Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Short Story's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Short Story

  645 Mariposa St San Francisco, CA 94107-2514

• 

  Short Story

  1833 Egbert Ave San Francisco, CA 94124

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/16/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am filing this complaint regarding the unethical and dishonest practices I experienced with Short Story. After trying their service, I decided to give them three chances despite receiving poorly curated and stylistically unsatisfactory boxes. Upon receiving my third disappointing box, I canceled my subscription.Despite canceling and returning all items within the required timeframe, Short Story has attempted to charge me nearly $300 for items I already returned. This attempted charge occurred after they had already received the returned items.I reached out to them multiple times, warning them of the implications of their actions, but they continued their attempts to charge me for items I did not keep. I have also demanded that they remove my information from their records. Their lack of resolution and refusal to rectify this issue is unacceptable and dishonest.The numerous negative reviews I have since seen about this company align with my experiencethey engage in unethical and unprofessional business practices. As a consumer, I feel defrauded and disrespected.I will be escalating this issue by:- Reporting them to the local ******** of Commerce for their business misconduct.- Consulting legal counsel to address what I believe amounts to attempted theft.I am requesting immediate intervention by the BBB to compel Short Story to cease any further attempts for these unauthorized charges and these unethical practices. Their actions are not only damaging to their customers but harmful to consumer trust in subscription-based services.Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/16/2025

  Hello Everyone and Thank you for bringing this to our attention! 

  We are so sorry for any miscommunication on our part and would be happy to help clarify any of her concerns.

  According to our records ****** was still listed as an active subscriber which is why the most recent box 4 was shipped to her, she was not charged a styling fee for this box. Once she receives the shipment she can return the box to sender, she is not required to try on or keep any of the pieces if she does not wish to. She will still need to return those items to ensure no auto charges associated with Box 4 that is enroute. As of today we can confirm that her subscription is inactive and she will no longer receive automatic boxes.

  Regarding the charge of $281.14, this charge was tied to her second box which included items that we did not receive back. I have shared some examples of those pieces above and how we track each item. While we did receive some of the returns we did not receive all of them back which lead to us charging the remaining balance of $281.14. Now while Ms. ****** claims that she did in fact return them, we always give our clients the benefit of the doubt and make any corrections necessary. Which we did in this case by refunding her the $281.14 at 1pm this afternoon. Sometimes things get lost in transit or lost or packages damaged, it happens and if a client reaches out we hear them. As for the $10 charge, this is a standard test charge to verify the validity of the cards on file and are always immediately refunded. 

  We hope that this clarifies any confusion regarding matter!

  All the Best,

  The Short Story Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/27/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have emailed on 7 occasions my credit has not shown up on my bank account.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/02/2025

  Hello and Happy New Year everyone!

  Our last communication with Ms. B*** was on December 27th, she has not yet opened that message. We have refunded her for her returns from her Box 4 on December 27th. As mentioned in the email we sent her, refunds can take between 5-10 business days depending on our bank. Our records indicate that the refund was issued on 12/27 on our end. I have attached screenshots of our correspondence and our payment page where we issued the refund.

   

  I hope this clarifies any confusion! Looking forward to resolving this together.

  Best,

  Short Story Client Experience Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/03/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Hello, I canceled my subscription to *************************** several weeks ago and they have continued to charge my card on file and send boxes. I have emailed/contacted them (multiple avenues including email and ******** messenger) several times with no response. Would like my subscription canceled and the $25 they charged on 11/21/24 returned to me. Thank you.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/03/2024

  Hello Everyone,

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention! We apologize for any delay in returning ******* initial email. It appears that there was already a box in flight at the time that ******* subscription was canceled. Once we received her email we issued a refund and confirmed the cancelation of her subscription. We refunded her on November 21st, 2024, refunds can take 5-10 business days to complete depending on the bank associated with the card. Unfortunately because the box had already shipped we were unable to intercept the shipment and prevent its arrival. We've let ***** know she is not obligated to try any of the items on if she doesn't wish to and to use the prepaid return label provided to make her returns.

  We apologize for any inconvenience and hope everyone has a great rest of their day!

