Great Nordstroms Return Story

I recently fell over a large trial briefcase in my office and tore the

a pair of black Garfield & Marks slacks. Although I was upset....the

were way too big despite alterations and were not worth fixing given the

I bought the slacks, jacket and skirt 6 1/2 years ago at Nordstroms.
I know that G & M prides itself on the fact that the dye lots always

fact, I was told over the phone that they had two different black slacks

would likely work. Nevertheless, Nordstroms told me to bring in the old

just to make sure of the color .
I selected the pants ( 2 sizes smaller than the original ones!!) and had

altered by the store seamstress( no charge). As I was paying for the

asked the sales associate to throw my old ones away as they were of no use

me. To my surprise she said..."Do you want to return them?" She was

aware of the prior alterations and the tear in the knee, yet gave me FULL
CREDIT!!

I recently fell over a large trial briefcase in my office and tore the
knee of
a pair of black Garfield & Marks slacks. Although I was upset....the
pants
were way too big despite alterations and were not worth fixing given
the tear.
I bought the slacks, jacket and skirt 6 1/2 years ago at Nordstroms.
I know that G & M prides itself on the fact that the dye lots always
match.In
fact, I was told over the phone that they had two different black
slacks that
would likely work. Nevertheless, Nordstroms told me to bring in the
old pants
just to make sure of the color .
I selected the pants ( 2 sizes smaller than the original ones!!) and
had them
altered by the store seamstress( no charge). As I was paying for the
slacks, I
asked the sales associate to throw my old ones away as they were of no
use to
me. To my surprise she said..."Do you want to return them?" She was
well
aware of the prior alterations and the tear in the knee, yet gave me
FULL
CREDIT!!

I recently fell over a large trial briefcase in my office and tore the

altered by the store seamstress( no charge). As I was paying for the

asked the sales associate to throw my old ones away as they were of no use

me. To my surprise she said..."Do you want to return them?" She was

aware of the prior alterations and the tear in the knee, yet gave me FULL
CREDIT!!

I'll say!
If the store takes it back, let the responsibility fall on the store!
Karen
Jim Carrey for President

I hope you all feel better now that you have been able to vent about my
Nordstroms return. Let's call it quits......however, for the record, the pants
were 6 1/2 years old and not 6 years old!!!

Ironically, today I received a hand written thank you note from the SA in
appreciation for my business.

Nordstrom will take back their merchandise no matter how long ago it was
purchased. With or without the receipt. Used or unused. This is store
policy. Sometimes they even take back merchandise that was not purchased at
Nordstrom just to save the customer the "trouble" of finding out where the gift
item was purchased. I could go on, but this subject has been exhausted.
Barb

This is why I love you Karen.
My sentiments exactly. All of them.
cary

"MKUPMAVEN" <mkupma...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20041030223612.24246.00003...@mb–m02.aol.com...
I'll say!
If the store takes it back, let the responsibility fall on the store!
Karen
Jim Carrey for President

"Legal eagleview" <legaleaglev...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20041028202402.22480.00001...@mb–m06.aol.com...

That is the kind of service that makes one want to return as a shopper.
Congratulations on the weight loss.
Audrey

Actually, its the kind of story that makes me understand why their
prices are so obscenely high. A customer wears a pair of pants for
SIX years, tears them (not as a result of a product defect but as a
result of a fall), and the store gives her a full credit for the
price???? (And she takes it????)
Y'know, maybe I should start buying all of One's clothes at Nordies.
After he outgrows them (in far less than 6 years), I'll just return
them all for full credit.
And all you folks trying to lose weight? Go to Nordies and buy
yourselves an interim wardrobe. You can return it when you lose the
weight. Now you don't have to look frumpy while you lose!
Feeling grumpy.
Barbara

Actually, its the kind of story that makes me understand why their
prices are so obscenely high. A customer wears a pair of pants for
SIX years, tears them (not as a result of a product defect but as a
result of a fall), and the store gives her a full credit for the
price???? (And she takes it????)

" hopefully she
accepted it with the understanding that the higher prices she pays are what
finances this liberal return policy."
I accepted it .....happy and surprised. Period. End of story.

