Rae found the following:Completely off-topic, but here's a new practice (?) to watch out for: when you return an order for which you used a free shipping code (and were hence not charged shipping), J. Crew subtracting the would-have-been shipping from your refund. Has happened on my most recent order, and an order placed (and returned) the same week by a good friend in a different city and state.
I am not sure if this is a new J.Crew policy, so I am curious to see if anyone else has encountered this situation with returns and using a promotion of some kind. That would be very useful information to know when making purchases online with a free shipping code and the like.
Have you recently returned an item from an online purchase that involved a free shipping promotional code? If so, did J.Crew subtract the shipping from the refund? Thank you in advance for sharing! :)
Has not happened to me, thank goodness. If it does (and I have an
ReplyDeleteorder to return that used a free shipping code) I will ask to speak with the manager. Stores cannot subtract shipping from the returned items unless the customer was informed of the policy at the time the order was made.
Are you talking about the shipping being subtracted in an in-store return? If so, that's ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteIf it's through the mail, though, I don't see what the big deal is. If you use the smart label included in the box for returns, the deduction in your return is just what you would have paid to have the item shipped back to j.crew, right? Maybe I'm missing something here...
I just went to the J.Crew website and there is no mention of that policy on the returns page.
ReplyDeleteIf it's not in writing as J.Crew policy at the time the order was made, stores cannot arbitrarily change how they process returns.
Nope. Not store purchases - internet orders. I've emailed CS and am waiting for a reply; I'll let you guys know what I hear. My other friend (not a blog reader) is also waiting for a resolution. Could be there's just someone new on staff who's messing up the returns, but just in case, I wanted to throw the question out there whether we were the only two who'd had funny math on recent returns.
ReplyDeleteRae, did you return the item in a store, or through the mail?
ReplyDeleteSince I can remember,I've always had shipping deducted from the refund of internet purchases if I return by mail, even if I have a free shipping code. That's one of the things I really hate about J Crew too! Thier sizing is so inconsistant, the least they could do is offer free return shipping if the sizing is way off. I've noticed many places are starting to do this like Boden and a lot of the online shoe companies like Endless.
ReplyDeleteI don't live anywhere near a J Crew, so nearly 100% of my items are internet purchases. It gets pretty costly to be charged $10+ to recieve something then another $6+ to ship it back because it fit crazy. Do that a couple of times a month and shipping costs alone can get frustrating to say the least.
Many times I'm ready to hit the submit button on an order, but then hold off, becasue I know if it doesn't fit, I get penalized two ways. They really hit you comming and going don't they?
Yes this just happened to me on my last internet order. Frustrating because I don't love near a JCrew, and can't try things on ahead of time, and I can't return directly to the store.
ReplyDeleteAnd there are no other big retailers that do this, that I know of.
CashmereLibrarian - are you saying they deducted the $6-7 from the smart label, AND the $5.95-$18.50 that you would have paid for outgoing shipping (from them to you) if you hadn't used a free shipping code? Or just one of those?
ReplyDeleteI think we need some clarification. Assuming that the orders are catalog/online, are the returns here being done BY MAIL or IN-STORE? Because while I order online for petite sizes my store doesn't carry, I often take returns to the B&M, and haven't come across this yet. Then again, I haven't been ordering anything at all lately, so perhaps just haven't had the opportunity to have this happen. Can anyone clarify? Are you doing returns by mail or in-store?
ReplyDeleteIf this is true, I think it is just awful! How do we know if an item will fit correctly, be true to color, etc. Not Fair to us catalog and online shoppers.
ReplyDeleteWhoa! That sounds TERRIBLE!! I would be so so so upset if they did this to me!! I'd like to know the whole story on this ... it sounds like it could cost you almost $25 to send back a sweater or dress if you got free shipping initially!
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm not understanding this correctly! With the Final Sales, plus uber-high shipping rates, along with high-minimum free-shipping codes, do they really WANT to loose all their online customers? This is CRAZY!
To clarify: this was a mail return of a website order for which I had used a free shipping code, and it appears that both the cost of the smartlabel *and* the cost of what I would have paid in original shipping were deducted from my refund. A friend across the country had the same experience with a mail return the same week (they were both processed in the last few days). I have emailed CS and am waiting for a response. In the meantime, anyone who's just done any mail returns might want to check the math...
ReplyDeleteJust checked my last return from online- I brought the items back to the store and there's no charge for the shipping, just the item+tax.
ReplyDeleteI've never had this problem myself so far, but I would also be apalled to not receive a full refund! There is no way they should be charging you for a label that is not used or for shipping you did not pay. This must be a fluke?? I sure hope so.
ReplyDeleteIf this is happening, jcrew will have a class action lawsuit on their hands. Free shipping is free shipping. If they're pulling the bait/switch on the customers, they've got a nasty lawsuit coming their way!
ReplyDeleteI sent a return back via mail, without the smart label, and there were no shipping charges deducted from my refund. I wonder if it is even legal for them to retroactively charge you for something that was offered as free at the time of purchase. Or is it a case of returning a "ride along" that makes your order below the minimum and then they can charge shipping for the remaining items. Still, that would seem fishy to me when the shipping is free for a minimum order, which was placed and met the terms of the offer.
