My Horrible Experience with William-Sonoma

Knottie1428462207

I returned a registry gift online last November and waited at least 2 weeks for the refund. Nothing came, so I called customer service. The lady first said that a refund will be issued to the paying credit card. I told her immediately that it is the gift giver's card, not mine, so she agreed to send a gift card to my address. Nothing came till today, so I called them again this morning. The man told me that a credit had been issued to the purchasing card. They cannot do anything, and I should call the gift giver if I want to money back. I was really angry because I had asked them NOT to do it specifically on the phone. And isn't it a common sense that a gift registry return should not be disclose to the giver? 

I asked for a supervisor, the man return from the hold with the supervisor's solution: they can contact the gift giver, charge his card again, and give me a refund. Am I being unreasonable, but how is this a solution? They let my gift giver know about my return, and now they want to call him to charge him again, because I want the money back? How can a high-end retail store like William-Sonoma do something like this?

Here are some other problems I had with them. Just want to let every future bride to think twice before register with them.
1. They don't update your registry after a gift is purchased. I had to call them to manually update the list.
2. Because of no.1, I received 2 sauce pots, and that's why I had to make the return.
3. I made 2 returns in total. In both cases, I didn't receive any refund 2 weeks after the items were delivered (indicated by UPS). I had to call them both times, to ask for the refund. First time they send me a gift card, second time was when the disaster happened.

Let me know if you have similar experience. Hope this helps all other brides!
AJ

LondonLisa

Knottie1428462207 said:

I returned a registry gift last November and waited at least 2 weeks for the refund. Nothing came, so I called customer service. The lady first said that a refund will be issued to the paying credit card. I told her immediately that it is the gift giver's card, not mine, so she agreed to send a gift card to my address. Nothing came again, so I called them again. The man told me that a credit had been issued to the purchasing card. They cannot do anything, and I should call the gift giver if I want to money back. I was really angry because I had asked them NOT to do it specifically. And isn't it a common sense that a gift registry return should not be disclose to the giver? 

I asked for a supervisor, the man return from the hold with the supervisor's solution: they can contact the gift giver, charge his card again, and give me a refund. Am I being unreasonable, but how is this a solution? They let my gift giver know about my return, and now they want to call him to charge him again, because I want money back? How can a high-end retail store like William-Sonoma do something like this?

Here are some other problems I had with them. Just want to let every future bride to think twice before register with them.
1. They don't update your registry after a gift is purchased. I had to call them to manually update the list.
2. Because of no.1, I received 2 sauce pots, and that's why I had to make the return.
3. I made 2 returns in total. In both cases, I didn't receive any refund 2 weeks after the items were delivered (indicated by UPS). I had to call them both times, to ask for the refund. First time they send me a gift card, second time was when the disaster happened.

Let me know if you have similar experience. Hope this helps all other brides!
AJ

How did you leave it at the store when you returned it? Did they say they would mail you a gift card? Did you return it by post?

Honestly, this is a common problem of returning registry gifts regardless of the store. I get that it is their mistake, but lurkers, if you return anything, make sure it is clear for store credit. Because of how most stores work now, the default is to just refund the purchased card. 

Knottie1428462207

I returned it online and mailed the item back. There is no options for me to choose the form of refund. And I did call them to ask for a gift card. 

Maggie0829

LondonLisa said:

show previous quotes

Knottie1428462207 said:

I returned a registry gift last November and waited at least 2 weeks for the refund. Nothing came, so I called customer service. The lady first said that a refund will be issued to the paying credit card. I told her immediately that it is the gift giver's card, not mine, so she agreed to send a gift card to my address. Nothing came again, so I called them again. The man told me that a credit had been issued to the purchasing card. They cannot do anything, and I should call the gift giver if I want to money back. I was really angry because I had asked them NOT to do it specifically. And isn't it a common sense that a gift registry return should not be disclose to the giver? 

I asked for a supervisor, the man return from the hold with the supervisor's solution: they can contact the gift giver, charge his card again, and give me a refund. Am I being unreasonable, but how is this a solution? They let my gift giver know about my return, and now they want to call him to charge him again, because I want money back? How can a high-end retail store like William-Sonoma do something like this?

