"Forced" shopping - SO frustrated! Rant! - YouLookFab Forum

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"Forced" shopping - SO frustrated! Rant!

Marley

Veteran

I totally blew it by impulsively buying some items from Zara 32 days ago - a cape and a dress - and since seriously beginning the purging of my wardrobe this past weekend, I looked at these items with a critical eye and realized that they weren't fab, nor did I need them (and I hadn't worn them) - so I returned them tonight - AND because it was past the 30 day return time-frame, the SA said that they could only give me store credit - which I understood - but, here's the kicker! They said that I had to use the store credit toNIGHT - AND it was 20 minutes before they were closing! I was sooooo angry and asked to speak to the manager - as it turned out, I WAS speaking to the manager! - and she wouldn't budge. So . . . I desperately started flitting around the store trying to find things to "buy." It was a nightmare - everything was soooo picked over, I couldn't find anything that I liked in my size, and since joining YLF I've become much more picky about my purchases and I kept thinking "I don't want to clutter up my closet with things that I don't love" - and I couldn't find anything that I LOVED! I finally settled on a dark blue dress, a black with white polka dotted blouse, and two tank undergarments - took them up to the counter to do the "exchange" and I was still short $34.00 - AND they wouldn't give me credit for the $34.00 - so. . . I had to run around the store again trying to find something else - I settled (and settled is the key word here) on a red fake leather belt - don't like it all that much - in fact, I'm not crazy about any of the items - what a learning experience this has been. I don't think that I will EVER impulsively shop again! Thanks to YLF, I have become a much wiser consumer - as well as much more responsible about what I buy and why - what I need, what I want - and the difference between the two!

Shopping

39 replies

Latest reply was from Katiepea

anne

Veteran

Gosh - what a bizarre experience!. What weird policy and how annoying for you

catgirl

Veteran

Good grief, Marley. My suggestion is to return everything AGAIN when you have more time, get what you really want, and then boycott!

Marley

Veteran

Una - they won't let me! They wrote all over the receipt that it was a "Final Sale" - and they must have reminded me of that half a dozen times while I was in the store flitting around looking for things - they were standing at the cash register looking at their watches and sighing because they were ready to close. It was as though they were punishing me for returning the items - they had such an attitude - I just couldn't believe it! I am furious and don't think I'll ever shop there again.

catgirl

Veteran

Okay, that is utter retail stupidity on their part. You should write a letter - if nothing else, it will give you an outlet, and someone should know about that manager. And if no one cares, there are plenty of other stores in the world!

Steph

Veteran

I would be so frustrated if I were you! What would they have done if you left the store with your original merchandise and returned with it the next day? I have to say that this is a huge advantage of living in a larger city (I'm not sure where you live)--if one store had that policy, I could always walk out and drive over to their next location and hopefully get someone more reasonable.

I know if it were me I would have felt so panicked running around the store with 20 minutes left. It's like a bad game show!

RandomThoughts (Andrea)

Veteran

Wow, that is unbelievably terrible customer service. At the very least they could have allowed you to return the following day. I would definitely write a letter to the corporate office.

AJ

Veteran

Wow, I've never heard of a timed store credit like that. How awful! I'm not good with thinking on my feet in stressful situations but I wonder what would have happened if you had asked to see this "store policy" in writing?

I agree about writing a complaint letter. I'm sorry that happened to you. Maybe you can sell the stuff on Ebay?

Ljubica

Guys, you are so lucky to be scandalized by Zara's customer service. In my neck of the woods we are lucky to have Zara, because in other stores you CANN0T return your purchases, unless you exchange it for something else. So, Zara is the first which returns money if you change your mind. The others refuse you point blank, and end of discussion. In many of them you can't even exchange it for something else after a week, no matter the receipt and the item being clearly unworn. I'm so angry and frustrated because of that!
So, it's probably because they're European and they don't 'spoil' their customers the way American retailers do. They rather punish us :(.

Astrid

Veteran

Marley, that's awful. I couldn't imagine choosing anything in such a time frame, with the sales assistants checking their watch all the time!

