Target
Return policy

Let me preface this by saying I had long been a HUGE fan of Target and a very loyal customer. It’s no exaggeration to say that I’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars at Target over the course of the last 15 or so years. However, the incident I am about to relate has completely changed my perception of Target and how it values (or rather doesn’t) its customers.

On April 24 I purchase a pair of Mossimo Lakisha flip-flops for my 14-year old daughter; within 2-3 days of wearing them, they broke—the stitching that holds the tong to the shoe between the toes came undone. (I don’t know exactly when they broke because she did not tell me when it first happened and taped them so she continue to wear them.) I do know that at MOST she had worn them 6 days; April 29 was the last day she could have worn them before I tried to return them—she is a member of the band at her junior high; the band was competing in the Hershey Park Music Festival Experience May 1–3, and she left for the trip the morning of April 30.

Saturday, May 2, I went to the Willowbrook, IL store to return the flip-flops; (with the receipt). The sales associate said they could not be returned because they’d been worn. I asked to see a manager; same story. She gave me an 800 number to call. Called on Saturday—was told I’d have to be referred to a “Specialist” who would not be available until Monday 6am–10pm. Called today—and was told by the “Specialist” Sandra, that the store staff are “their eyes” and if they rejected the return that’s the end of Target’s responsibility and I would have to call the manufacturer to get “warranty” service. (She also told me she would call me back with the number for the manufacturer; she did not.)

Right. Warranty service on a 12.99 pair of flip-flops. Why make me jump through all the hoops—making multiple phone calls—when you clearly have no intention of resolving this issue? Really, what was the point of giving me a number to call AND from there being referred to a “Specialist”—other than to waste my time. Why not just tell me “No. Too bad for you. We sell shoddy, poor quality merchandise and we refuse to stand behind it.”

I don’t think it’s unreasonable for me to expect footwear to last more than 6 days. (Even if my daughter HAD worn the flip flops exclusively from the day we bought them to the day I went into the store to return them—a total of 9 days— I don’t think it’s unreasonable for me to expect footwear to last at least 9 days, either. And I don’t think it’s unreasonable for me to expect that if an item I’ve purchased doesn’t last a reasonable amount of time—whether or not it’s been used— the store that sold it to me would replace it or give me a store credit.

It’s also insulting to continually be told “I’m sorry” when that is clearly not the case; if indeed anyone I spoke to at Target was actually sorry I’d been sold defective, poor quality merchandise, they would offer to remedy the situation.instead, the situation is, “We have your money and there’s nothing you can do about it. We don’t care that you’re unhappy. We’re not in this for your satisfaction, we’re in it to make money. If you get screwed in the process, that’s your problem, not ours.” No, I’m the one who is sorry. Sorry I’ve spent so much money at Target. Sorry I’ve been patronizing a store that puts so little value on customer satisfaction. Sorry I have no recourse but to write this letter, which is most likely an exercise in futility, based on the number of other complaints regarding Target’s abysmal customer service and return policy I’ve found on the Internet.

Why would I ever purchase footwear at Target again? Why would I purchase clothing at Target? The fact is, I won’t. I will stop using my Target credit card. I will make a conscious effort to shop elsewhere. It’s not the money—12.99 is not going to break me. It is the principle of the situation. I expect a store to be willing to back up the products it sells, not take my money and offer me no recourse if I actually USE the product and it turns out to be defective.

While looking for the corporate address, I came across the Target Mission Statement.

Either Target need to revisit its commitment to its stated mission, or Target needs to revise its mission to more accurately reflect its true mission: To make Target a preferred shopping destination for a constantly changing customer base by offering style without substance, in the continuous pursuit of profit, at the expense of our “guests.”

Company: Target
Country: USA
State: Illinois
City: Darien

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