$0.01 Wedding Dress-Nordstrom refused to honor it

nncarter1 · May 2012

A couple of weeks ago, I posted information about a wedding dress I found on Nordstrom.com for $0.01. Today, I checked my order, there was no history of it on their site. When I contacted customer service. They informed me they try hard to ensure accurate pricing; however, their policy is in the event that a price is higher than what it is marked, they will cancel the order and inform the purchaser. Two weeks went by and I learned today after contacting them regarding the missing purchase history, that the order was cancelled. I was then informed that I could pay $470 to purchase the dress and they were really "sorry". This seems like a pretty crappy customer service policy. I will never shop with them again. Granted, a dress for $0.01is a definite mistake but it seems the consumer pays for the companies mistake. I will never shop there again. The search for a gown continues!!!
Thanks for your support!

QueerFemme · May 2012

Ohhhhhhhhhh I remember that post. I was curious how it was going to turn out. Honestly, I would call them back and ask for a manager. I mean, a penny was a lot to hope for... but, they should have at least given you a MAJOR discount because of their error.

snr1 · May 2012

I read an article about this happening to a woman in the store and they did honor the price.
http://www.hercampus.com/staff-blog/story-one-cent-wedding-dress-could-be-yours

nncarter1 · May 2012

I read the article as well which gave me greater hope that it would be honored. Even WalMart honors their mistake. I sent a lengthy email to their customer service and corporate offices. I will keep all informed of how it all turns out.

Thank you again!!!

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_001-wedding-dress-nordstrom-refused-to-honor-it?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:af752dce-a0fe-4eb7-94e5-30e61e3692d8Post:9d2b6cdb-6e2b-4da5-a24f-9362ec8aa4e5">Re: $0.01 Wedding Dress-Nordstrom refused to honor it</a>:
[QUOTE]I read an article about this happening to a woman in the store and they did honor the price. <a href="http://www.hercampus.com/staff-blog/story-one-cent-wedding-dress-could-be-yours" rel="nofollow">http://www.hercampus.com/staff-blog/story-one-cent-wedding-dress-could-be-yours</a>
Posted by snr1[/QUOTE]

nncarter1 · May 2012

I agree, I mean a penny is reaching but it was their mistake. I can totally understand if they contacted me immediately to resolve the issue; but they waited nearly two weeks before the order was cancelled and never informed me of cancellation. Bad business move on their part. I will keep you informed of the outcome. Not ready to give up!

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_001-wedding-dress-nordstrom-refused-to-honor-it?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:af752dce-a0fe-4eb7-94e5-30e61e3692d8Post:42425a5d-f368-4f15-9d25-8b847c1ca94e">Re: $0.01 Wedding Dress-Nordstrom refused to honor it</a>:
[QUOTE]Ohhhhhhhhhh I remember that post. I was curious how it was going to turn out. Honestly, I would call them back and ask for a manager. I mean, a penny was a lot to hope for... but, they should have at least given you a MAJOR discount because of their error.
Posted by cmgilpin[/QUOTE]

JoeAnne2013 · May 2012

I remember your post! That is seriously crappy customer service, they should have honored it!

ambeth619 · May 2012

You shouldn't have to suffer because of their pricing problem!! That "accident" should have been a lesson to the person who posted the dress at the wrong price! I HATE when companies make the customer suffer because of someone else's mistake!!

christinamarie325 · May 2012

I used to work for Macy's. When we range up merchandise and it came up as a penney, it meant that it was old merchandise that we didn't stock anymore. Usually customer's couldn't see this price because the self scanners would say "see sales associate"

The best we could do was sell it at the lowest price on the tag. I'm guessing this was a similar issue with Nordstrom. They should have at least sold it at a discount rate!

dewingedpixie · May 2012

I'd do some legal hunting if I were you. I believe that legally they have to sell at the rate posted.

AmJam04 · May 2012

I used to work at Norstrom. Items that were sold for .01 definitely found their way onto the normal-priced sales floor, and we were always instructed to honor the price for which it showed.
(Typically .01 items were headed for Norstrom's "Last Chance" store, which there are only 2 of ((I think)) in the country.)

So I encourage you to fight with corporate because .01 pricing is actually not a pricing "mistake" per se, and you definitely should be honored the price which you were expecting to pay. If not, you can consider going to the BBB, or even to your state's government (I can't remember which sector) to learn what action you can take for false advertising.

weddingmuse · May 2012

Nordstrom is headquartered in Washington State, where the Office of the Attorney General provides services for consumer complaints http://www.atg.wa.gov/FileAComplaint.aspx

I work retail, and as I understand it, a retailer is obligated to sell an item at the advertised price.

It's worth checking into it.

