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 Williams-Sonoma wants my money, not my gift certificate
Posted Sat May 27, 2006, by Carol S. written to Williams-Sonoma Inc
Write a Letter to this Company
Gift certificate redemption
I received a gift certificate from my daughter for your company for Mother's Day because there were several things I wanted.
The gift certificate arrived and I went to your store but several of the items I wanted were only available from your catalog or online.
I called to place my order and was told that I could not use the gift certificate either by phone or online. I would have to pay with a credit card then send in my certificate by mail for a refund.
Frankly, at this point the last thing I want to do is to send you my certificate and hope I get a refund. I can see it getting "lost". I will go back to the store and buy things I don't need or want just to use up the certificate and buy the things I wanted at another cookware store. You seem to have made it very easy to purchase a gift certificate but have put obstacles in the way of redeeming it.
I would like to be able to get the items I wanted from your company and use my gift certificate online or by phone. It's not that difficult to arrange. I run a small online business and I'm able to do it.
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Excellent letter -- your complaint is valid and it pertains to so many
of us. I remember getting a gift card that was redeemable only
online, not in the store, which I thought was a bit silly but I'd
prefer that over the other way around!
Williams-Sonoma certainly is a big enough company that they should be
able to figure this out, as other companies have a handle on how to
use gift certificates in a variety of ways.
And I think your daughter should have been informed when she picked up
the certificate that was redeemable only in the store.
Good luck!
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It is astounding that a company like Williams-Sonoma couldn't have
found a way to work around this. Could they not have allowed you to
fax the gift certificate as proof that it was in your possession? Or
offered to have the items you wanted shipped directly to a store,
where you could pick them up and purchase them with your gift
certificate at your convenience?
My heart goes out to your daughter, who thought she was giving you a
present that would be greatly valued and enjoyed, but which turned out
to be a complete disappointment. I can imagine she is no happier than
you are in this situation.
Do keep us updated on whether or not this company every chooses to
acknowledge your complaint - and thank you for sharing your feedback!
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by SZ Posted Sun May 28, 2006 @ 9:25 AM
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I find it maddening when a situation like this arises. I'm with you
in that I wouldn't want to send it to them since it could get 'lost.'
Every gift card/certificate I've either received or bought, has the
strong admonitions: 'treat as cash,' 'cannot be replaced if lost,'
etc.
I'm surprised Williams-Sonoma doesn't operate the way J. C. Penney
does in my area. I can order from the catalog requesting the item(s)
be shipped to their location nearest me. I make a short drive, pick
it up, and the best thing is: No shipping or handling charges.
I hope they resolve this problem to your satisfaction.
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