Here are some other problems I had with them. Just want to let every future bride to think twice before register with them.
1. They don't update your registry after a gift is purchased. I had to call them to manually update the list.
2. Because of no.1, I received 2 sauce pots, and that's why I had to make the return.
3. I made 2 returns in total. In both cases, I didn't receive any refund 2 weeks after the items were delivered (indicated by UPS). I had to call them both times, to ask for the refund. First time they send me a gift card, second time was when the disaster happened.

Let me know if you have similar experience. Hope this helps all other brides!
AJ

How did you leave it at the store when you returned it? Did they say they would mail you a gift card? Did you return it by post?

Honestly, this is a common problem of returning registry gifts regardless of the store. I get that it is their mistake, but lurkers, if you return anything, make sure it is clear for store credit. Because of how most stores work now, the default is to just refund the purchased card. 

This.  I am assuming you had to physically return the gift to the store.  Generally stores will issue you a store credit on one of their gift cards at the time of return.  So it leads me to believe that either you didn't understand what they were saying at the time of return (ie: it will take 2 weeks for the return to post to your card) or there was some major communication issues going on.

Knottie1428462207

No. I returned it online. Two times. And when I called, I made it very clear that no refund should go back to my gift giver.

Maggie0829 said:

show previous quotes

LondonLisa said:

Knottie1428462207 said:

I returned a registry gift last November and waited at least 2 weeks for the refund. Nothing came, so I called customer service. The lady first said that a refund will be issued to the paying credit card. I told her immediately that it is the gift giver's card, not mine, so she agreed to send a gift card to my address. Nothing came again, so I called them again. The man told me that a credit had been issued to the purchasing card. They cannot do anything, and I should call the gift giver if I want to money back. I was really angry because I had asked them NOT to do it specifically. And isn't it a common sense that a gift registry return should not be disclose to the giver? 

I asked for a supervisor, the man return from the hold with the supervisor's solution: they can contact the gift giver, charge his card again, and give me a refund. Am I being unreasonable, but how is this a solution? They let my gift giver know about my return, and now they want to call him to charge him again, because I want money back? How can a high-end retail store like William-Sonoma do something like this?

Here are some other problems I had with them. Just want to let every future bride to think twice before register with them.
1. They don't update your registry after a gift is purchased. I had to call them to manually update the list.
2. Because of no.1, I received 2 sauce pots, and that's why I had to make the return.
3. I made 2 returns in total. In both cases, I didn't receive any refund 2 weeks after the items were delivered (indicated by UPS). I had to call them both times, to ask for the refund. First time they send me a gift card, second time was when the disaster happened.

Let me know if you have similar experience. Hope this helps all other brides!
AJ

How did you leave it at the store when you returned it? Did they say they would mail you a gift card? Did you return it by post?

Honestly, this is a common problem of returning registry gifts regardless of the store. I get that it is their mistake, but lurkers, if you return anything, make sure it is clear for store credit. Because of how most stores work now, the default is to just refund the purchased card. 

This.  I am assuming you had to physically return the gift to the store.  Generally stores will issue you a store credit on one of their gift cards at the time of return.  So it leads me to believe that either you didn't understand what they were saying at the time of return (ie: it will take 2 weeks for the return to post to your card) or there was some major communication issues going on.

kimmiinthemitten

That's frustrating. I would be upset too; you don't want to offend the gift giver and now they're aware of the return and you are less whatever you planned on exchanging it for. Can't lie; I'd be pissed too!

Note to self: return gifts in person!

MyNameIsNot

I can understand the frustration, but I don't think this is unique or even surprising. In light of the number of people that register and then try to return everything for cash/GCs, it's typical that stores would have a credit card refund as the default return. Since it really was a duplicate, I'm not sure why you'd be embarrassed for the giver to find out that you'd made the return.

I do find it surprising that you'd return by mail instead of going to a store and talking to someone. Since you're doing something outside of the ordinary, opting to talk to a human seems like the best route. 

Knottie1428462207

MyNameIsNot said:

I can understand the frustration, but I don't think this is unique or even surprising. In light of the number of people that register and then try to return everything for cash/GCs, it's typical that stores would have a credit card refund as the default return. Since it really was a duplicate, I'm not sure why you'd be embarrassed for the giver to find out that you'd made the return.

