ComplaintsforValue Village

• Initial Complaint

  01/30/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  Purchased Queen size mattress on 11/12/22 Found Bed Bug while changing bed on 1/27/23 Contacted ********************************* (*************)Sent pictures of bugs along with transaction receipts on 1/27/23 Requested full refund of $140.39 plus tax on 1/27/23 Had to make doctor's *********** on 12/21/22 for red bumps on left arm - did not know where they came from Pictures of arm with scars from bites sent to ******* As of today 1/20/23 she has not responded I'm going to Value Village on 1/31/23 to speak to Store Manager to show him pictures of bugs found on my mattress on 1/27/23 along with receipts for purchase of mattress to see if refund going to be received

• Initial Complaint

  10/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Value Village is charging PST on items when they should not be. This has happened on every transaction Ive made in the past year. Ive included a link below that outlines PST collection guidelines for Thrift Stores (profit or non profit). Speaking to the assistant manager today, she said shes aware of it but they have no way to change their system so every customer is charged PST when they should not be for the most part. I am requesting that Value Village refund the amount of PST that they have collected from me. My phone number for my value village account that tracks my purchases is ************.https://www2.gov.**.ca/assets/gov/taxes/sales-taxes/publications/pst-304-thrift-stores-service-clubs-charitable-organizations-societies.pdf

  Business response

  10/31/2022

  Hello,
  Thank you for reaching out regarding this issue.As a seller of taxable goods, we are required to apply Provincial Sales Tax.Our process for applying it is reviewed as part of our annual tax filings with no issue. We appreciate your understanding. 

  Best,

  Value Village Customer Care

• Initial Complaint

  10/20/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Transaction occurred October 19th 2022. I was shopping at value Village for Halloween costumes. I found two dresses and asked where the fitting rooms were located. I was told they no longer have fitting rooms instead you have to buy the items and you have 14 days to return. Ive bought the two dresses for $60. When I got home I tried them on and they didnt fit. The next day, October 20, I returned to the store and asked for a refund. I was told they only do exchanges. I asked politely to speak to a manager about an exception because I was unaware of the no returns policy. I was not given the opportunity to speak to a manager and was told no exceptions are made. I expressed that it was unfair to not provide fitting rooms and ask clients to purchase the clothing to then not be allowed to get their money back. I think this business practice infringes on consumer rights And is also unethical. I have been forced to give Value Village my $60 and they do not care whether the items they sell are good for their customers or not. The dresses are in the same condition I bought them in so I should be able to return for my money.

  Business response

  10/31/2022

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out, we know that trying on items is a part of your experience in our stores. Our exchange policy is 14 days on clothing and shoes to give you time to try on your items at home. The policy is communicated in a variety of ways to customers such as signage, receipts and team members. If you feel that you were provided inaccurate information regarding the policy, we can follow up with the store team and request a resolution. 

  We are sorry for any inconvenience regarding this policy and will share your feedback with store leadership.Thank you for being a valued customer.

• Initial Complaint

  10/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am a everyday customer at the ********************************************* in ************* md. I was kicked out of the store for complaining about employee theft to the store manager ******* complained 2 times and I was kicked out of the store and had the police called on me. The 2 managers at the store said I should not be kicked out and I am a good customer but because the store managers nephew works in the back where the theft is happening I was asked to leave the store. The officer who came out and talked to me said I should Call you guys the BBB and get the video footage from this webcams showing what the store employees said. This is my living and I come to this store and stand for hours a day and for me to be kicked out for the sole reason of employee theft is not ok. Im asking for someone to please help. I have a video from the merchandise that was stolen and replaced with train figures. I would like this to be justified. I have kids and a huge part of my income comes from the veirs mill store from buying and reselling.

  Business response

  10/12/2022

  Thank you for reaching out. Like many businesses, we sometimes make the tough decision to refuse service to patrons when there has been a situation of disruption for the business and operations, causing stress or upset to employees, contractors or other customers.It is in these circumstances where we instill a refusal of service or ban from our stores.
  After review of your case, we have determined that we will maintain the ban and trespass status for our Savers store indefinitely until future review. We will reach out to you if this situation changes or if there is an update.
  We understand this update can be disappointing, so we wanted to provide more context for the decision. Thank you for your understanding.

