ComplaintsforFree People

• Initial Complaint

  11/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I was given a promo code, ************* for 20% off. Free people said that I used it on order **********. a math equation would tell you that I did not get 20% off of that order. I received 50% because they were doing a 50 % off promotion that day on 11/24. how could I have used the code when the code was for 20% ?They refused to reactivate the code or send me a new one even though I did not use it. most unpleasant experience ever.

  Business response

  11/30/2023

  We apologize for your recent experience. A new discount code has been generated for you. You will receive an email with full details momentarily. 

  Customer response

  11/30/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Order Number ********** Date Ordered Jul 24, 2023 Original Order Total $443.04 I placed the following order that included 5 items. Upon receiving the items, I noticed that one of the bodysuits did not have a protective liner. I reached out the day I received the order to notify Free People of the issue. They sent me a return label for this item to my email. I also decided that 3 of the other items did not fit well, and returned these items with the bodysuit that was defective/worn. I delivered the return to USPS on 8/7/23. Please note: I reached out through chat on FP prior to returning the items and asked them if it was okay to send the other items back with the defective/worn item. They answered yes. After delivering my return to USPS, I received a refund for the defective/worn item, but not the additional 3 items I returned along with it. I immediately reached out to FP and they stated they had not received the return. I provided the tracking as well with my inquiry. I later followed up between 2-3 additional times on the status of the other 2 items in the return. FP eventually credited me back for the other items I sent back ($200.22), but I later received an email on 11/2/23 stating that I needed to update my account information because they did not receive the 2 other items. They have now blocked my account from making future orders on their sister site, Anthrologie. I have only one item in my possession, which I paid for, however FP is attempting to charge me for items I do not have. While I returned 3 items in one package, they are incorrectly attempting to charge me for the 2 items.

  Business response

  11/27/2023

  We apologize for the mix-up. The chargeback has been cancelled and the hold has been removed from the customer's account. 

  Customer response

  11/27/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************************
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/30/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I placed an order with Free People on 7/26/23 and shipped back the items that did not fit. I returned those items from order #********** the next day. On 8/10/23 I received an email from Free People stating they received those items totaling $912.68 and I could expect my refund shortly. I was issued a partial refund of $478.38 leaving me owed $434.30. Occasionally this will happen but they always send the other half within the same day. When I did not receive the rest of of the refund owed to me within the next few days, I contacted customer support via text. I was told the warehouse must process the items and they cant help me but would forward my info to someone else. I was emailed by customer support saying they would refund the items once the warehouse accounted for them which makes no sense as I had already received the email saying the items were there and would be refunded. I reached out to customer service again and was told they would look into it. I heard nothing after that. I reached out again and was told they cant help me and I should dispute the charge with my bank. This is unacceptable to me as every single item I returned was in the same condition it came to me in and all was there and accounted for when I packed the box. I have been shopping with Free People for over 20 years and have never had an issue like this, why would I suddenly start not including all the items or returned them damaged? What other reason would I be denied money owed to me then told to dispute it with my bank like Im being scammed? It is not the fault of the customer that the warehouse did not process the return correctly. Why would I receive an email detailing they had received every single item then have my money held? It makes no sense to send a customer an email saying you have received all of these items then hold their money. I have spent way too much time and energy on this and I need my refund.

  Business response

  09/07/2023

  I apologize for this issue. The remaining items have now been refunded. Please allow 1-3 business days for the refund of $434.30 to reflect in your account. 

  Customer response

  09/07/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I placed an order with free people on 8/20 with an expected delivery of 8/23. This shipment was delayed 5 times until a delivery date was finally given on 8/28. It said a delivery was made at 11:56 am today (8/28) and left at the front door. I was home all day and you need to be buzzed in to deliver packages. No one attempted a delivery and there is no package outside of my front gate.I called free people and customer service said it really wasnt delivered since there is no proof of delivery picture and I had to wait another 48 hours before my complaint would be investigated. I received an email from the delivery company (attached) saying the package was delivered but free people refuses to issue a replacement or refund.All my documentation is attached.Thank you.