  Best,

  Short Story Client Experience Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/26/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I had my normal Short Story box subscription delivered the first week of November. As they repeatedly ignored my requests for more reasonably priced items I sent the entire box back **** with the prepaid, preprinted label like always. I sent the box back November 8th. I then cancelled my subscription. I received a message stating I would be charged for the total amount of the box. I emailed back that I cannot afford this, it is why I cancelled to begin with. No response. They charged me. I messaged again and was told that they needed the ***** scan to help. I explained I sent it **** like every other time. They stopped responding. I messaged again. The woman named Sunshine said that they have *************** so it shouldn't be a problem. I explained it is ****. No response. I asked if I could have the tracking number as my local post office remember shipping it but don't have the number to track it for me. No response. At this point I have had to go to community services for food and help since this took my money for food and utilities.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/26/2024

  Hello All,

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention and we apologize for any miscommunication! It looks like Ms. ******** return carrier for this box (#7) was listed as ***** and not ***** When her returns were sent with **** instead of ***** the barcode on the label was not scanned due to the different carrier, thus keeping the box as "not returned".

  Our system automatically charges for items that have no movement in returns tracking which is why the charge went through. I see that we have been in communication with Ms. ****** already. After each message sent by a client we send an automated "we received your message" confirmation email letting the client know that we will return their message within ************************************************************************************** responding to Ms. ******** initial message.

  We have refunded her for the items that were returned the amount of her refund was $469.34 and have marked the items as lost in our system due to the carrier miscommunication. We honor that she did her due diligence as a client and made her returns. Refunds usually take 5-10 business days depending on the bank to clear. We can also confirm that her subscription is canceled and she has no other orders in process. 

  We apologize for any stress caused by this situation and hope she and all of you at BBB have a great holiday week.

  We look forward to resolving this together.

  Best,

  Short Story Client Experience Team

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/27/2024

  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.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Denyael ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/31/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Short story offers a referral credit of $25 if your friend orders a box and makes a purchase. My friend did this over 2 weeks ago and I did not receive any credit. I have contacted them via Instagram, via their website contact form (which does not appear to work) and via email 10+ times without any response except for someone on Instagram who eventually assured me they added the credit to my account, but its still not there. They are entirely unresponsive and their customer service team is incompetent.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/04/2024

  Hello There!

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention! We have been in contact with ****** regarding this matter and sent her a response with next steps when she first emailed us. It appears that she spoke with two of our agents regarding this. In the emailed example above we offered her next steps to give her and her referral friend their credit but we never heard back from her. 

  When it comes to receiving referral credit sometimes for example if the referred client was already in the process of signing up, is an existing clients or if they don't follow the link the referral credit won't work. In this specific case, we had asked Ms. ******* to give us the the name of the referred client, so we can manually apply the credit as an act of good faith and trust in our clients. It looks like after Ms. ******* first sent us a message on ******** that we did give her the credit to her account and waived the styling fee for **** ******* whom she referred, **** was never charged a styling fee because we waived it per the referral program. Attached you will find screenshots of our conversations and referral credit proof as well.

  This is a copy of our Referral program FAQ: For every friend you refer, you get $25 in Short Story credits when they check out and make their first purchase. Your friend also gets her $25 styling fee waived. Win-Win! The credits can be used towards items in your next box.

  We appreciate your time and consideration and look forward to closing this matter!

  Best,

  The Short Story Team

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/04/2024

   
  Complaint: 22496411
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I did end up receiving the referral credit, however it took weeks and ***eated efforts on my part to contact them via their website, and Instagram (not ******** as they mentioned in their response), and emailing the same information ***eatedly over email and Instagram, as well as making a complaint on BBB in order to resolve the issue. That is totally unacceptable. In addition their *** via Instagram assured me the credit had been added to my account at least once when it had not been added, and when I notified them of this, they responded asking me to provide the same info of my friend who I referred even though I already provided this info to them. Their response which suggested I never responded to their email is totally false. They need to do better, WAY better! I tried to attach as many screen shots as I could but wasnt allowed to load them all here.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *******

  Business Response

  Date: 11/05/2024

  Hello Everyone,

  I have attached a screen shot of the History of our email correspondence. We only received 2 messages from her and one of which was responded to in ********, both of these messages were received on the same day. I completely understand the client's frustration and do want to resolve this accordingly, She and the referred client did receive their referral credit and their waived styling fee. Regarding any additional clients referred, we would still need their names to see if they are in our system and are linked to her referral link. We only have 1 client listed as referred by her, I have included this in the images above, this is a direct screenshot of our code regarding the history or her unique referral link. In the third image shared there is a chart of how many clients actually clicked the link (3 people) but only 1 the referred actually used it to sign up.  If there were messages or emails missed on our part we take full responsibility for that and wish to resolve this accordingly with the client, however regarding the referral  not working we can only go by the history we see from the use of the link. 

