Isabelle’s $300 Dyson vacuum from Target arrived on her doorstep without some of the parts, and filled with dirt from someone else’s house. Wanting to receive the item she actually had ordered, she dragged it to the nearest Target in a taxi and was told that she was obviously trying to pull one over on Target by returning this vacuum when she so clearly had used it and kept the handle. Clearly.

I recently had a horrible experience with Target customer service and have yet to find a solution for my problem. Here’s what happened:

Immediately upon opening my Dyson vacuum from Target I saw that it was missing parts and full of dust and dirt.

I called Dyson and they told me that they have a great relationship with Target and that I need to be in contact with Target. I called Target and Guest Services tells me that I must go to an actual location with my purchase.

I immediately took a $20 cab to the Brooklyn Target to find a solution. I was told to bring a receipt back for an exchange even though I had told them that I had been told by phone to just bring the vacuum. So, I brought back the receipt after my mom had mailed it to me from South Carolina. I took another cab to Target (now at $80 I could buy a new vacuum by this point) and they refused to offer an exchange citing that I could be “pulling one over on them” due to the bad condition. I believe that Target is pulling one over on me by not exchanging OR offering any helpful solutions for a $300 vacuum that is missing a handle, is full of dirt and has obviously been used.

I called Target again to explain the situation. They offer to look into it and call me back. They still haven’t called me back.

I emailed Guest Services with photos and received a response that showed that my email was not read citing that I don’t have a receipt and it has been over 90 days. I specifically stated in my email that I did have a receipt and it has been less than 90 days.

I have called Dyson, I have called Target, I have visited the store 2 times, I have emailed Target, I have spent hours on the phone and I’ve still got nothing. I have exhausted valuable time and money trying to simply get what was paid for at a Target and still nothing.

I understand that the vacuum looks like it was used (BECAUSE IT WAS) but how is that my fault and what can you do in a situation like this?

The answer to this dilemma can be found in a classic Consumerist post from 2008, “What To Do When A Store Sells You Box Of Crap And Won’t Take It Back.” Unless she can convince a friend with a car to drive her and the poor vacuum to different Targets in the area, looking for a customer service employee with a functioning brain, it’s time to escalate. It appears that Isabelle has reached the “contact your credit card company” (in this case, her mother’s credit card company) part of the process.

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