Excuse me....what did I do that was dishonest? In fact, I was nothing but
candid with the sales associate....she knew they had been altered and the

was ripped......no misrepresentation whatsoever!
Yes, I practice law. I am proud of my profession. I am very selective

choosing my clients.
You have no need to worry.

Excuse me....what did I do that was dishonest? In fact, I was nothing
but
candid with the sales associate....she knew they had been altered and
the knee
was ripped......no misrepresentation whatsoever!
Yes, I practice law. I am proud of my profession. I am very
selective with
choosing my clients.
You have no need to worry.

While I think the original poster
completely took advantage by accepting a free replacement for 6–year–old
merchandise, *your* merchandise would reasonably be covered by a store of
Nordstrom's calibre.

Stellar customer service is one of those ways. They
have to set themselves apart somehow.

Honestly I've never found Nordy's customer service to be stellar in any
way. Most of the times I have shopped there, I can't find anyone to
complete a sale nor assist me in finding anything. I find better
customer service at other major department stores.

OTOH, I've never tried to *return* anything there – I rarely make
returns to brick–and–mortar stores.

So much for sharing a very positive situation that occurred at a
department store.

many years but posts infrequently. Everyone reads into the situation
from his or her own point of view and experience so what was positive
and really nice for her becomes a very negative situation for others.
It's too bad because everyone likes to get up in arms when someone gets
lousy service, ripped off etc. Nordstrom does not accept hundreds of
these returns daily so for the few times it is done, it really is nice
perk for the shopper.

comparable department stores.
I am darn happy to get any type of service from department stores these
days and for me it is heartwarming to hear that a shopper has been
treated decently.

the bigger picture

Linda, I'm going to just say it. You're a big hypocrite where this is
concerned. Whenever this topic comes up, you post a harrangue about
people who actually *follow* store policy when returning an item, yet you
saw nothing wrong with yourexpectation you posted about earlier this year
that a SA should *break* store policy so you could return something
*against the store's policy*, a policy, BTW, that you hadn't taken the
time to learn about before making your purchase from the store (for the
uninformed, see earlier discussion this summer).
Feh, I say to you...

Poetic Badgers writes:
Hit a note with you, huh? I have no idea of the post you're referring

would you please post a link to it? If I had a return, it was a return

the item was defective, and I don't *care* what the store policy is if the
product is defective – the item is going back no matter what. Please

to me how this is hypocritical? Or did you lose your usual composure

you're still protecting your friend?

Excuse me....what did I do that was dishonest?

Barbara writes:
This is what the others don't seem to understand. They walk away with
short–sighted satisfaction at their return and don't realize that every
time
they buy an item at a store like this, they are paying for others who have
had
their inappropriate returns accepted. In this case, the shopper didn't
ask for
a return, but was offered it. Others have posted that this type of return
policy keeps satisfied customers – would the shopper in this case have
been
dissatisfied with only getting 6 years of wear out of a pair of pants, and
losing them because she'd ripped them in an accident? I doubt it. I
personally would not have returned the pants even with the offer from the
salesgirl. However, I don't blame someone for accepting it, but hopefully
she
accepted it with the understanding that the higher prices she pays are
what
finances this liberal return policy.
Linda

Actually, its the kind of story that makes me understand why their
prices are so obscenely high. A customer wears a pair of pants for
SIX years, tears them (not as a result of a product defect but as a
result of a fall), and the store gives her a full credit for the
price???? (And she takes it????)

Feeling grumpy.

"ahmward" <nospam.ahmw...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:<c7KdnTy68aBBTRzcRVn–...@giganews.com>...
SNIP
I selected the pants ( 2 sizes smaller than the original ones!!)
and
had them
altered by the store seamstress( no charge). As I was paying for
the
slacks, I
asked the sales associate to throw my old ones away as they were of
no
use to
me. To my surprise she said..."Do you want to return them?" She
was
well
aware of the prior alterations and the tear in the knee, yet gave
me
FULL
CREDIT!!
Actually, its the kind of story that makes me understand why their
prices are so obscenely high. A customer wears a pair of pants for
SIX years, tears them (not as a result of a product defect but as a
result of a fall), and the store gives her a full credit for the
price???? (And she takes it????)
Y'know, maybe I should start buying all of One's clothes at Nordies.
After he outgrows them (in far less than 6 years), I'll just return
them all for full credit.
And all you folks trying to lose weight? Go to Nordies and buy
yourselves an interim wardrobe. You can return it when you lose the
weight. Now you don't have to look frumpy while you lose!
Feeling grumpy.
Barbara

That is why I shop at Nordstrom.

