No longer on the Cusp
So I have a question…is it unreasonable to expect that a $100 sweater will last more than 30 days? I’m pretty sure the answer is no, however, the manager at what used to be one of my favorite stores thinks otherwise.
About a month ago I walked in to Cusp in Century City and bought this sweater:
I LOVE this sweater – the perfect length, the perfect fit – but after wearing it just a few times it developed a hole in the collar. So Maya and I traipsed down to the mall to do an exchange. Have I mentioned how much I hate returning things? I’d rather clean the kitchen floor. Or do laundry. Or at the very least practice Maya’s “N’s.”
Allow me to bore you with a recap of my conversation with the manager:
Manager – Did you wear this?
Me – Yes, numerous times.
Manager – Did it rip because it caught on your necklace?
Me – No because I haven’t worn it with a necklace.
Manager (in a very irritated tone) – Well there is no guarantee this won’t happen again and we don’t normally take things back after 30 days. (Manager’s dramatic sigh #1) But I guess I can do an exchange. It’ll be a final sale.
Me – I’m confused…this sweater is only about 35 days old. Do you not think a $100 sweater should last more than 35 days?
Manager – I bought $400 shoes last weekend and they already broke. I am having to pay out of my own pocket to get them fixed. So take that as you will.
I had several thoughts at this point…why are you paying $400 for shoes? And why are you not returning them if they broke? And how is that relevant to what I’m trying to do right now? But what I really said is, “Okay, if you think it will happen again I will take a store credit and get something else.”
Manager – Well you’ll need to purchase something right now because like I said, it will be final sale.
Me – I don’t have the ability to shop properly with my daughter with me so I need to come back. Can I get a gift card?
Manager – Sorry but you have to purchase something now.
Me – Look, I am an excellent, long-time customer of your store…I just bought Tory Burch shoes from here a few weeks ago. I am really surprised at the service I am receiving right now.
Manager – (Manager’s dramatic sigh #2). Fine. I guess you can get a gift card. This time.
Several slams of the cash register (manager), dramatic sighs #3 & #4 (manager), and several more white hairs later (me) I left the store with my $100 gift card and no desire to return. I wonder if Neiman-Marcus knows or cares that its little offshoot is treating their customers like S@#$ for trying to do a legitimate exchange. Also, am I just nuts or should I have received an apology instead of grief for the sweater being defective in the first place? This experience only reinforces why I hate shopping and especially hate returning things.
And (sorry for the conjunction) on top of it all I miss my sweater.
While I'm not going to win Mother/Wife of the Year Award anytime soon, I haven't killed anyone yet or shot myself in the head. And that, my friends, is how I calculate success these days. 
FANCY THAT FANCY THIS 
That is a very nice sweater, but not worth it for $100 if it’s gonna rip in 35 days. And what snotty attitude!
But it made for a good laugh…sorry at your expense!
oh, that is a pretty sweater. but yeah, if it rips after only 35 days (wow, that’s a good argument against the 30 day warranty, i have never thought of that. haha.), it’s so not worth it. the experience sounds funny in retrospect though.
WHAT A BI%#H lol excuse my language but come on!!!!! im SO sorry you had to deal with that. but damn i was cheering over here at the way u handled it. boo yah sista!
xoxo ❤
Never go back and tell everyone about the crappie customer service. Go and do a review on every website that does reviews of the store.
Or as my mellow 40 year old self would say, forget about it and chalk it up to her being a very unhappy person because she(Insert problem). Life is too short to be irritated with her.
i am shocked – SHOCKED! neiman-marcus is supposed to have a great return policy, but i guess their babies don’t. boo.
That sucks, as does the really bad customer service. You should write to their customer service department. Sometimes that can do the trick.
Have a wonderful weekend.
*kisses* HH
Umm yeah, you are totally NOT unreasonable for expecting that sweater to last longer than 35 days. For that much money, I’d expect it to last a lifetime. Or close. Rude manager!!!