  Business response

  08/30/2023

  Thank you for contacting us. We sincerely apologize that you did not receive your items. We will be happy to issue a refund as a one time courtesy so please allow 1 to 3 business days for this to reflect on your banking statement. Also, please ensure to contact us back if you receive the package. For future reference, our shipping policy is that we do have to allow an additional 2 business days for the courier to have the package delivered even if the status updates to such. Once we have crossed this time frame & the customer still does not have the package, then we are able to file a lost package claim to have our courier support look further into the matter. For these types of claims, we are only able to provide a refund if applicable & are unable to reship. If this situation arises again, please allow for the time frame to pass that our customer service agents informed you of. This information will also be notated on your account that we have informed you of our policy moving forward. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you for shopping with us. 

  Customer response

  08/30/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Refunds on both orders were pending in my checking account and never went through. Customer service at Free People still insists both refunds were issued and they were not. The transactions that were pending disappeared from my account.

  Business response

  08/23/2023

  We have confirmed that the refunds in question went through successfully on our end. We ask that you please allow 3-5 business days for the credits to post back to the account. We have emailed the customer with the reference numbers for each credit. These reference numbers can be provided to the financial institution to locate each refund. Our apologies for the concern.

• Initial Complaint

  08/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Both Free People & Anthropologie (same company) put restrictions on my account. I have yet to receive an adequate explanation for why they would do this, despite making several attempts to figure it out with their customer service department. The last order I placed, I called it in so I could request a different carrier than ******. I was told by their customer service that this was an option. This ended up being a complete run around & entirely incorrect.A few orders prior to this, they shipped with ******. ******, in my area, leaves our packages on the public sidewalk, outside of our business hours. I had a package stolen off the street because of this. Anthropologie had to credit me back $500+. I went to great lengths to keep this from happening again, including contacting Anthropologie/Free People on yet another order, when I realized my order was shipped via ****** (despite requesting a different carrier on this order also) I asked them to recall this order since it had not been delivered yet. This was to avoid another theft and another claim.Honestly I am so disgusted with how this company handles its business these days.

  Business response

  08/29/2023

  Hello,

  After a review of your account we see that the hold was created due to several claims of non-receipt of merchandise. This caused us to believe that the missing packages were not a delivery issue but rather a stolen package issue.  
  
  If we were to remove the hold it would be with the understanding that you will no longer make these types of claims. We are unable to require signature for deliveries. If your shipping address isn't secure you would either need to ship your items to a ***/PO Box or ship the items to an address where someone is regularly home to receive packages. 
  
   Does this sound like something that may work for you? If so, please confirm so that we may remove the hold from your account. 

  Thank you,

  FreePeople

  Customer response

  08/29/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  #1:  there were not several.  There was one.  The second order was rerouted back to you, in order to avoid a second stolen package.
  

  #2:  it is your responsibility to use a delivery company that does not leave packages on a public downtown sidewalk.  We NEVER have these problems with ********************* ****** is leaving the packages unsecured.  This problem has nothing to do with us or our location.  It is laziness on the part of the driver.  If you are delivering in a business district then you deliver when the businesses are OPEN.
  

  #3:  no thank you-I am not interested.  I will do no further ordering with your company.  The review stands.
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On 5/09/23 I placed an order (order #*********) and returned leg warmers. I have returned many FreePeople items in the past and since then, using their barcode for the post office. Somehow my return has been lost and the company expects me to have a tracking number, when I use the code they provide me. Where Im frustrated is after emailing customer service and being denied a refund for the item being untraced, their recommendation was for me to contact my back to have immediate reimbursement. I do not see how this is any different from being given a refund, and also how it is a solution, when I dont think I could tell my card company to just refund the price of the one item from the whole order.

  Business response

  08/16/2023

  A refund has been issued for the legwarmers. Please allow 1 to 3 business days for the refund to reflect in your account. 

  Customer response

  08/17/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *****************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am only using the BBB as a last resort. I have been trying to resolve this issue for months now. I returned an order that was processed by free people on May 9. I will include photos below of a screenshots verifying that free people did indeed receive the items I returned. I was not refunded the proper amount so I contacted free people. I was told by multiple people through chat and the phone that the order had not been processed and that was why I was not refunded the proper amount. On one occasion, I waited over 12 hours via chat to get any sort of response. I said I had an email stating it had been processed and refunded. I was never refunded. As a last resort, I reached out to my bank who said they would deal with the issue. The next day I placed an order with free people and it was immediately canceled because there is a restriction on my account now because of the dispute with my bank. I never got an email or any sort of communication from FP about the restriction. I chatted with customer service, explained the situation, and was once again assured by FP that I would be fully refunded. I then closed the dispute with my bank and provided a screen shot of the closed dispute to customer service. I have been trying to get through to someone who deals with account restrictions since and I cant. Everyone I talk to says they are not even provided a phone number themselves to reach that team. I dont know what to do. My account has a restriction that shouldnt be there and I still havent been refunded even though the dispute is closed with my banks. Total refund should have been $1109.85. My bank shows refunds of $355.58 and $77.91. I went ahead and took the loss for things I RETURNED! Closed the dispute with my bank and my account is still restricted. I Spoke with a customer service agent that even admitted to me their returns department is a mess and they are having issues keeping up. I just cant believe I paid money back via my bank to get my account back.