ReplyDeleteCould it be a glitch with their system perhaps? We all know there were a lot of website issues, could be they have other software issues that are maybe not so visible. Of course we are all dying for another upgrade...
what if you order something that's still full price using the red phone? That method gives you free shipping. What happens when you return it?
ReplyDeleteI think it's wrong for them to charge the shipping when you make a return since some of JCrew items are online only.
Yikes, that is not good!
ReplyDeleteI have an off-topic question. I LOVE the Nottingham boots (here) in cognac. But I have never bought any shoes that are that expensive ($300!). Have any of you seen boots that look like that somewhere else, cheaper? (Like under 120 or so) I just feel like I would always be too worried about ruining them to wear them! All it takes is 1 puddle on the dirty NYC streets...) Thanks so much :)
How about these, meb783?
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/mex9a8
Rae,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the clarification. I thought that was what you meant from your first email. That is so sad that you got charged for the smart label (expected) AND got charged shipping even though it was initially free b/c you returned an item (unexpected). I hope this is not new policy. Will wait and see what reply you get.
I guess this would cut down on people ordering new items and then returning them- only ordering initially to find their size- and then wait for a sale...and also people that like to order more than one size to try out. Both are understandable practices with JCrew inconsistent sizing and final sale practices.
meb783, Longshot but you could try checking back on the site to see if last year's version, the Glenbrae, pops back in your size.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.jcrew.com/AST/Navigation/Sale/AllProducts/PRDOVR~95938/ENE~1+2+3+22+4294967294+20~~~0~15~all~mode+matchallany~~~~~glenbrae/95938.jsp
Or, post on the Weekly Exchange - looking to find, or check ebay for J.Crew shoes and boots.
The Nottingham is a pretty classic style, you could search for riding boots on other sites and come up with a similar style, like Molly offered.
hrm, i've never had shipping deducted when i returned at the store even when using a free shipping coupon. that would be awful if it's a new policy. i was all set to use the 10% + free ship coupon in the latest catalog (yippee!), but that's making me think twice. i wish i wasn't so in between sizes at jcrew!
ReplyDeleteMaybe they are trying to cut down on the returns of the ride along purchases that give shoppers fs. Anyway it is a poor business practice without informing the customer this is the policy.
ReplyDeleteI always take my returns back to the B&M and haven't ever experienced this. I would think that even returning through the mail you should only be deducted the price of the smart label (if you use it). I'm very interested to hear the response from CS on this one...surely it was just a mistake on their part.
ReplyDeleteI also do the majority of my shopping via online as there isn't a store near me. When I return things, it is often by mail as well. There have been many times where I have no idea how the returns were processed. I keep pretty good records of the items sent back, any coupon codes I used, etc. Sometimes the amounts will be off by a few pennies and sometimes a couple dollars. I wish JC would send you a breakdown of your return if you mail it back. I mean, you get a receipt for your return in a store so why not at least an email saying your return has been processed and here's the breakdown. I know other companies at least send you something saying they got the return.
ReplyDeleteRae, that's just awful that you were charged the retroactive initial shipping. I live close enough that I do store returns from internet purchases (OFTEN) so I don't get hit with the mail return fee. Even so, if they start the practice of taking back the promo offer like free ship or a percent off if a return makes the order total go below a minimum, that is it for me for shopping online with JC. The only reason I feel comfortable with ordering at all is the possibility of a mess, and penalty, free return on items, and that's why I steer clear as much as possible from final sale. I hope for your sake that this mess with your, and your friend's orders, gets cleared up quickly and your money is refunded promptly. For all of us, I hope this was a simple mistake and not a policy change. Too many of us HAVE to order multiples since b&ms are carrying such a limited range of sizes and total items (shoes and purses, I'm looking at you and your one angle photos on the website!!!) and a stank policy change like this will drastically change our buying patterns.
ReplyDeleteBoy oh boy, this really "het up" my blood for this early in the day! sorry!
I got a reply from CS overnight saying they'd refund the shipping fees, but I didn't get clarification of what happened. In the meantime, I'd just warn everyone doing mail returns to double-check the math on their refund. It may well be that they've adopted a policy inspired by companies like Victoria's Secret (where if you place a large order with a tiered discount and return a couple of things, you can actually end up owing them money for crossing over a tier threshold) - I don't know for sure.
ReplyDeleteI personally don't see what the fuss is about - the change is coming out of left field, but it makes sense.
ReplyDeleteSay you had to purchase $150 to get free shipping - if you return part or all of your order, and that brings you under $150, then you're no longer fulfilling the requirement to get free shipping, and J.Crew is probably entitled to charge you that amount, if they want.
J.Crew isn't the first or only company to do this. Victoria's Secret has pretty much always had this policy.
NMM, I totally agree! While I do think their shipping rates are unreasonable high, this policy does make sense and I find it to be common among mail-order companies in general.
ReplyDeleteI emailed my PS about this last night and here is the response he gave me:
ReplyDelete"When you return an item to us you are charged a small fee for using the return label. If you are returning one item, you are charge a flat fee of $5.95. If you return two or more items in the same package, you are charged a flat fee of $7.50. If you return an item from an order that you received free shipping and handling, you are not charged for the shipping on the initial order—you are only charged the return label fee. Are you near a retail store? You can return anything that you purchase with us via the catalog at one of our stores for no charge."
Hope that helps everyone!
I just returned the Lombard cardi to the b&m, purchased it using a free ship coupon. I was credited back the full amount of the cardi.
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