  Savers Customer Care

• Initial Complaint

  07/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Savers is infamous for selling fake counterfeit designer items. There has been several occasions where I will find fake Louis ******** fake coach, fake dooney. One example in particular is when they were selling a fake Louis ******* pochette bag, the multicolor monogram one, a collab with ******************************* priced for $25.

  Business response

  08/01/2022

  Hello thank you so much for your feedback regarding brand name items sold in our store. Our teams price between ***** - 10, 000 items per day and we do our best to be as accurate as possible but sometimes we make mistakes. If you see a counterfeit item priced as an authentic item in our stores or an item that *** have been priced incorrectly, please alert the management team who can assist you on the spot.

  Best,

  Savers | Value Village | Unique | Village des Valeurs

  Customer Care
  
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  06/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  -Signage needs to be updated as the pricing does not match the signage advertised overtop of the bookshelf. Books were marked as ***** and ***** etc. despite the large signage overtop the various book displays saying **** for any book with a cover price of ***** and up. I have seen this at various value villages in the ** lower mainland. Confusing for consumers and misleading.-Large signage saying *** Brothers is supported by Value Village (implying nonprofit for most people) with smaller lettering saying it is a for profit company. Misleading for most consumers.-Personal information from deceased people on clothing items (full legal names). In care homes the full name of someone is put on white tags and adhered to the inside the seam where anyone pricing would have to look to determine the correct size of the garment. These labels are put onto clothing to ensure the clothing returns to the resident after being laundered. These items should not be sold as an invasion of privacy AND potential for someone to exploit the information for fraud. I have brought this to the attention of value village managers but there needs to be a more coordinated effort on your company's part ie. education to store managers to ensure those processing the clothing discard any of these items that have personal information on them.-This is more of an observation but 30 per cent price increases across the board on free goods during times of economic struggles. Many people in the community who struggle with rising food costs and gas costs. What is the justification with the sharp price increases?

  Business response

  06/21/2022

  Thank you for reaching out regarding clarity of signage, how items are processed, and pricing.
  We strive to provide clarity to our customers on how pricing and our business model works. You can learn more about the relationship with our non-profit partners works on our website: https://www.valuevillage.ca/donate.
  Regarding personal items being processed, our team strives to filter out items that *** be in appropriate, however given they process thousands of items a day, some details *** be missed in the assessment. If you encounter any items that do not seem suitable to sell, please bring them to an attention of a manager. We will also share your feedback with our management teams to consider updates to our store environment on pricing and book signage. Thank you for being a valued customer.  

  Customer response

  06/21/2022

  Complaint: 17411009

  Hello I am rejecting because:

  -There is no action or mitigation in their response to the identified issues in my complaint. 

  -What is the corporate strategy to ensure signage at the store for books (in large display) represents the actual value of the item?  As you can see by the act there is a test to determine if vulnerable people would be affected.  Many vulnerable people shop at value village and can easily be confused by the signage and price discrepancy.  Have they sent a communication to all stores to remove the signage?  Why was this not completed or if it was how come stores are not compliant?

  -What is the corporate strategy (education in orientation to people pricing items) for disposal of any item with personal information?  A full legal name with a price beside it makes me wonder how  it could be missed.  As stated I have brought this to multiple stores attention and it persists.  Do they include this in their orientation and can demonstrate that?  Abdicating responsibility to a worker without providing how they mitigate this from a more standard approach is inadequate.  Personal information must be protected, especially as many can infer the person has passed away in a LTC home based on the tag design.  I have seen a resident's article of clothing in a local store a few weeks after she passed.  Fraud is one of the main concerns as we have seen with the **** issues.

  -I went to the link provided and there is no outline of how they support non-profits in our communities. It is very vague.  Do they have an ability to show that in fact they do?  Is this information available for public record.  Also the way the signage is created it has large lettering for the non-profit partnership and very small lettering saying they are a for profit coming.  It is confusing to say the least and I believe misleading.