  Business response

  08/15/2023

  After review of the account, we have confirmed there is still an open dispute in regards to this order (******* $260.41). Unfortunately, the hold cannot be resolved until all disputes have been closed. 

  Customer response

  08/15/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  As referenced in the many screen shots that I provided, I DID in fact return every item. Regardless of if there is an open dispute still (which I was unaware of and was under the impression via **** that the disputes had been closed), the fact still stands that the merchandise WAS received by FP. Once again, this is verified in the photos that I submitted. You received all of the items, why should I pay you for items that were returned? It’s the epitome of dishonesty. I never should have had to open a dispute with my bank because you should have refunded me the total amount for all of the items received. The email says, and I quote, “we’ve received your return. The items listed below have been refunded…” then every item is listed as returned with a return amount of $1109.45 total. I was NOT refunded this amount. This is completely unethical for you to expect me to pay you for items that I returned. As mentioned before, I spoke to customer service multiple times who mentioned this is happening to many people because the warehouse is a mess. Yet again, I’ll repeat myself, even if there is a dispute open with the bank, that does not matter. You owe me that money back. My account should be reinstated because this is dishonest to suspend an account for a return you DID receive, as was verified by email as well as multiple customer service agents. I will also include the text message of conversations with representatives that state this. 
  

  Regards,
  
  *************************

  Business response

  08/17/2023

  Once all disputes are closed a refund will follow, along with the account being reinstated. 

  Customer response

  08/18/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  Are you not seeing what I am seeing with the attached photos? You received the items. You didn't refund me for the items you received so I opened a dispute. My bank had to pay me back because you wont pay me for items you received. Why would I close the dispute? Do you truly not see how you are at fault here?
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************
  

  Business response

  08/23/2023

  At this time with the open dispute, we have escalated the concern to our dispute team who specializes in resolving these cases.  Unfortunately we will not be able to move forward with removing any holds on the account until this is resolved.  The customer should expect to hear from our specialist in the next 1 - 2 business days.

• Initial Complaint

  08/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased an order for clothing/merchandise and was advised that the order would arrive by Tuesday, Aug 9, 2023 at checkout. I called customer services on August 6, 2023 (5 minute call at 9:40 a.m EST) to obtain the status of the order and encountered the rudest customer service agent with Free People. When I asked her to escalate to her manager and asked her for her name, there was a long pause; she returned and said, "I'm going to place you on a brief hold" then she transferred me to ********** who stated that she was a supervisor and that she did not know who transferred my call to her and she was able to see notes in the order history to see who answered the call. Free People prices are well above market prices for jean and other apparel. The expectations is that FP should hire highly skilled customer centric professionals to engage with its customers. After all its not *******! Not thre is anything wrong with Walmart. But you pay for what you get. If I'm paying $300 for jeans, I expect over and above service! This is unexceptable FP.

  Business response

  08/23/2023

  This order has been confirmed shipped and delivered. Customer was not charged any shipping fees on the order.

• Initial Complaint

  07/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I placed an order on July 16th 2023. At time of placing the order it said the items should arrive by July 21 2023. I received an email saying that the order shipped on July 18th. I started tracking through the provided tracking number and the information continued to say that the carrier had not received the package yet. I started reaching out to Free People the week of July 24 to figure out where it was. FP will not help find the package and keeps saying check back later. As of today, the tracking info still says awaiting carrier pick up. Shipping company is LaserShip and tracking number is *************** 

  Business response

  08/04/2023

  We are sorry to hear that you did not receive your merchandise. Due to no updates in tracking, your package has been presumed lost. A refund of $222.51 was issued on August 2, 2023 to the original form of payment. Most credits post within 1-3 business days. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. 

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