When Debra placed an online order from Victoria’s Secret and then returned everything unworn, she didn’t know that she would have to pay an underpants rental fee. She returned merchandise that she had paid $114.16 for, and received $96.69 back. Was that a shipping charge? No, Debra paid to ship the items back herself. Did the items go on sale and she didn’t have a receipt? No, that wasn’t it either. She bought them during a “$15 off a $100 purchase” promotion, and Vicky’s kept the $15 discount that they had given her. Huh?

She writes:

I made an online purchase of bland undies from VS. It added up to enough to get me a discount. I ended up returning EVERYTHING – paying for the shipping myself. This is from VC:

“According to our records, the original order had a special offer of $15.00 off an order of $100.00 or more. When the merchandise was returned, your order fell below the dollar amount required to maintain this discount. Therefore, the $15.00 special offer was deducted from your refund amount.”

Meaning I paid over $17 ($15 plus tax) for the privilege of returning the whole order.

“That cannot possibly be right,” we said, and wrote back for clarification. Indeed, it was right. Debra forwarded the detailed explanation that she got from the retailer when she first complained about their keeping her $15.

Hi Debra,
Thanks, so much, for taking the time to get in touch with us. I understand you are concerned about the refund we issued you for your return. It is my privilege to personally assist you with your inquiry.

According to our records, the original order had a special offer of $15.00 off an order of $100.00 or more. When the merchandise was returned, your order fell below the dollar amount required to maintain this discount. Therefore, the $15.00 special offer was deducted from your refund amount.

If you would like to order qualifying non-clearance exchange items to reinstate your original special offer, we will be happy to waive the standard shipping handling costs. Either reply to this email and mention the order number below after you place the new order online at http://www.victoriassecret.com or call our Customer Service department at 1-800-475-1935 (or outside the United States 1-937-438-4197) to place the new order still referring the order number below.

If you are placing your order online, please order a minimum of $100.00 of qualifying merchandise to reinstate the $15.00 special offer. Please note that qualifying merchandise does not include clearance items, gift cards, egift cards, gift kits, shipping and handling, or sales tax. Also, this new order cannot have any other special offers applied to it.

Please click on the link below to view the details of this order and return on our Website.

http://www.victoriassecret.com/order-status/

Debra, It’s our goal to touch our customers’ lives with quality products—from little luxuries to must-haves—along with memorable experiences and exceptional service. If there’s anything more we can do for you, please email or call us any time.

That makes sense if she had returned half of the items, or had she only kept $95 worth. But how does it work if she returned everything? That was Debra’s question when she wrote back. Victoria’s Secret relented and refunded $15 to her credit card. That was a great consumer success, but how many other customers wouldn’t write back to complain twice?

We wrote to Limited Brands, parent company of Victoria’s Secret, but they didn’t answer our message. If they do, we’ll let you know.

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