Ljubica, where in Europe are you? I would think this return policy from Zara strange, too! I had this skirt as a present episode just a week ago (it was from Zara). I exchanged it two times without problems, nothing with them telling me "final sale". And I could have exchanged every item in a time frame of four weeks to get my money back (or in this case, my friends money). And I would say at least two weeks for exchange are the minimum in the stores I normally frequent and often they are pretty accomodating if I want an exchange on a later date. I almost everywhere get my money back, in fact I have only had one experience where I didn't and I just got store credit (Buffalo).

Scarlet

Veteran

Wow, what a terrible experience, Marley! I would feel okay with a store credit policy if I could use it at will, but not if I had to use it on whatever was in the store at that moment. I would be totally flummoxed in that situation.
LOL at Ljubica--so true. I have seen people turned away in Germany for not having correct change!

Louise

Veteran

What a strange policy!! x

stringy

Veteran

Is that an official policy, or one the store manager made up on the spot? I'd be contacting the next level of management. If they want to refuse the exchange because it's not within 30 days, fine, but saying "you can return it but only under these ridiculous conditions" then sighing as you fulfill those conditions seems pretty crappy to me.

Theresa

(website)

Veteran

Wow Marley that sounds incredibly stressful and just plain unfair

I agree a letter would be a good idea.

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

Incredible! We do not have Zara here so I am not familiar with their policy but this sounds like a rule that manager just made up on the spot: maybe she was bored and thought that was a nice entertainment?

rute

Veteran

Did not new that rule.. but I know they don't accept devolutions after 30 days.

Zara has lovely clothes at a great price but the way they treat the client isn't that so great, it's difficult to find a sales assistance, if we ask for a number that is not displayed we'll have to wait an eternity, they have so many clients and the store is always so full...

You could have bought a leather bag, they have lovely ones

Queen Mum

Veteran

I think I'd write a letter to someone higher up and complain. The SA at the very least should have suggested you hang on to the items and come back tomorrow to do the return when you might have more than 20 minutes to shop. geesh! what an ordeal!

biscuitsmom

Veteran

That is absurd...I agree with the others about contacting corporate, although I would call rather than write a letter....

Kate

Veteran

Another vote for calling corporate. That is so completely absurd!

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I would have been too angry to shop, I would also write a letter to head office. That situation is absurd.

Jonesy

Veteran

Absolutely bizarre. I can't understand it: it sounds like they allow exchanges after 30 days (just not returns) so why did you have to shop that night?

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

That is positively outrageous customer service, Marley!!! And the "policy" sure sounds made up to me. I'm definitely another advocate for a strongly worded letter.

taylor

Veteran

Oh, how awful. I have never heard of such a thing !What a horrible store policy!

Steph

Veteran

I'm not defending the way Marley was treated at Zara, but in fairness the impression that I got from Marley's original post was that Zara has a 30 day return policy, and this was outside of the window (by only two days), and therefore the manager at the store was making an exception in giving her the store credit. But even if that's the case, it seems that if she has enough discretion to make that exception, she should have been able to let Marley shop there the next day.

Queen Mum

Veteran

Marley~ most stores have their return policy printed on the back of the receipt tape. What does it say?

Lisa

Veteran

How awful!

taylor

Veteran

I don't think the return policy was the issue with Marley here it was the "Forced Shopping"
Who ever heard a store forcing you to spend you merchandise credit right then and there...they have no expiration dates...at least any merchandise credit I have ever come across...even gift cards are very generous when it come to expiration dates. Just really a shameful policy

Queen Mum

Veteran

I was just wondering if the return policy said "30 days period" or after 30 days store credit is issued. I searched online and I'm getting the impression that they have a "30 days end of story" policy. The manager telling her that she had to spend it right there was keeping herself from having to issue store credit. It's a sucky policy if that is the case...

cloud9

Veteran

I had a similar situation with Target.. granted I *did not* have the receipt, so they issued me store credit and had to be spent on that day, *and* in the same department.

Maya

Veteran

That's the most idiotic thing I have read all day. The 30 day return policy doesn't bother me, but the running around the store like a headless chicken thing bothers me a LOT. As Steph said, if she had the authority to give you a store credit, she also has the authority to let you come back another day. She just sounds like a mean-spirited person.

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