"dsnyanne" <dsnya...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:8nSgd.86650$kz3.57...@fed1read02...
OK, now I have a question, I have some SW pumps that are nearly brand
new. I have the
box
and the receipt. They have some wear on the bottom, but I can't wear
them––they don't
fit
and I should have gone with the instinct and not bought them. Can I
return them?
Karen

Actually, its the kind of story that makes me understand why their
prices are so obscenely high.

"ahmward" <nospam.ahmw...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:<c7KdnTy68aBBTRzcRVn–...@giganews.com>...
SNIP
I selected the pants ( 2 sizes smaller than the original ones!!) and
had them
altered by the store seamstress( no charge). As I was paying for the
slacks, I
asked the sales associate to throw my old ones away as they were of no
use to
me. To my surprise she said..."Do you want to return them?" She was
well
aware of the prior alterations and the tear in the knee, yet gave me
FULL
CREDIT!!
Actually, its the kind of story that makes me understand why their
prices are so obscenely high. A customer wears a pair of pants for
SIX years, tears them (not as a result of a product defect but as a
result of a fall), and the store gives her a full credit for the
price???? (And she takes it????)
Y'know, maybe I should start buying all of One's clothes at Nordies.
After he outgrows them (in far less than 6 years), I'll just return
them all for full credit.
And all you folks trying to lose weight? Go to Nordies and buy
yourselves an interim wardrobe. You can return it when you lose the
weight. Now you don't have to look frumpy while you lose!
Feeling grumpy.
Barbara

In article <66e906fc.0410290620.280da...@posting.google.com>,
mom_2_...@hotmail.com (Barbara) wrote:
I think it's an assinine policy to accept any return no matter when it
was purchased (and if I were an investor, I'd be seriously outraged) but
I certainly couldn't blame a customer for taking the offer, unsolicited,
especially if it's corporate policy.
Stacy

I recently fell over a large trial briefcase in my office and tore the

a pair of black Garfield & Marks slacks. Although I was upset....the

were way too big despite alterations and were not worth fixing given the

I bought the slacks, jacket and skirt 6 1/2 years ago at Nordstroms.
I know that G & M prides itself on the fact that the dye lots always

fact, I was told over the phone that they had two different black slacks

would likely work. Nevertheless, Nordstroms told me to bring in the old

just to make sure of the color .
I selected the pants ( 2 sizes smaller than the original ones!!) and had

altered by the store seamstress( no charge). As I was paying for the

asked the sales associate to throw my old ones away as they were of no use

me. To my surprise she said..."Do you want to return them?" She was

aware of the prior alterations and the tear in the knee, yet gave me FULL
CREDIT!!

I recently fell over a large trial briefcase in my office and tore the knee of
a pair of black Garfield & Marks slacks. Although I was upset....the pants
were way too big despite alterations and were not worth fixing given the tear.
I bought the slacks, jacket and skirt 6 1/2 years ago at Nordstroms.
I know that G & M prides itself on the fact that the dye lots always match.In
fact, I was told over the phone that they had two different black slacks that
would likely work. Nevertheless, Nordstroms told me to bring in the old pants
just to make sure of the color .

I selected the pants ( 2 sizes smaller than the original ones!!) and had them
altered by the store seamstress( no charge). As I was paying for the slacks, I
asked the sales associate to throw my old ones away as they were of no use to
me. To my surprise she said..."Do you want to return them?" She was well
aware of the prior alterations and the tear in the knee, yet gave me FULL
CREDIT!!

That is why I shop at Nordstrom.


