stellar and some of the items came apart on the first washing. They would do nothing. Yet, down the way, Van Heusen is absolutely wonderful and so is Geoffrey Beane, Old Navy, Aeropostale, Eddie Bauer, American Eagle, Vanity Fair, Izod, Bon Marche, and Ralph Lauren. That means there are lots of places the locals can go and be treated much better.

[Laura Corin]

 

From having worked in retail: the blue and black shirts probably came in at different times and are therefore at different stages in their markdown cycle. If black came in in March and blue in April, black will now be marked down by 50% but blue only by 25%. They will look identical, but their 'season' will be different.

 

Really? There were 4 different colors all on the same table, priced the same. i guess I'm not understanding?

L

 

 

If they were priced exactly the same when you bought them, then I'm out of ideas - I was thinking that the sales price was different and therefore the return price was too.  

 

L

[Laura Corin]

 

The BOGO existed in order to persuade you to buy two - it's not the same as 50% off. So if you return one, you have declined to make use of the offer.

 

Ok, so why the 2.90? Why wouldn't I get at least what I actually paid for it, which was half of the original price?

 

L

 

 

Is the following how it worked?  If not, I don't know.

 

T shirt A and T shirt B were originally ten dollars each.  When you bought two, you paid ten dollars for two.  When you returned one of them, you declined the offer to BOGO, and therefore there was no refund to be made.  In those situations, I have, in the past, donated a second unsuitable item to charity, rather than return it.

L

[unsinkable]

ALL the Coldwater Creeks are closing. They are going out of business.

[Greta]

Ok, so why the 2.90? Why wouldn't I get at least what I actually paid for it, which was half of the original price?

If it started at $10, but you got half off due to the BOGO sale, then 25% off of that for your coupon, then 10% off of that for opening a credit card, that would bring it down to about $3, right?

[whitestavern]

I bought my daughter some things from Delia's and experienced something similar when I tried to return part of it. The explanation given to me was utterly confusing and made no sense. I swore I'd never purchase anything there ever again.

[Meadowlark]

Is the following how it worked? If not, I don't know.

 

T shirt A and T shirt B were originally ten dollars each. When you bought two, you paid ten dollars for two. When you returned one of them, you declined the offer to BOGO, and therefore there was no refund to be made. In those situations, I have, in the past, donated a second unsuitable item to charity, rather than return it.

L

Just to clarify, it was BOGO 50 % off. So the capris were the item that was 50 % off. So..

 

32.50-16.25 for 25 % off coupon I had

24.37-12.19 for the BOGO 50%

12.19-1.22 for 10 % the credit sign up

Which means I spent $10.96 for them

 

The return value is 2.90

 

This is all right on the receipt.

 

I did some caluculating, and they deducted around $8 (for the return value) for half of the items, but added $8 for other items. That is how the computer rectified the BOGO discounts. So 2.90 is about $8 less than 10.96. Now, another item on my receipt says I paid $14.62, but if I returned it, I'd get $23.16 back. That is apparently how their system operates. Thoughts?

 

So lucky me if I return only the ones that I'd get more money for, but unfortunately for me, the ones that I want to return got the $8 taken off. I guess it's the luck of the draw?

[Meadowlark]

If it started at $10, but you got half off due to the BOGO sale, then 25% off of that for your coupon, then 10% off of that for opening a credit card, that would bring it down to about $3, right?

I think we were typing at the same time. See above :-)

[barnwife]

honestly - I wouldn't trust them to refund the amount shown for the higher priced item if I didn't return both.  I would assume they'd switch it out.

 

even in a bogo- if one of the items is returned, they should refund 50% of what the two item's together cost.  that is NOT what they are doing.

Ummm...no to the refunding 50% of what the items cost together.

 

If you buy a $20 shirt and $10 worth of socks, you'd be spending $20 on the shirt and only $5 for the socks in a BOGO offer for $25 total. 

 

Let's say you return the shirt. You no longer qualify for the BOGO offer. So they can return your $20, but then you owe them $5 more for the shirt. So they'd only really be refunding $15.

