Customer service is slipping at Kohl’s

In a previous post, I commended Kohl’s for making things right when a Christmas shipping snafu led to the delayed arrival of my sister’s Christmas gift. Unfortunately, it seems that snafu was the start of a trend for Kohl’s. Since then, two more orders I’ve placed have not gone well, either.

On Dec. 21, I placed an order for three sweaters and a tank top, taking advantage of some great pre-Christmas prices. According to the Kohl’s order status system, my order should have arrived by January 6. On January 7, I clicked the “tracking” link in my order status, and it showed Fedex had received shipping information for these items on Dec. 27, but the log reflected no other activity. Kohl’s simply showed the order as “shipped.”

I called Kohl’s on January 7 to inquire as to whether the items had truly shipped. This was my first experience using Kohl’s telephone-based customer service. My call was answered promptly by a pleasant customer service representative, and I explained the situation. She asked if I had contacted Fedex about the order, and I said “no.” I told her if I called Fedex, they’d probably tell me what I could see on the screen: that the company received shipment information for the order but apparently never picked it up. She offered to cancel the order, issue a refund and then reorder for me at the same price any items that were still available from my order. Two of the items were still available, and one sweater showed online availability in a different color. Unfortunately, while I could see the sweater online in a different color, the representative’s system did not reflect this availability. So, I was only able to reorder two of the items. Ironically, I had applied to this order my $25 Kohl’s credit from its Christmas-time apology to me; I was told this amount would be credited to my credit card.

During that same phone call, I brought up a problem with an order I’d placed on Dec. 26. This order contained a pair of shoes and a pair of pants. I had received the pants, but not the shoes. On Dec. 29, Kohl’s sent me an email indicating it had cancelled the shoes from my order, but the order status on Kohl’s.com showed as “partially shipped,” making me thing maybe the company intended to send the shoes when they were back in stock. The representative confirmed the shoes had been cancelled automatically by the ordering system because they were no longer available. It is frustrating that the system did not know at the time of my order that the shoes were not available. Then, I could have spent those 11 days between the order date and the day I confirmed the order status looking for a replacement pair of shoes.

Overall, I had a good experience with the Kohl’s customer service representative who assisted me with these two problems. The call took 20 minutes, and the representative was very polite throughout the experience.

I hope my three most recent Kohl’s orders are not a sign of things to come and only represent a string of bad luck for Kohl’s. The company should improve its ordering system to prevent orders for out-of-stock merchandise and to alert customer service staff when an order is scheduled for shipment but never shipped.

What have your recent shopping experiences at Kohl’s been like?

Promo codes and other discounts for Mother’s Day gifts and more

You have eight shopping days left until Mother’s Day, so now’s the time to start looking for the perfect item to bring a smile to your mom’s face.  It’s also a good time to take advantage of sales, promo codes and shipping specials being offered by a variety of retailers. Check out these offers:

You can get $40 worth of flowers or gifts for $20 with this FTD offer from Groupon. If your mom doesn’t like flowers, you can use it for another special occasion, because it doesn’t expire until Sept. 10. You can buy up to two of these deals. Be sure to visit the FTD website before purchasing to confirm FTD delivers to the recipient’s ZIP code.

Take an extra 20 percent off your purchase at Kohl’s online with promo code FF20MAY. You can also get 99-cent shipping per item or free shipping on purchases of $75 or more.

Bed, Bath & Beyond is offering free shipping on a variety of items, including silicone prep bowls, silver-plated photo frames, bath salts and wall art.

If your mother likes to read, take advantage of a 15 percent discount online at Barnes & Noble. Use promo code K4H4K9L.

If you’re planning a group gift for Mother’s Day or splurging on an item for mom or yourself, you can save 15 percent at Meijer.com when you spend $125 or more. Use promo code COUPON. Gift options include jewelry, clothing and electronics.

Would new window coverings make mom’s day? Get 30 percent off and free shipping through Sunday, May 6 when you shop online with Select Blinds. No coupon code is required.

Does your mom have a fondness for things that sparkle? Get $100 worth of jewelry for $50 at Blue Nile with this Living Social Deal. Act now–the offer ends Monday.

Another Living Social deal offers you a two-year subscription to a variety of women’s magazines for just $7.

Finally, get bubble bath, fragrance mists, candles and other items 20 percent off at Bath & Body Works when you use promo code BathBodyGarden.

What gift will your mom receive on Sunday, May 13?

Check out this week’s promo codes and online deals

Web shoppers can take advantage of several sales and discounts this week:

Use promo code L9P9M4A to get 15 percent off one item at Barnes & Noble through April 8.

Enter code “BLUESKY” to add a 15 percent discount to your total purchase at Meijer.

Take 20 percent off your purchase at Kohl’s with promo code “SPRING2SAVE.”

Get 26 percent cash back on Magazines.com purchases when you shop through Ebates.com. Other Ebates deals this week include 15 percent off Easter bouquets from Teleflora, along with 20 percent cash back. Use code “Ebatesae112” to take 40 percent off one item at Joann’s fabric and craft store, plus get 5 percent cash back by starting your shopping at the Ebates website.

Ebates: an easy way to get extra cash back when shopping online

One of my favorite ways to save money on online purchase is through Ebates, a website that gives you cash back on all purchases initiated through its website. When shopping, just go to Ebates, then use the search box or retail categories to find the store where you want to make a purchase. Click the link provided, and you’re done! Ebates sends you to your destination website and initiates a “tracking ticket” that automatically notifies Ebates of your purchase amount at the chosen store. Ebates converts a percentage of your purchase into a cash rebate, then sends your accumulated rebates to you on a quarterly basis. You can get your cash deposited into your PayPal account, request a check for your earnings or give the money to a charity or family member.

Cash back amounts range from 1 percent to 25 percent and are available at hundreds of stores and service providers, including Petsmart, Target, Kohl’s, Barnes and Noble, Toys R Us, Shutterfly, Travelocity, Nordstrom, Teleflora, Crate and Barrel and Vera Bradley. Ebates also gives you coupon codes that can help you save more money on your purchase when entered on the retailer’s website.

Membership in Ebates is free. Just fill out the simple registration form, and start shopping. Right now, Ebates is offering you a free gift card for a major retailer just for signing up.

Keep a few tips in mind to make the most of your Ebates experiences:

• Make your purchase only in the retailer window opened by Ebates. If you accidentally close it, go back to Ebates and link to the website again to open another tracking ticket. Unless you go through Ebates to get to your store’s website, you won’t earn any cash back.

• Take advantage of Ebates for big purchases you would normally make in a local store. For example, when if you’re buying a new appliance, buy it through the Lowe’s, Sears or Home Depot website. Purchase a new computer from Best Buy, Dell, HP, OfficeMax and other retailers to rack up more bucks. You can earn substantial cash back on large purchase like these and still apply any discount coupons you have for the retailer.

• Ebates offers special promotions that increase the percentage of cash back available at select retailers. If there’s an item you aren’t in a hurry to purchase, monitor the cash back percentage to get the most bang for your buck. The Web site also offers a “daily double” feature on its home page that double the cash back for a different retailer each day.