"Stacy Ferguson" <stac...@stacyef.net> wrote in message
news:stacyef–B85AAB.20134429102...@news.newsguy.com...

The majority of the brands at Nordstrom don't allow competitive pricing.
If
the prices are too high, it's due to the company that owns the brand not
Nordstrom. Check the price of a Kate Spade or Marc Jacobs bag at Nordstrom,
NM and Bloomingdale. They're the same. Some brands do allow markdowns, but
that isn't the same thing. Nordstrom isn't exactly high end, but this isn't
Wal–Mart or Target. Nordstrom has to come up with other ways to get
customers to shop there. Stellar customer service is one of those ways.
They
have to set themselves apart somehow.

"dsnyanne" <dsnya...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:8nSgd.86650$kz3.57...@fed1read02...
OK, now I have a question, I have some SW pumps that are nearly brand
new. I have the box
and the receipt. They have some wear on the bottom, but I can't wear
them––they don't fit
and I should have gone with the instinct and not bought them. Can I
return them? Karen

although i can't vouch for nordstrom's stellar service (with no stores in
nyc,
i've only shopped there once or twice in florida), i agree about pricing;
the
times i've been there or shopped online, i've seen that they charge
manufacturer's hangtag prices, which are the same in all the major dept
stores.
however, my one experience with an attempt to return/replace/repair a
nordy's
purchase isn't going well, so i'll ask you more–experienced users of
customer
service for advice.
last november, i was at my bro's house in fla, looking at the nordstrom
christmas mailing with my sil. i commented on a beautiful necklace (from
sorelli) and a cuff bracelet (don't know the brand) which were both
covered in
multicolored stones and enamel and while not a set, they looked gorgeous
together. she got me both pieces for christmas. while i wore the necklace
frequently, i didn't wear the cuff often because, alas, it's a bit big for
my
wrist. anyway, last week a piece of the cuff broke off out of the blue
(i.e. i
didn't catch it on anything or otherwise treat it roughly). i brought it
to my
nearest nordy's, in the garden state plaza, nj, and the salesperson told
me she
remembered the bracelet from last christmas, but they no longer carried
that
line, (although she didn't know the name of the line,) and couldn't do
anything
for me, not even recommend a place to have it repaired, unless i can get
my sil
to find her sales receipt! frankly, i was a bit surprised; it wasn't a
cheap
piece (costume jewellery, but it was in the $200 range) and i would've
hoped
for better service from a place supposedly known for customer service. i
know
sil got it from the town center mall in boca raton; should i wait til i
visit
at christmas and try to get that particular branch to help me, or is there
another way to go up the chain of command and get some help? thanks for
any
advice. i know my sil doesn't keep her receipts for 10 months, so that's
not an
option...

but
that isn't the same thing. Nordstrom isn't exactly high end, but this
isn't
Wal–Mart or Target. Nordstrom has to come up with other ways to get
customers to shop there. Stellar customer service is one of those ways.
They
have to set themselves apart somehow.
in
for
it
i
i
Michele, if you still have the bracelet, I would recommend calling the store
(or going to the on–line contact department at norstrom.com) and explaining
what happened. I think I would have asked to speak to a department manager
if the saleswoman blew me off like that. Then I would have tried phoning
"higher up" in the chain of command. While I think the original poster
completely took advantage by accepting a free replacement for 6–year–old
merchandise, *your* merchandise would reasonably be covered by a store of
Nordstrom's calibre.
Let us know what happens.
hth,
cofarb

