Lord & Taylor is DOUBLE CHARGING ME $1,459.68! I used my debit card to place 2 orders on November 13,2020. Since my debit card was used, the transaction costs were immediately (and correctly) debited from my Checking Account. Order 1 ($416.12) had a total of 6 items. Order 2 ($210.32) The following day after I checked out online, Lord & Taylor sent 6 different email notifications stating that PART of my order was being shipped. Each email included a photo and the price of the was being shipped, the total order cost was quoted at the bottom of the message. I noticed that each time I received an email, a corresponding DEBIT appeared in my checking account! The new charge wasn't for the cost of the item being shipped, they charged the REDUCED BALANCE after the cost of the item had been removed from the original balance.
For clarification: Order #1 is $462.12. On 11/14 at 2:02 PM I get 1 of 6 emails stating that they shipped a dress (RACHEL Rachel Roy Marcella Floral-Print Sheath Dress Black Combo: $59.50). I receive an alert from my bank Re: a charge to my debit card for for $399.05 ( = cost of dress + tax from the shipping state). THEY CHARGED AN ADDITIONAL $399.05 TO MY CHECKING ACCOUNT. The same day at 4:15PM I receive 2 of 6 emails about a partial shipment: Dress The Population Liza Sequined Slit-Sleeve A-Line Dress: $49.60. My debit card was charged -346.47 (the balance after the cost of the dress + tax from the shipping state. I get another message (3 of 6 emails) at 4:37 PM: Partial shipment of Tadashi Shoji Sequin-Embellished V-Neck Gown &97.00. That follows with an alert text from my bank that a debit charge for $243.65 was posted to my checking account (the balance of my original purchase after the cost of $97 + tax was deducted). I logged in to my Lord & Taylor account to check my order history. I only saw the 2 orders that I had placed the night before. I suspected that my debit card had been compromised. I called my bank to ask about this. While I was on the phone with my bank, at 718PM, I receive ANOTHER email message (4 of 6 emails) Re: partial shipment of RACHEL Rachel Roy Lynette Off-The-Shoulder Sheath Dress $55.60. That follows w/ a text alert from my bank re: another debit charge of $188.05 (the balance after the cost of the dress has been deducted from my original purchase of $462.12).
THEN, at 7:35 PM, I receive another partial shipment notice (5 of 6 emails) regarding Order #2 (which originally cost $210.32 - Paid on November 13th): Tahari Arthur S. Levine Long-Sleeve Velvet Jacket ($63.60) - followed by a text alert from my bank re: a debit charge for $142.90. At 7:49PM I receive the 6th partial shipment email notice (also for Order #2) stating that Tahari Arthur S. Levine Velvet Slim Pants ($35.60) were shipped - followed w/ a text alert from my bank that a debit charge of $105.16 was posted to my checking account. THE TOTAL N-E-W CHARGES TO ON MY DEBIT CARD = $1,459.68 (American Dollars)!
Oh, and THAT'S NOT ALL! Last month I placed 2 orders on October 24,2020 and another order on October 31,2020. THE SAME THING HAPPENED WITH THOSE ORDERS TOO, however my bank ALSO suspected fraud and closed my previous debit card to prevent additional purchases. NOW that I've figured out what they're doing, I will have my bank go back and force Lord & Taylor to Restore the $3,560.55 of BOGUS duplicate charges for those transactions as well!
What the Hell is Going On with their accounting department? THESE charges are ON TOP of my original expense of $462.12 (for Order #1) and $210.32 (for Order #2) which were BOTH PAID IN FULL on Friday, November 13,2020. In the fine print of the Lord & Taylor email communications the fine print states: "If you have any questions regarding your order, please reply to this email or contact
Customer service from 7am - 2am EST, 7 days a week, at *******440." Of course after receiving the first message, I immediately called the phone number, to receive the recording" Thank you for calling Lord & Taylor. We are CLOSED. Normal business hours are Monday - Friday..." This time, I asked my bank not to close my current debit card until after I reach someone at Lord & Taylor customer service and/or their Billing department.
I understand what's happening. All of the additional charges that were posted, are adjustments that should NEVER have posted to my debit card. The adjustments should only have remained on their back end accounting - NOT on my debit card. Just think, if I had used my Credit Card, I never would have seen the charges until the following month - after my credit card statement had been issued!
It's no wonder they're going out of business - but they better GIVE BACK MY MONDAY before that store closes for good! DON'T SHOP HERE. IF YOU MADE AN ONLINE PURCHASE, CHECK YOUR ACCOUNT STATEMENTS!
