BR customer service won’t respond ETA in comments - Resolved

Has anyone else had a problem with Banana Republic’s customer service not responding to them? I wrote to them two days ago because I noticed that an order I had made was somehow directed to an address I where I haven’t lived for 9 years. I only noticed once the first package was marked as delivered, but there is still a second one that could be redirected. UPS has told me that they can’t help with that now, but BR won’t respond, either. I’ve had a cold and my throat is a bit sore, so I haven’t wanted to call them.

I guess this is technically my fault, though I can’t imagine how the website could default to an address I haven’t used in nine years. It’s an apartment building, so I can’t walk in, and it’s run by a slumlord, and reaching out to them won’t do me any good (tried that but don’t expect to hear back as they never replied when I lived there.) I also won’t be able to go back there to get the package, anyway, and I would be very surprised if anyone bothered to mark it as “return to sender.” (From what I read online, the culture of that building, a place near the school where I went to grad school, has not changed at all. Someone has probably already taken and kept the first package, TBH.) So BR is my only hope and they’ve left me hanging thus far.

I guess I’ll call when I feel up to it, but two emails about the subject should have elicited some response, even if it’s that they can’t or won’t help me. I’m frankly extremely disappointed at the lack of even a “can’t help you” response, and it makes me unlikely to want to shop there in the future. They could also at least try to redirect the second package.... blah.

ETA: I used kkards' suggestion and tried chat. They say they can't do anything until the original deliver by date of the 27th has passed. Would have been nice if they could have told me that by e-mail! But that's two days away, so I should have my voice back and can call them at that point. Glad I didn't waste my voice on it today, just to be told to do that. But if they think UPS will be able to find those packages again to re-route them at that building, I think they'll be sadly mistaken. Packages get left in the lobby and either picked up by the owner or stolen. Maybe the super would notice after a while and write "return to sender on it," but it's a slim hope.

7 years ago

Jessikams

(website)

Veteran

How frustrating! Wishing you luck (and feel better soon)

Helena

Very frustrating! I had a similar rigamarole between BR and UPS, when a package was marked delivered that definitely was not delivered, since my home office has a huge window right at the front door, and I was sitting there when the supposed delivery occured ... anyhoo, to make a long story short, I did get my order replaced, but it took several emails and follow ups, plus a trip to the store where I had to explain the whole story from the beginning. Not great response for sure, and I have to admit, I haven't ordered from them online since!

Hope it works out; keep after them!

Christina F.

I'm definitely writing back today to say I won't be ordering from them anymore if this is how their customer service works. I sound even worse today (this is very common as I start to feel better, though), so I probably won't be calling. Thanks for sharing your experience, torontogirl.

Elizabeth P

I'm surprised you can't redirect it... doesn't "My UPS" have that options?

Elizabeth, UPS washed their hands of both packages, supposedly because they're both SurePost. I was surprised too

texstyle

Call them. I've had this happen more than once (old address somehow "reverts" after years of not being used). I had it happen with Gap not that long ago - and about a year before that it happened with jcrew - the person at my old house just keeps the stuff. Anyway - the companies were happy to help me and resend the merchandise and then I made SURE none of my old addresses were still stored in my accounts with them. That was painful because one of them had 2 different accounts for me.

Joyce B

I hope you are well enough to be able to call them. I think people always respond better “in person” because they have to acknowledge you whereas an e-mail can easily be nixed. BR has been good to me and solved the issues but I always call and document whom I spoke with. I keep the info handy for a possible credit card claim if CS fails.

Thanks ladies. I'll call when I stop sounding like a frog.

You might get further with them if you sound like you came off your deathbed just to call them...

kkards

i'd try 2 different stratagies.

re BR, try on line chat instead of email. you'll get fairly immediate response, which will give you at least some satisfaction,...

and get in touch with the post office who are responsible for the "last mile" ie actual delievery of the package. the post office is not supposed to leave a package (or 1st class mail) at an address without your name on the mailbox...and so the package might actually be being held at the post office waiting for someone to claim it...and after a certain number of days (i can't remember how many) if not claimed, it will get returned to the sender.

kkards, the post office there where I used to live will not help me. (it's the worst post office of all time, and they never helped me with similar problems when I lived there either). Apartment buildings in the city don't have names on mailboxes (my current, nicer place doesn't either), and leaving packages in the lobby is a completely acceptable practice here, anyway. It was definitely marked as being left at the front door (ie lobby). Thanks for the suggestions, though. I'll definitely try the chat.

ETA: They don't seem to have chat as an option anymore, but I am trying via Gap's chat. If this doesn't work, I'll try to take some lozenges and call them when I'm done work for the day (working from home).

Answer above.

Jules

I have to say it would actually never occur to me to email large online retailers. I don’t mean that in a snotty way, just that I always call, which I think is the contact method they suggest in the automated order emails?
I avoid the phone as much as possible and try to resolve lots of things in writing instead, so not sure why I call in this case. I did used to work for an internal-facing IT help desk style team and they are set up to take phone calls but not really to respond to email. Their work is measured by corporate metrics that count phone calls and tickets, but emails are basically invisible work that won’t help them maintain funding or headcount. I think a lot of call centre type operations are set up this way. A phone call is discrete and ends but an email thread is open ended and may never get ‘closed’, so it’s harder for bean counters to measure. Meanwhile the vast majority of clients still try to email that team I worked for so you are not alone

Jules, I’ve had great responses from emailing other retailers over the years. Nordstrom has been great, for instance. I also like that there’s an automatic record of what’s been said, using that method. I’m also better able to be stern when I’m not talking to a person (since the problem is not usually that exact person’s fault). I also work in a cube, not an enclosed office, and I prefer email so I don’t have to leave my desk to have a discussion that’s not related to work (it’s allowed but my office is very quiet and I don’t like to disturb folks).

What was different was that BR didn’t even have an automatic reply when I emailed them. Usually the auto reply is standard but I guess they are so desperate not to engage over email that they won’t even give us that much.

Interesting to learn all this. I’ve been having problems with a hotel billing and not getting email response- guess I really need to just call them! But oh, the time difference, such a pain.....

Update: I contacted the Gap customer service chat again today, since the 27th had passed. No problem offering either re-sent items or credit. I'm taking the re-sent items, since they're still all available.

Lesson learned - for Gap family products, use the phone or the chat, not e-mail.

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