 

At least, this is my understanding. 

[Laura Corin]

Just to clarify, it was BOGO 50 % off. So the capris were the item that was 50 % off. So..

 

32.50-16.25 for 25 % off coupon I had

24.37-12.19 for the BOGO 50%

12.19-1.22 for 10 % the credit sign up

Which means I spent $10.96 for them

 

The return value is 2.90

 

This is all right on the receipt.

 

I did some caluculating, and they deducted around $8 (for the return value) for half of the items, but added $8 for other items. That is how the computer rectified the BOGO discounts. So 2.90 is about $8 less than 10.96. Now, another item on my receipt says I paid $14.62, but if I returned it, I'd get $23.16 back. That is apparently how their system operates. Thoughts?

 

So lucky me if I return only the ones that I'd get more money for, but unfortunately for me, the ones that I want to return got the $8 taken off. I guess it's the luck of the draw?

 

That does seem mysterious.

 

L

[Greta]

Okay, disregard my previous post. I don't understand. Sorry!

 

ETA: Ha! Yeah, we were typing at the same time twice, I think! Anyway, I apologize because I'm no help at all. I can't figure it out.

[FaithManor]

ALL the Coldwater Creeks are closing. They are going out of business.

I wonder if they all had the same problems that the local one did? I don't know much about the company. I just know that one could not rely on quality for the price paid, and that the store had terrible customer service. Hmmm...

[vonfirmath]

I wonder if they all had the same problems that the local one did? I don't know much about the company. I just know that one could not rely on quality for the price paid, and that the store had terrible customer service. Hmmm...

 

My favorite pants EVER are Coldwater Creek. But I went back to get more and they didn't have them anymore -- or even anything similar enough to buy instead :(

[Tap]

Just to clarify, it was BOGO 50 % off. So the capris were the item that was 50 % off. So..

 

32.50-16.25 for 25 % off coupon I had

24.37-12.19 for the BOGO 50%

12.19-1.22 for 10 % the credit sign up

Which means I spent $10.96 for them

 

The return value is 2.90

 

This is all right on the receipt.

 

I did some caluculating, and they deducted around $8 (for the return value) for half of the items, but added $8 for other items. That is how the computer rectified the BOGO discounts. So 2.90 is about $8 less than 10.96. Now, another item on my receipt says I paid $14.62, but if I returned it, I'd get $23.16 back. That is apparently how their system operates. Thoughts?

 

So lucky me if I return only the ones that I'd get more money for, but unfortunately for me, the ones that I want to return got the $8 taken off. I guess it's the luck of the draw?

Was the 25% off coupon based on spending X amount of dollars?  If returning the capris dropped the entire balance below that mark, they could have taken back the entire 25% off from the order, not just the one item. 

[Meadowlark]

Was the 25% off coupon based on spending X amount of dollars? If returning the capris dropped the entire balance below that mark, they could have taken back the entire 25% off from the order, not just the one item.

Nope, just 25% off if I used a credit card. But thanks for thinking this out with me :-)

[Meadowlark]

Nature of BOGO offers and returns. When you returned 'half' of the BOGO the remaining item you kept reverts to full price. Their only obligation is to return part of the sales tax (depending on how they rung it up). If you were to 'exchange' your item then it would be a different matter and would be a simple trade.

 

In your mind (as the customer) you see the BOGO as the itmes each being 50% off. With BOGO this is not really the case unless you purchase 2 items (and do not return one)-- then the represented value is 50% off. With BOGO one item is full price and the other is 'free'. You returned the 'free' one. They gave you a token amount back due to the way the original discount was entered into the system.

 

If you were to go back today and purchase the same exact items-- but only half of a BOGO pair-- using the same discounts the total would be $2.90 less than what you originally paid (again probably because of tax laws on discounted merchandise).

 

It is confusing, but they are not ripping you off or keeping your money.

 

Good business practice? Only if their are no returnes--then customers feel they got a great deal!