I do find it surprising that you'd return by mail instead of going to a store and talking to someone. Since you're doing something outside of the ordinary, opting to talk to a human seems like the best route. 

I don't think returning an item online is out of the ordinary. People shop and return online all the time nowadays. And William-Sonoma have the online return system. Are you suggesting that people should not use it?

Yes, now I know that return the gift in person would be a better choice for me to better cover my basis. But it doesn't make excuse for the company. Also, I called and talked to a real person to ask for a gift card. Don't forget about that.

Knottie1428462207

scribe95 said:

Heck, no one can have enough sauce pans. I would have just kept it!

Yes, I know! Lol.

Knottie1428462207

Agree with your note. I am angry, but more importantly, I want people to learn from my experience and make decision on their own.

kimmiinthemitten said:

That's frustrating. I would be upset too; you don't want to offend the gift giver and now they're aware of the return and you are less whatever you planned on exchanging it for. Can't lie; I'd be pissed too! Note to self: return gifts in person!

MyNameIsNot

Knottie1428462207 said:

show previous quotes

MyNameIsNot said:

I can understand the frustration, but I don't think this is unique or even surprising. In light of the number of people that register and then try to return everything for cash/GCs, it's typical that stores would have a credit card refund as the default return. Since it really was a duplicate, I'm not sure why you'd be embarrassed for the giver to find out that you'd made the return.

I do find it surprising that you'd return by mail instead of going to a store and talking to someone. Since you're doing something outside of the ordinary, opting to talk to a human seems like the best route. 

I don't think returning an item online is out of the ordinary. People shop and return online all the time nowadays. And William-Sonoma have the online return system. Are you suggesting that people should not use it?

Yes, now I know that return the gift in person would be a better choice for me to better cover my basis. But it doesn't make excuse for the company. Also, I called and talked to a real person to ask for a gift card. Don't forget about that.

I am suggesting that if you want to do something out of the ordinary, physically going into a store and having a human process your return in person is a wise move.

I seriously doubt this is unique to W-S. Most companies process returns for credit card purchases by crediting the credit card. I get that you're upset, but you'd likely be in the same position if you'd registered with Macy's or C-B. 

Knottie1428462207

MyNameIsNot said:

show previous quotes

Knottie1428462207 said:

MyNameIsNot said:

I can understand the frustration, but I don't think this is unique or even surprising. In light of the number of people that register and then try to return everything for cash/GCs, it's typical that stores would have a credit card refund as the default return. Since it really was a duplicate, I'm not sure why you'd be embarrassed for the giver to find out that you'd made the return.

I do find it surprising that you'd return by mail instead of going to a store and talking to someone. Since you're doing something outside of the ordinary, opting to talk to a human seems like the best route. 

I don't think returning an item online is out of the ordinary. People shop and return online all the time nowadays. And William-Sonoma have the online return system. Are you suggesting that people should not use it?

Yes, now I know that return the gift in person would be a better choice for me to better cover my basis. But it doesn't make excuse for the company. Also, I called and talked to a real person to ask for a gift card. Don't forget about that.

I am suggesting that if you want to do something out of the ordinary, physically going into a store and having a human process your return in person is a wise move.

I seriously doubt this is unique to W-S. Most companies process returns for credit card purchases by crediting the credit card. I get that you're upset, but you'd likely be in the same position if you'd registered with Macy's or C-B. 

I also registered with Amazon, but my returns with them are all credited back to me in the forms of gift card.
Also, my first return to William-Sonoma was refunded to me with a gift card. So, I don't know why it is different during the second time.

Also, which part do you suggest to be out of the ordinary? Return a duplicated gift item? Or return something online? I don't quite understand.

levioosa

I get your frustration, but I have had nothing but positive experiences with Williams-Sonoma.  When returning an item, the money usually goes to the credit card that purchased it.  Many stores won't even let you return an item without an ID and the card that purchased the gift.  Physically going to the store would probably have avoided all of the confusion.  

