Catherine's

I placed an order on December 17th for a coat from Catherines as a gift. I received 40% off by signing up for emails but paid $13.98 shipping. The order confirmation arrived with a "free shipping" offer if I joined their VIP program, which stated I'd receive this free shipping in the form of a rebate within 3 weeks. This language misled me to expect money back. Emailing customer service proved unhelpful with vague, inadequate responses over 11 days and 14 messages. Their online chat vanished after one attempt.

The coat was the wrong size, requiring exchange. Lacking a packing slip initially complicated this. Exchanging online meant returning through Happy Returns, getting store credit, losing my discount, and re-purchasing the product at full price as well as paying another shipping charge. Only by calling them did I finally get a paid return label to hopefully enable an equal exchange, which I was assured of. However, this exchange process also supposedly takes 3 weeks.

Today I learned the "free shipping rebate" would arrive in the form of a January 15th gift card applied to my rewards account, not money. Their documentation severly lacks clarity on this. After replying I wouldn't shop there again and that I needed this to be a monetary refund, I was denied, being told "we do not send our members money."

I find the handwritten forms and weeks-long wait for exchanges and refunds unacceptable in 2023. The limited and unsatisfactory return options through Happy Returns are ridiculous. I can pay a $10.99 fee to return the item for credit to my credit card. Or I can return it for free for a store credit I won't ever use.

My dissatisfaction is fueled by numerous negative online reviews exposing questionable Catherines business practices. I've submitted this to the BBB and also posted on their Facebook page, trying to warn people to never shop here.

Jul 2: I am very dissatisfied with the shirts I ordered Jun 13. After I washed them they look terrible. The sleeve and bottom hems are no longer smooth. They are twisty and wrinkled. I tried ironing them out, but made no difference. For $30 each I expected better quality. I would like to return both t-shirts and get a full refund. I don't want replacements as the replacements will probably be just as bad. Didn't reply until Jun 13. Their answer: Thank you for reaching out to us. We would like to apologize that we did not meet your expectations. Rest assured that the unpleasant experience you had is not indicative of the level of service we strive to provide to all our customers. Your complete satisfaction is our #1 priority. We'd like to thank you for your patience and understanding and hope that you'll give us the opportunity to improve upon our previous performance. Sadly, we would not be able to provide resolve due the order being past this 30-day time frame. Please refer to our Return Policy below:
All unworn, unwashed, or defective merchandise may be exchanged for FREE as long as they are delivered to our fulfillment center within 30 days from the ship date (excludes items shipped directly from 3rd party brands, items purchased through Amazon/Walmart/eBay or using PayPal). We are happy to process a FREE exchange for a new size, color, or different item. If you would prefer to return the item, all unworn, unwashed, or defective merchandise can be returned within 30 days from the date of shipment for a refund of the purchase price (excluding shipping and prepaid return label charges). **All orders are final after 30 days from the date of shipment. **
Sent another e-mail Jul 14:
I SHOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MERCHANDISE THAT IS WASHED ONCE IS DEFECTIVE! I PURCHASED THE 2 SHIRTS IN QUESTION JUNE 13. I STARTED CONVERSATION REGARDING THE DEFECTIVE T-SHIRTS ON JULY 2. NOW YOU SAY I AM PAST THE 30 DAYS. NOT TRUE! WHY WOULD I EXCHANGE FOR ANOTHER SIZE WHEN THE SAME THING WOULD HAPPEN?

I AM ASKING YOU TO REFUND THE COST OF THE 2 T-SHIRTS.

This website SUCKS BIG TIME! They sign up emails like spammers, don't first verify with one email to see of they have the correct email so not to put a wrong address on their mailing! Jesus, I am so ticked off with this nutjob store! Some plus size old lady used my email address to sign up for their mailings, and she was wrong and rude to do that. I am a teenage male, not a plus size cross dresser. Hey, if that's your thing, so-be-it, but don't just add me to your list! THEN, THIS AZZHAT WEBSITE WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO UNSUBSCRIBE WITH IT'S TRICKERY, AND THE FACT IT SEEMS TO WANT MY NAME/ADDRESS/ORDER NUMBER. So incredibly rude and ignorant that I cannot unsubscribe, so I did an online chat where the lady said she'd take care of it but failed to do so. Two-and-a-half weeks later, I still cannot unsubscribe so do another online chat. That lady also said she will take care of it. She also said she is sorry to see me go without as much as asking why I wanted to unsubscribe, so I volunteer why and she is that ignorant that she thinks an 17 year old male should still want to receive unwanted emails for fat lady clothes. Come on, I ma a kid who did not ask for these emails I was polite at first and asked to be unsubscribed, but the online ladies thinkthat I should be joyed to receive their mailings, and to that I say WTF! You people are messed up., NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!

Hola soy una clienta nueva de la tienda de Catherine's Fashion y estoy muy a gusto con el servicio y la ayuda telefónica que recibí cuando hice el pedido a travez de la página Web.La señora Adriana y su colega han tenido mucha paciencia con migo después que cambie el pedido.Estoy muy agradecida por el apoyo después de mi operación respecto a las indicaciones de cómo usar las fajas durante el proceso de recuperación.Les recomiendo a todos ustedes esta tienda y les deseo una buena recuperación.Gracias amablemente Yumi

IF you have shopped a Catherines or maybe one of the sisters - check your credit card statement. They have been charging my almost 17 dollars every month for a free shipping program I do not recall agreeing to. I only buy from there 1 or 2 times per year - some years not at all - why would I agree to pay almost $200 a year to get free shipping that would cost about $60 max?