ComplaintsforTea Collection

• Initial Complaint

  11/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I believe that this company engages in deceptive/misleading business practices involving their return & exchange policies. I have purchased a total of $1900 worth of merchandise from this company since August, 2022, and I like the products. They charge for shipping if the order total is less than $150. They also charge $9.50 for a return label to return an item (this is clearly stated on their website). However, they state they will provide a promo code for free shipping on items that are exchanged. Over the past six months I've needed to exchange items twice for a different size and in both cases the provided promo coded did not work. I tried doing a copy/paste of the code as well as typing in the entire code; still got an error code. In August, 2023, I emailed customer service and was told I could call them to place the new order so they could manually remove the shipping code. On 11/19/2023, I tried to order the new size (it was shown as available on the website) but the code did not work and I was unable to contact them because the company is closed on weekends. By Monday, 11/20/2023, the item in the size I needed was out of stock. I was told by customer service that I should have just placed the order on Sunday, then called on Monday to request a refund of the shipping charges. My contention is that the company knows they have a technology problem and has not corrected it over the past four months in spite of them knowing about the issue. To suggest that a customer authorize a higher amount that necessary on their credit card and then ask for reimbursement with no guarantee that they will get that refund is unethical. I did find the item in the required size on a different site but at a higher price, requested reimbursement from Tea Collection for the difference and was told no. The amount is about $15.

  Business response

  11/22/2023

  11/22/2023
  Better Business Bureau
  BBB Complaint ID: ********
  
  Hi ******************,

  Thank you for bringing this concern to our attention. Its clear that the customer was thoughtful and gave a good accounting of the events.
  

  It sounds like the customer tried to purchase velour leggings on November 19th while using a free shipping code we had sent them as part of an earlier return. They were unable to get the code to work and waited until we were back in the office to try again. Sadly, their desired item was sold out. We launched our Black Friday promotion on Friday,November 17th and many of our popular styles and sizes are selling out. I completely understand why they would be disappointed if they missed their chance to purchase the item from us at such a discounted price.
  

  Fortunately, they were able to purchase from a boutique partner of ours but at full price and with the price of shipping included. Since the boutique and their inventory and sales are separate from Tea Collection, we initially denied their request for reimbursement.
  

  However, we have decided to make an exception and generated a store credit for the difference in cost and sent it to them via email. Theyll have the option to purchase future items with the store credit.
  Additionally, I read through the customers earlier emails to better understand the technical difficulties they were facing. I also spoke with the three agents that have worked with them over the last few months. One advantage of having such a small team is a dedication to helping people and the opportunity to help the same customers frequently.
  

  There are two places you can add promotional codes, in the shopping cart and during check out. If a customer adds a free shipping code before they add the shipping address in the shopping cart, it does not show a shipping discount. The system is looking to verify that the address is in ***************** (the only place we allow returns), calculates the shipping rate,and then will show the free shipping discount.
  Our agent called the customer before they filed the complaint to explain these steps and we have tested the code to verify that it works correctly.
  

  Yet, that doesnt elevate the customers justified concern and confusion. Could we add better directions to our return emails to make sure the customer understands when to add the code? Could we update the error message to include those directions? We are taking time to carefully analyze how we could improve such experiences going forward.
  

  Now that the customer has the store credit and weve verified there was not an error on our side, just an opportunity to improve communications,I feel this issue has been resolved. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like any other details, always glad to help!
  

  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  Manager of Customer Operations
  
  **********************
  1 *********** #B
  *************, ** 94107

  Customer response

  11/23/2023

  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

  07/19/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I would like customers to know that there is no way to get oneself removed from the Tea Collection's catalog list. After requesting to be removed three times, I am still receiving catalogs at my home. The support staff say they have removed my name from the mailing list only for me to receive a catalog three months later.

  Business response

  08/25/2022

  See Attached

  Customer response

  08/25/2022

   
  Complaint: 17587451
  
  I am rejecting this response because I have already confirmed the information the business reports they solicited from me. Twice in fact!

  And I have received no further response. They have my name and address - as they always have. Why can they not confirm with their printer that I am no longer on the list now?

  It should not be this difficult for them to successfully remove my name from the list. This response is just more excuses.

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

  Business response

  09/06/2022

  Hi ********,

   

  Sharing our confirmation email from the printer that the customer has been removed from the catalog mailing list and will not receive anything further from us. Ill also share with ************** directly.

   

  Please let us know if we can answer any questions, always glad to help!

   

  Thank you,

   

  *******

  Business response

  09/06/2022

  Hi ********,

   

  Just following up on the additional correspondence we received in the mail regarding Ms. ****** response to the claim. Thank you for keeping us informed.

   

  I received the customers picture of her catalog label on August 16^th but did not see her response until today. Though I had set a notification it doesnt look like it went through so I didnt see it sooner. Regardless, ************** was kind enough to send a picture of the back of her catalog and I have forwarded that to our printer so they can figure out why the traditional methods did not remove her from our mailing list.

   

  It is absolutely my goal to make sure she no longer receives our catalog and we empathize with her frustration.

   

  Thank you,

   

  *******

   

  Customer response

  09/07/2022

   
  Complaint: 17587451
  
  I am rejecting this response because the company continues to defer responsibility to their printer. Even after they informed me that they had gotten the printer to remove me from the mailing list, they then wrote again to tell me that another mailing had been sent to me. There is no accountability for their business practices.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  09/20/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I have repeatedly requested this company stop sending mailings to my home over the past year. They claim to remove me from the mailing list each time I call, yet I continue to receive catalogues and flyers from this company.

*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. ↩