  Per our ******** protection on misleading advertising:

  Competition Act of ******

  This legislation is the expression of a social purpose, namely the establishment of more ethical trade practices calculated to afford greater protection of the consuming public.  It represents the will of the people of ****** that the old maxim caveat emptor, let the purchaser beware, yield somewhat to the more enlightened view caveat venditor let the seller beware.
  (******** J., *********************-Palmolive **** (1970))
  ____________________
  The general impression test must be applied from a perspective similar to that of ordinary hurried purchasers, that is, consumers who take no more than ordinary care to observe that which is staring them in the face upon their first contact with an advertisement.  The courts must not conduct their analysis from the perspective of a careful and diligent consumer. In sum, it is clear that the general impression test is the impression of a commercial representation on a credulous and inexperienced consumer. courts view the average consumer as someone who is not particularly experienced at detecting the falsehoods or subtleties found in commercial representations.
  (***********************, ****************** Time, 2012

  In making the public interest determination, the Bureau considers a number of factors including: (i) whether there was substantial harm to consumers that could not adequately be dealt with by civil remedies; (ii) whether the deceptive practices targeted vulnerable groups; (iii) whether timely attempts were made to remedy the adverse effects of the conduct; and (iv) any evidence of similar conduct in the past.  ********** also considers certain mitigating factors, including whether a prosecution or conviction would be disproportionately harsh or oppressive and the existence of an effective compliance program.
  
  
  

   

   

   

   

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

  Customer response

  06/23/2022

  Hello,

   

  I want to amend my complaint as on closer look after it states it donates to charity on the link provided in their response.  In small lettering, which I missed so it shows how confusing it is, it states "Shopping at Value Village does not support any nonprofits". 

  We appreciate your generosity, kindness, and understanding that our Community Donation Center TM attendants may politely refuse items we are unable to accept on behalf of local nonprofits.

  Shopping at Value Village does not support any nonprofit

  Which is it? Do they or don't they.

  Business response

  07/25/2022

  Hi there - To further describe our business model, you can check it out on our website valuevillage.com. Basically accept donations on behalf of local nonprofit. We pay our non-profit partners for everything that is donated, based on weight or item category. Then items are put into the reuse cycle - either for sale in our stores or be repurposed in other ways.  Shopping at Value Village /Savers does not support any nonprofit.

  Hope this helps.

  Thank you!

  
  

  Customer response

  07/28/2022

   
  Complaint: 17411009
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  This business model is not provided on the website or instore. It should be made available for consumers to not co fuse them that their donations support non profits as that is not the case unless the donate directly to the non-profit. This is not outlined anywhere and I have only seen this information now, despite repeated requests. That does not reflect honest sales practices. Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  02/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Ni Ni

  Business response

  03/01/2022

  Hello and thank you for alerting us to this issue. Your feedback includes a mention of groceries, which we do not sell at our thrift stores. Please provide the details of which store you visited and we will be happy to investigate your concern. You can also reach us at ***************************************.

  Thank you for being a valued customer. 

  Best,

  ******************** | ******************** Customer Care

• Initial Complaint

  02/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  This is for the Value Village near the ***************** mall. Every time I have entered the store it seems as though one of the managers (I believe his name is *****) is screaming at someone about something, whether thats an employee or a customer. This has been on multiple occasions, with a variety of employees and customers. I also remember a separate manager, (***** or ******, something along those lines) making extremely transphobic remarks. Im not looking for any kind of compensation or anything of the sort, I just cant stand watching as nothing is done about horrible management.

  Business response

  02/23/2022

  ****** thank you for writing to us regarding your experience at our stores. We strive to have a safe, inclusive environment for all who work and visit our stores, and with that in mind, we'll be sharing your concerns with the management team of the store. 

  Customer response

  02/23/2022

   
  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

  11/06/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Purchased electronic items thats useless dont work and refused refund or exchange

  Business response

  11/09/2021

  Hello - Thank you for alerting us of this issue, we apologize for this poor experience. While we do not offer returns or exchanges on electronics, our policy regarding this should be prominently displayed to customers. If you feel that you were not made aware of this policy, please contact our ************* team at *************************************** or me directly at ********************************** with your receipt and we can issue you a gift card toward a future purchase. 

  Thank you for being a valued customer. 

  Best,

  *****************, Manager, Voice of the Customer Program
  ******************** | ******************** | ********************** | **********************
  T: ************ |**********************************

   

  Customer response

  11/09/2021

   
  Complaint: 16106408
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  due to the fact of me being unaware I need a refund no gift card ***** is too much to just give a business for items that are not working or unusable.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

*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. ↩