GL

skippylouwho · May 2012

At the Macy's where I work part-time, if a price comes up .01 it is an out-of-season item that should have been removed from the sales floor but somehow was missed. If a customer wants to purchase it we enter the original price, discount it by 75% and sell it to them. The customer never sees the .01 when they scan the price, what they see is either the message to see a sales associate or they don't get anything at all on the self-scanner screen.

If the customer doesn't want it or if we discover items rining up at .01, we remove it from the floor.

rojacobs · May 2012

I agree with PPs, try again! Nordstrom is usually known for amazing customer service, I think you just need to talk to someone different. They have taken back items that I held onto for years with the tags still on, and gave me a full refund.

snr1 · May 2012

Did you take a screen shot of the price or anything? I think the issue is that it was online and not a physical price tag.

Kamakanani · May 2012

Also, a note from the relm of e-commerce. If their standard customer service isn't doing anything to help resolve this for you, try utilizing the review tool on that product with a very low review (1 star or something) and a brief summary of your experience. This usually helps bring your issue to a manager's attention.

QueerFemme · May 2012

Hopefully, you have a printed receipt or email confirming your purchase. I would absolutely call or go to the store concierge and talk to them. I really think if you raise enough of a stink... they will give you the dress at the penny... or at the very least... like 75-80% off.

msuprincess04 · May 2012

Definitely call and speak to a manager. Go higher and higher as necessary. Forward a copy of your recipt. Fight this. With a little elbow grease, you should win. If not, well, you only lost a little time.

However, it is on their website: http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/pricing-policy

Pricing Errors

We work hard to ensure the accuracy of pricing. Despite our efforts, pricing errors may still occur. If an item's price is higher than the price displayed, we will cancel your order of that item and notify you of the cancellation.

cwaggoner07 · May 2012

I may get a lot of hate, and yeah, you should be offered a hefty discount, but they made an honest mistake. I have never worked in retail, so I'm not biased BUT you can't be indignant that they won't honor this. If you were the store, you wouldn't want to.
Crossing your fingers to benefit off someone else's mistake just seems kind of strange to me.

kd.joseph · May 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_001-wedding-dress-nordstrom-refused-to-honor-it?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:af752dce-a0fe-4eb7-94e5-30e61e3692d8Post:929dadd2-4dae-480f-8e8f-047cb4aa7b4b">Re: $0.01 Wedding Dress-Nordstrom refused to honor it</a>:
[QUOTE]I may get a lot of hate, and yeah, you should be offered a hefty discount, but they made an honest mistake. I have never worked in retail, so I'm not biased BUT you can't be indignant that they won't honor this. If you were the store, you wouldn't want to.<strong> Crossing your fingers to benefit off someone else's mistake just seems kind of strange to me.
</strong>Posted by cwaggoner07[/QUOTE]

This! I'm so glad I'm not the minority here. It was mistake, this dress was obviously not .01, so to try and benefit from an honest mistake is tacky.

Should they have contacted you and offered you a discount, yes probably. But, you knew this was a mistake, so to expect a different outcome is ridiculous.

sbelle85 · May 2012

They should have notified you when they cancelled the order, but I don't think you should get the dress for $.01

It's not like they're forcing you to pay the actual price for it. If they had charged your credit card for the correct amount, that would have been a problem. This was an honest mistake with NO consequence to you. They simply told you that there had been a mistake (which is true - it was clearly never intended that the dress would be listed at $.01) informed you of the correct price, and asked if you'd still like to purchase it. You declined. I don't think you should expect to get it for nothing.

nncarter1 · May 2012

My biggest issue was I received a confirmation for the amount and the order remained in effect for 8 days. When I checked on the 8th day, it was deleted from the system. I actually had to call them to check the status. It's not only that they didn't honor it, they allowed it to be in process for over a week, deleted it and didn't bother to contact me. If they would have called me within a couple days, explained the mistake, apologized and offered a slight discount for my troubles, I would have been more than happy. Heck, even WalMart honors their prices.
I did receive a resolution as there were many other factors involved in the process including: The lack of response when they noticed the mistake (they actually pulled the dress 2 hours after I ordered it and didn't contact me or cancel my order); allowing it to process, sending confirmation, and charging my cc the authorization; allowing it to remain in process for a week, ultimately misleading the customer; deleting the order from my acount and not contacting me (I learned of it when I went to check the status of shipping); copying and pasting a policy when I made contact and insisting I pay the original dress price.
I sent customer service and, after some major research, the CEO and his brothers an email as the shock of finding such a deal was shared with others and has a greater impact than the consumer. I actually received a phone call last night around 8pm from one of the Mr. Nordstrom's. I will receive my dress tomorrow FREE OF CHARGE!

RebeccaTho · May 2012

Woow, that's great result. Congrats on the FREE dress ;-)

Getting2Vowels · May 2012

What a great story, sad that you had to go through all that trouble but I commend you on your willingness to "keep on keepin on!! Congrats on your find!!!

$0.01 Wedding Dress-Nordstrom refused to honor it

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