Returned item Dec 6th using provided label
It's Jan 7th today and no refund
Customer Service not following through after calling three times
In summary:
Lord and Taylor is by far the most frustrating and unreliable company I have ever had to deal with. Im used to companies like Nordstrom and Zappos, with quick, impeccable customer service, and policies that do everything they can to ensure your shopping experience is a pleasant one. It took me 8 emails and 2 phone calls for my situation to be fully addressed, and I am still waiting for it to be resolved ten days after my first attempt. For being the oldest luxury department store in the U.S., I expected much more than this.
Although the multiple customer care representatives I spoke with were polite and tried to help, it seemed like they were simply offering scripted replies because there wasnt much they could do. Ive worked in retail and customer service for 3+ years so I know what its like to have no control over corporate policy. I dont have any problems with the individuals I spoke with, but it was a constant struggle to get the company to even acknowledge that anything was wrong.
Apparently, Lord and Taylors website doesnt update in real time, so there is always a possibility that all or part of an order gets cancelled. How is this business still functioning? I have never once run into this issue anywhere else in all my years of shopping online. On top of that, the company either cannot or does not credit money back to the account in a timely manner, which is simply unbelievable. Two or three days I understand, but ten and counting? Every step of getting my money back for a situation out of my control has been a hurdle that apparently requires 3-5 business days to investigate, and 3-5 more business days for the money to make it into my account.
I am fortunate that I have both the time to deal with this ridiculous situation, and that I am not in financial need of the money right away. I cant even imagine how much more stressful and absurd this would be if that werent the case. This whole ordeal has left me in furious disbelief at the deceit and manipulation of this well-known company. Needless to say, I will absolutely not be doing business with Lord and Taylor in the future.
Full account:
I ordered two pairs of shoes in the same style and different sizes, and it seemed like everything was fine until I opened the package and saw only one pair. The invoice stated that one of the sizes was Cancelled - Out of Stock. I thought it was strange and mildly irritating that there was no prior communication about the shoes being out of stock, nor was there a credit back to my account after I was charged for something that was unavailable. But I chalked it up to an oversight and figured it would be a pretty easy fix for an understandable situation.
When I emailed Lord and Taylor about this mistake, I was first told the shoes had been delivered, and I had to respond saying that, yes, I did receive a package, but with only half of my order. I included a photo of the invoice and order with this message, only to be told again that both pairs were shown as being delivered, and to wait two more days to see if the other pair showed up before contacting customer service. Again I gave the company the benefit of the doubt, even though it seemed pretty obvious to me that I would not be receiving an item that was cancelled and out of stock.
Lo and behold, two days passed and nothing turned up on my doorstep. Five days after my initial attempt, Lord and Taylor finally submitted a case for review that would take 5-7 business days to receive. After waiting two days, I called customer service to check on its status, and also see if I could get a complimentary return label for the pair of shoes I did receive (too small). I was so tired of dealing with this company and its lack of initiative in resolving my issues. I had stated that I wished to return them in my very first message, and while the representative was pleasantly agreeable and sent me a label, it seems like a minor courtesy that Lord and Taylor should have offered at the onset as a mark of good customer service, and for all the inconvenience that stemmed from their mistake.
I thought that was the end of it, but I REALLY wanted these shoes, and noticed soon after that they were shown as available online in the exact size and color that I ordered and never received. So I called customer service once again to see if they could somehow just send me this pair and forget about the case/refund. I knew it was a lot to ask and was disappointed but not too surprised when I was told I would have to place another order. I placed an order with the representative but was understandably concerned that it would get cancelled yet again. It was only after I expressed my exasperation with my experience and pressed the representative that she admitted that, yes, that could very well happen. Apparently, because Lord and Taylors website isnt updated in real time, there is essentially no guarantee that a customer will get what they actually ordered. (Truly astonishing. Other online retailers seem to managing the impossible.) However, the representative assured me that if that were to happen, my card would not be charged for the cancelled order - which was comforting, but unfortunately, that wasnt the case with my original purchase.
Two days after I placed this new order, I received an email saying it was cancelled. Honestly, I expected it at this point. Ten days have passed since I sent my first message, and I am still waiting for a refund for a product I never received. I plan on keeping a copy of my invoice when I send in the shoes for return because I wouldnt put it past this company to dismiss my case or pretend like it never happened. Get it together, Lord and Taylor.
Quality you can count on, great customer service.