Something’s rotten in the state Denmark and by Denmark, we actually mean Old Navy. Customer Christine says she bought into a grab bag deal advertised by the clothiers for a $20 bag with $100-$125 worth of marked down merchandise. The purported markdown value, she says, was to be $40-45. But that’s not what she got.

She writes:

I purchased three of these bags, only to find that the original value and markdown value of the merchandise did not match the advertised values. So I wrote this letter to Old Navy customer service:

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am emailing you to advise you that the Mega Deal Bags sold on July 9… did not live up to their advertising. You had advertised that the original value of the merchandise was $100-$125 per bag, and that the markdown value was $40-45 per bag. This was not the case in all three of the bags I purchased (XS Womens, 3-6 months girls, 4T boys). This is actually the breakdown of the bags:

3-6 mo. girls: Original value – $75.83, Markdown value $37.38
4T boys: Original value – $68.38, Markdown value $35.90
XS Womens: Original value – $81.38, Markdown value $38.96

That is over a $150 difference in the stated value of the merchandise and the actual value I received, going by the original value, which is what I am doing for the inconvenience of finding out that Old Navy engaged in unfair and deceptive practices as stipulated by M.G.L. c. 93A. Under c. 93A, I can sue for treble damages. However, I am asking that Old Navy furnish me with either a check for $150 or a merchandise credit for $150 to make up the difference. If this cannot be resolved by email in the next 24 hours, I can and will proceed with legal action.

I hope to hear from you by Monday, July 11, 2011 at 1:16 p.m. so that we do not have to deal with the expense and hassle of the legal action which I will initiate.

As of Sunday night, she has yet to hear from Old Navy. She says she called the customer service line, and agents there hadn’t even heard of the promotion. Have you had experience with this grab bag deal?

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