Michele317 wrote:
Actually, its the kind of story that makes me understand why
their
prices are so obscenely high.
The majority of the brands at Nordstrom don't allow competitive
pricing.
If
the prices are too high, it's due to the company that owns the
brand not
Nordstrom. Check the price of a Kate Spade or Marc Jacobs bag at
Nordstrom,
NM and Bloomingdale. They're the same. Some brands do allow
markdowns, but
that isn't the same thing. Nordstrom isn't exactly high end, but
this isn't
Wal–Mart or Target. Nordstrom has to come up with other ways to
get
customers to shop there. Stellar customer service is one of
those
ways.
They
have to set themselves apart somehow.
although i can't vouch for nordstrom's stellar service (with no
stores in nyc, i've only shopped there once or twice in florida),
i
agree about pricing; the times i've been there or shopped online,
i've seen that they charge manufacturer's hangtag prices, which
are
the same in all the major dept stores. however, my one experience
with an attempt to return/replace/repair a nordy's purchase isn't
going well, so i'll ask you more–experienced users of customer
service for advice.
last november, i was at my bro's house in fla, looking at the
nordstrom christmas mailing with my sil. i commented on a
beautiful
necklace (from sorelli) and a cuff bracelet (don't know the
brand)
which were both covered in multicolored stones and enamel and
while
not a set, they looked gorgeous together. she got me both pieces
for
christmas. while i wore the necklace frequently, i didn't wear
the
cuff often because, alas, it's a bit big for my wrist. anyway,
last
week a piece of the cuff broke off out of the blue (i.e. i didn't
catch it on anything or otherwise treat it roughly). i brought it
to
my nearest nordy's, in the garden state plaza, nj, and the
salesperson told me she remembered the bracelet from last
christmas,
but they no longer carried that line, (although she didn't know
the
name of the line,) and couldn't do anything for me, not even
recommend a place to have it repaired, unless i can get my sil to
find her sales receipt! frankly, i was a bit surprised; it wasn't
a
cheap piece (costume jewellery, but it was in the $200 range) and
i
would've hoped for better service from a place supposedly known
for
customer service. i know sil got it from the town center mall in
boca raton; should i wait til i visit at christmas and try to get
that particular branch to help me, or is there another way to go
up
the chain of command and get some help? thanks for any advice. i
know my sil doesn't keep her receipts for 10 months, so that's
not
an option...
––
can your sister in law produce a copy of the charge bill that has
the purchase on it?
sometimes stores will take that as evidence of purchase.
VOTE!
http://www.nowpacs.org/2004/candidates/index.html

Ridiculous policies like this cost ALL of us, because the store must
charge outrageous prices for its merchandise/products to cover their
losses due to people who abuse these policies (and yes, I think the OP
abused the policy).
The cost of accepting that salesperson's offer (whether she was correct
per the parameters set for her by management or not) is passed on to ALL
other shoppers at that store. If you for one second believe that
Nordy's is eating the cost and not passing it on to you, you don't know
much about how retail *really* works. An honest person, IMO, would have
said, "No thank you, I've received good value from these pants and am
happy to replace them".
Of course, if you think it's just fine to pass on your costs (for a SIX
YEAR OLD PAIR OF PANTS????) to all the rest of us, I call you dishonest.
CV

Your point is a bit absurde.

Retail stores' markups are outrageous
regardless of what's their return policy. How do you think they're
able to offer 50% off merchandise, with an extra 15–40% off on top of
that?

If I'm to follow your reasoning then I must deduct you don't buy
markdown items either, as the "loses" the company incurs while
offering those reduced prices(same case as with the SA offering a
customer to do a return for him/her) will subsequently be made up by
marking up all their merchandise further up in the future.

Since you
think there is something wrong with that (although your implication
also had some uncalled for morality undertones) I must therefore
assume you don't buy sale items––since you're such a morally
outstanding person.

Sounds like you spend more time in church expiating your guilt, and/or
judging others, so you must not have much time to shop anyway which
makes your realworld shopping experiences somewhat limited.
––Maria

Your point is a bit absurde.

Retail stores' markups are outrageous
regardless of what's their return policy. How do you think they're
able to offer 50% off merchandise, with an extra 15–40% off on top of
that?

If I'm to follow your reasoning then I must deduct you don't buy
markdown items either, as the "loses" the company incurs while
offering those reduced prices(same case as with the SA offering a
customer to do a return for him/her) will subsequently be made up by
marking up all their merchandise further up in the future.

Since you
think there is something wrong with that (although your implication
also had some uncalled for morality undertones) I must therefore
assume you don't buy sale items––since you're such a morally
outstanding person.

Sounds like you spend more time in church expiating your guilt,

judging others, so you must not have much time to shop anyway which
makes your realworld shopping experiences somewhat limited.
––Maria