   

   

  Below is the RAW record of this unique referral code:

  { "event": "$mp_web_page_view", "properties": { "time": *************, "distinct_id": "**************************************-7f793560-61d78-192a0c7425e1f5b", "$browser": "Mobile Safari", "$browser_version": 17.6, "$city": ************ "$device": "iPhone", "$device_id": "***************************************-*********************", "$initial_referrer": "$direct", "$initial_referring_domain": "$direct", "$insert_id": "****************", "$lib_version": "2.55.1", "$mp_api_endpoint": "*******************", "$mp_api_timestamp_ms": *************, "$os": "iOS", "$region": "**************", "$screen_height": 932, "$screen_width": 430, "current_domain": "********************************", "current_page_title": "Referral", "current_url_path": "/referral/ashley5049", "current_url_protocol": "https:", "mp_country_code": "US", "mp_lib": "web", "mp_processing_time_ms": ************* }{ "event": "$mp_web_page_view", "properties": { "time": **************, "distinct_id": "**************************************-27743275-4b6a2-192a0d0b2621131", "$browser": "Chrome", "$browser_version": 117, "$device": "Android", "$device_id": "***************************************-*********************", "$initial_referrer": "$direct", "$initial_referring_domain": "$direct", "$insert_id": "****************", "$lib_version": "2.55.1", "$mp_api_endpoint": "*******************", "$mp_api_timestamp_ms": *************, "$os": "Android", "$screen_height": 786, "$screen_width": 393, "current_domain": "********************************", "current_page_title": "Referral", "current_url_path": "/referral/ashley5049", "current_url_protocol": "https:", "mp_country_code": "US", "mp_lib": "web", "mp_processing_time_ms": ************* }}{ "event": "$mp_web_page_view", "properties": { "time": **************, "distinct_id": "**************************************-432f2f35-1fa400-192a0f50acc8b1", "$browser": "Firefox", "$browser_version": 131, "$city": "Wake Forest", "$device_id": "***************************************-*********************", "$initial_referrer": "$direct", "$initial_referring_domain": "$direct", "$insert_id": "****************", "$lib_version": "2.55.1", "$mp_api_endpoint": "*******************", "$mp_api_timestamp_ms": *************, "$os": "Mac OS X", "$region": "**************", "$screen_height": 1080, "$screen_width": 1920, "current_domain": "********************************", "current_page_title": "Referral", "current_url_path": "/referral/ashley5049", "current_url_protocol": "https:", "mp_country_code": "US", "mp_lib": "web", "mp_processing_time_ms": ************* }
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/05/2024

   
  Complaint: 22496411
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I genuinely have no idea what short story is referring to. I only referred one person and only wanted the one credit I was due. I ended up getting the credit but the issue is the hoops I had to jump through to get the credit. The record of their responses to me which they just sent is a jumble of nonsensical computer code. This is just further evidence of the total incompetence of their support team. I have provided ample evidence of my correspondence with them via email, their website, and Instagram. I never once contacted them via ******** and they have not provided any proof of this alleged correspondence because it doesnt exist. They still seem confused about what I was requesting, and why I made this complaint. 
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/13/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am writing to file a formal complaint against ShortStory regarding an unfair charge for a product I returned.I recently received a box from ShortStory, which I promptly returned via postal service, adhering to their return policy. Despite returning the box, I was still charged for the product, which is no longer in my possession. I contacted ShortStory about the issue, but no resolution has been provided, and they have not refunded the amount deducted from my account.This practice is unacceptable, and I believe it reflects poor customer service and unfair business practices. I am requesting the Better Business Bureaus assistance in resolving this matter and ensuring that ShortStory refunds the money they wrongfully charged me.Thank you for your time and support.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/13/2024

  Hello All,

   

  Thank you for bringing this inquiry to our attention. Upon review it appears that this issue is regarding box #2. Our system reports the returns lost by ***** This is in no way the client's fault and we have refunded their returns on 9/13 at 11:09am. According to our records, when the client reached out about this situation on 9/13/24 at 4:34am we went ahead and honored their concern and promptly refunded them. We do apologize for any confusion and are always happy to work with our clients to find a resolution. Attached is proof of the email and refund.

  We look forward to coming to a resolution together.