TrixieJess

Knottie1428462207 said:

I returned a registry gift online last November and waited at least 2 weeks for the refund. Nothing came, so I called customer service. The lady first said that a refund will be issued to the paying credit card. I told her immediately that it is the gift giver's card, not mine, so she agreed to send a gift card to my address. Nothing came till today, so I called them again this morning. The man told me that a credit had been issued to the purchasing card. They cannot do anything, and I should call the gift giver if I want to money back. I was really angry because I had asked them NOT to do it specifically on the phone. And isn't it a common sense that a gift registry return should not be disclose to the giver? 

I asked for a supervisor, the man return from the hold with the supervisor's solution: they can contact the gift giver, charge his card again, and give me a refund. Am I being unreasonable, but how is this a solution? They let my gift giver know about my return, and now they want to call him to charge him again, because I want the money back? How can a high-end retail store like William-Sonoma do something like this?

Here are some other problems I had with them. Just want to let every future bride to think twice before register with them.
1. They don't update your registry after a gift is purchased. I had to call them to manually update the list.
2. Because of no.1, I received 2 sauce pots, and that's why I had to make the return.
3. I made 2 returns in total. In both cases, I didn't receive any refund 2 weeks after the items were delivered (indicated by UPS). I had to call them both times, to ask for the refund. First time they send me a gift card, second time was when the disaster happened.

Let me know if you have similar experience. Hope this helps all other brides!
AJ

I don't know how Williams-Sonama works, but whenever I have purchased items off of registries previously, I have to let the salesperson know so they can take it off the registry. I also know that it can take 24 hours for registries to update and sometimes that can result in duplicates (this happened at my baby shower).

Normally, you also need to return things in store for credit and if you do it online, it goes back on the purchasing credit or debit card.

MyNameIsNot

Knottie1428462207 said:

show previous quotes

MyNameIsNot said:

Knottie1428462207 said:

MyNameIsNot said:

I can understand the frustration, but I don't think this is unique or even surprising. In light of the number of people that register and then try to return everything for cash/GCs, it's typical that stores would have a credit card refund as the default return. Since it really was a duplicate, I'm not sure why you'd be embarrassed for the giver to find out that you'd made the return.

I do find it surprising that you'd return by mail instead of going to a store and talking to someone. Since you're doing something outside of the ordinary, opting to talk to a human seems like the best route. 

I don't think returning an item online is out of the ordinary. People shop and return online all the time nowadays. And William-Sonoma have the online return system. Are you suggesting that people should not use it?

Yes, now I know that return the gift in person would be a better choice for me to better cover my basis. But it doesn't make excuse for the company. Also, I called and talked to a real person to ask for a gift card. Don't forget about that.

I am suggesting that if you want to do something out of the ordinary, physically going into a store and having a human process your return in person is a wise move.

I seriously doubt this is unique to W-S. Most companies process returns for credit card purchases by crediting the credit card. I get that you're upset, but you'd likely be in the same position if you'd registered with Macy's or C-B. 

I also registered with Amazon, but my returns with them are all credited back to me in the forms of gift card.
Also, my first return to William-Sonoma was refunded to me with a gift card. So, I don't know why it is different during the second time.

Also, which part do you suggest to be out of the ordinary? Return a duplicated gift item? Or return something online? I don't quite understand.

Returning something and requesting the refund in a method other than a credit back to the original payment method is out of the ordinary.

It feels like you are being deliberately obtuse. I don't understand why. 

lyndausvi

I'm wondering if someone bought the pot not via the registry.   That would explain why it wasn't showing as bought in your registry.    

That might also explain why your first return you were giving a GC.  The item might have been tagged as a gift via your registry.   If the pot wasn't showing as a registry gift, the default might be the original payment method.

Sorry for the issues, but I agree that in person would have been a better avenue to return the item in person.   Returning something and requesting a credit different from the payment method is not the norm.   

Plus online returns go to some huge warehouses. Then some data entry person is just through the motions to return, credit, exchange the item.

    If there was no place to check form of credit, then I'm sure the default is the original payment method.    The breakdown could have been with the CS agent who took your call.  Maybe they didn't flag it correctly.  Could be the returns agent not reading the profile correctly.    There are some many people involved it's not surprising there was a breakdown.