 

I personally prefer to just have a set price and pay it-- no phony discounts (marking up prices then 'discounting' to make customers feel they have made a great deal) ... unfortunately most of the American consumers like to see a 'discount' so would rather pay $11 for a shirt that was disounted instead of $10 for the SAME SHIRT that is tagged at full price! (JC Penny tried the 'all the time low price' model recently and it failed!-- so they are moving back to inflating sticker prices so they can have items go on 'sale').

It was BOGO 50% off if that makes a difference.....?

 

So, are you saying that IF I returned the "full-priced" item, I should get back the full price? Not so. I'm looking at one of the full priced items on my receipt, one that does NOT have a BOGO 50 discount, I paid $24.30. The return value is just $15.76.

[Spryte]

That is completely confusing.

 

...So will you now be closing that new credit account?

 

 

[Brilliant]

Nature of BOGO offers and returns.  When you returned 'half' of the BOGO the remaining item you kept reverts to full price.  Their only obligation is to return part of the sales tax (depending on how they rung it up).  If you were to 'exchange' your item then it would be a different matter and would be a simple trade.

 

In your mind (as the customer) you see the BOGO as the itmes each being 50% off.  With BOGO this is not really the case unless you purchase 2 items (and do not return one)-- then the represented value is 50% off.  With BOGO one item is full price and the other is 'free'.  You returned the 'free' one.  They gave you a token amount back due to the way the original discount was entered into the system.

 

If you were to go back today and purchase the same exact items-- but only half of a BOGO pair-- using the same discounts the total would be $2.90 less than what you originally paid (again probably because of tax laws on discounted merchandise).

 

It is confusing, but they are not ripping you off or keeping your money.

 

...

 

Some stores are much more customer friendly, though.  I think the Gap brand stores (Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy) and Victoria's Secret show a discounted amount for each item, and they'll actually refund that amount even if you only return half of a BOGO deal or otherwise no longer qualify for your promotion.  For example, if you have a $10 off $50 coupon at Victoria's Secret:  Buy 2 bras for $30 each with that coupon, and the net price is $25 each.  If you return one, VS refunds $25.  Sounds like under the same promo, Dress Barn would have only refunded $20 because they'd have subtracted the $10 coupon from the refund.

 

Customers could theoretically take advantage of companies' more liberal policies, but really is the store losing that much?  And the other stores are losing customers with their stingy policies!  I've benefited from the policy at VS before, but it was truly for an item I changed my mind on, and not a planned purchase/return, since I'd rather take a beating than wait in line at VS!

 

[Mrs Mungo]

It was BOGO 50% off if that makes a difference.....?

 

So, are you saying that IF I returned the "full-priced" item, I should get back the full price?

No. If you had purchased 2 $10 items, then you would have paid $10 for the first one and $5 for the second one. The way it normally works is that if returned the $10 item, then they would deduct the $5 discount that you received on the second item. If you returned the $5 item, then you would get $5 back. You would only receive $5 back, no matter which of the two items you returned.

 

I can't speak to all of the various discounts and how they are/are not applied, but that is how returns of BOGO 50% off sale items usually work.

[Mrs Mungo]

Some stores are much more customer friendly, though. I think the Gap brand stores (Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy) and Victoria's Secret show a discounted amount for each item, and they'll actually refund that amount even if you only return half of a BOGO deal or otherwise no longer qualify for your promotion. For example, if you have a $10 off $50 coupon at Victoria's Secret: Buy 2 bras for $30 each with that coupon, and the net price is $25 each. If you return one, VS refunds $25. Sounds like under the same promo, Dress Barn would have only refunded $20 because they'd have subtracted the $10 coupon from the refund.

 

Customers could theoretically take advantage of companies' more liberal policies, but really is the store losing that much? And the other stores are losing customers with their stingy policies! I've benefited from the policy at VS before, but it was truly for an item I changed my mind on, and not a planned purchase/return, since I'd rather take a beating than wait in line at VS!

 

More people shop at discount stores than VS. VS has a higher profit margin than discount stores. So, percentage-wise, yes, they would be hurt more by a more liberal policy. You would be surprised at the lengths some people will go to in order to get a discount or even cheat the store into winding up paying more for the items in returns than the customer paid.