  Warmly,

  Short Story Client Experience Team

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/13/2024

  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.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/31/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed up for this service and received monthly boxes. After receiving my first two boxes, I decided I didnt like the style of clothes and cancelled. When I cancelled through the website, they tried to get me to keep the subscription by offering to waive the $25 styling fee. I declined. Then yesterday they sent me an email stating that they are sending another box! This company makes it very hard to cancel and seems like a scam.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/15/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a box from Short Story. There was a $25 styling fee. I ended up paying $363.59 for a box. I sent everything back for a refund of $363.59. According to the text message from USPS:USPS **********************, Awaiting Delivery Scan 07/13/2023 12:10am Reply STOP to cancel (it arrived). I was told by **** from Short Story that he reached out to the ****************** about the package coming back to them. I haven't heard back.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/11/2023

  Hello,
  We have already refunded this client on 7/21/23, please refer to the attached image provided as proof. Refunds take **** business days to process once they've been issued depending on the bank the charge is taken from.
  
  Additionally we responded to the original inquiry with BBB. Have a great day!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/11/2023

  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.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/24/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  A few months ago I signed up for a monthly clothing subscription. After my initial purchase I logged into my account and cancelled all future orders.Two weeks ago I was surprised to receive and email stating that another purchase had been completed. I immediately cancelled the items and again logged into my account to cancell all future purchases.I received an email today 04/22/2023 stating that my debit card will be charged $321 for these items.I again tried to cancel all future subscriptions and keep receiving a notice that they wont cancel my subscription.I believe this company is deceitfully and willfully making it hard for a customer to discontinue their subscription in an effort to ****** more income. My online account does not even show a debit card saved but yet the conpany has charged it $321 without my consent.I fully understand that if I had not cancelled my subecription I was liable for second clothing purchases but this was not the case. I screenshot the page where it stated my nextbox could not be cancelled. The box I never asked nor consented to. After the screen shot page the personal log in does not contain any area to cancel subscriptions only to modify the shipping date. Again, willfully making their website impossible to cancel purchases.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/25/2023

  Hi *******, 

  On behalf of Short Story, we apologize for the confusion on how to cancel your subscription with us. After reviewing all forms of communication that we have had with you, it looks like we never received a request to cancel your subscription. Upon signing up, you were on a Monthly subscription, so our system will automatically create a new curation for you once the next is due. You were charged for the items you did not return after no communication was received from you after 15 days. We also send out an email letting you know that your shipment is on the way, and then we follow up with multiple emails letting clients know that it is time to checkout. 

  Per our previous conversation, we are more than happy to refund you for the items in your possession upon return of them. Please return the items within the next 7 business days, and your refund will be fully processed. 

  Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns! 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/10/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I thought I was just signing up for an account, not a subscription. The website does not mention anything about cost or what you're buying when it asks for your card info.I foolishly gave my credit card number only to discover the terms hidden away on a link in the website. Turns out I signed up for a $25 monthly subscription, still no details about what I would actually get.I immediately attempted to cancel, but the page just sends you to another page where you have to press the cancel button again. That button does NOT work. I tried opening it on multiple devices and browsers.This is a scam!!!

  Business Response

  Date: 01/19/2023

  To whom it may concern, 

  Thank you for reaching out to us regarding claim #********. I can assure you that we are not a scam. Attached you will find a capture of our FAQ page, easily accessible on our website, where we clearly state that this is a subscription service and that a $25 styling fee is collected for the curation of each shipment. Attached you will also find our conversation with **************, where we assure her that her account has been cancelled and she will not be charged or sent another box. There may have been a technical error while she was attempting to cancel her account on our website, but we did assure her that the account was closed. Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns. You can reach me directly at *************************************. 

   

  Best,

  *******

  Client Experience Manager

  Short Story

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/19/2023

   
  Complaint: 18713747
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  
  Short Story has a misleading website. The check out should tell you exactly how much

  you're being billed, and that you will be charged monthly. I don't know how long their

  cancelation link was broken or of it's been fixed. Their response denies any accountability 

  for a website that allows people to sign up, but not cancel and hides the prices and terms.

   

  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  Business Response

  Date: 01/24/2023

  Client was also never charged a styling fee due to insufficient funds on the **** used for the account ending in ****. All information is located and visible on our website. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/31/2023

   
  Complaint: 18713747
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  Short Story refuses to acknowledge their errors,  does not confirm if any action was taken to correct them.  No resolution.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************