Neiman-Marcus probably does not know, and you should let them know! This is ridiculous! I am happy you returned it – I would have too (and the shoes for that matter!).
Oh wow… that’s top notch bitchiness right there… I cannot believe the attitude!
I’m not a huge fan of returning things either, just because I’m always afraid of encounters such as this!
I’d write a strongly worded letter. Or email them a link to your blog. 😉
wow. that is ridiculous. i totally wouldn’t shop there anymore!
it is a cute sweater, but doesnt sound like its worth shopping there anymore–products look to be no good and service looks to be even worse!
the manager needs a slap!
for sure!
good for you for sticking to your guns
maybe a much better sweater will come your way!
I hate sales representatives like that. Especially as a manager she should be doing everything she can so you want to come back.
I recently had an experience like that too. I bought some jeans from Express and I didn’t try on one of the pairs because it was the same style of the other pair I tried on but a different wash. So I exchanged them. Then, I decided I didn’t care for them because they just looked funny on me so I wanted to return them. This all happened over a 2 week span. I had the tags on the jeans still, but they wouldn’t take them back. Apparently the cashier who did the exchange didn’t give me a receipt to verify I got the new item…only that I returned the other one. So the manager was claiming I was trying to return a pair of pants I didn’t pay for. Those $120 pants are still in my closet. And I will never shop at Express again.
Tina-I also stopped shopping at Express because I hated the attitude of the sales reps even though I loved the pants for work. I now buy work slacks at The Limited. I like the fit better, they are more affordable, and they give a discount to teachers and students!
Yes – for 100 bucks better quality and service are not unrealistic expectations. I’d rather go to Eileen Fisher then.
I hate hate hate stuff like that! UGH. I would have cried if the manager spoke to me like that, seriously. I would think a nice store like Neimen’s would treat you better! I’m big on returning things that don’t work out, and it embarrasses my boyfriend to no end. But I want to get what I paid for and I have a hard time accepting that sometimes I can’t. Good for you to stand up for yourself! Are you going to e-mail corporate?
I actually did email corporate since so many people suggested doing it. Lets see what happens…I don’t expect much!
Thank you for my comment!! I was so surprised to see someone had read my blog! I am sorry about the sweater situation, there is just know customer service these days!
Sucha cute sweater too 😦 Too bad.
Oh my, what an insane experience that is.
The sweater is gorgeous.
I haven’t bought a new clothing item in over a year, so if I buy something, it has to last.
That must have been frustrating.
yeesh, terrible customer service! you should report her! the customer is always right, especially when you are in fact, well, right!
I’ve been so conscious of bad customer service lately, and I thought it was just me. I stayed at a hotel last weekend and I asked the front desk for directions avoiding a highway because there was an accident causing major traffic. The guy was like “I don’t even know where that street is,” and I thought, shouldn’t you be apologizing or pointing me in the direction to someone who knows?
It seems like everyone in customer service is unapologetic, rude, and they really don’t care if you come back. It’s rare when you do actually receive good service. It makes me want to send a universal memo reminding people to say “please,” “thank you,” and “sorry.” It’s common sense!!
As someone who used to work in retail (about 2 1/2 years) I can’t believe that manager!! I worked at a Talbots so our clientele was mainly older, well off women. We would have crazies come in with dry cleaning bills and ask us to reimburse them because they spilled marinara sauce on a blouse! And you know what? We DID. I couldn’t believe it sometimes, but in the end, our good customer service made those women happy, and when customers are happy, they will come back to the store and spend lots of money! My manager always told us at staff meetings that a happy customer tells a one friend about a good experience, but an unhappy customer tells ten. I guess thats true in your case too!
Bottom line – customers come first. No matter what that manager was dealing with personally, she should have checked her attitude at the door and focused on making her customer happy because that is what makes a store successful.
I hate when people are jerks like that. I mean really, its not like you were being unrealistic. When I worked in retail I had a customer try and return something after a year with no receipt. HER I was mean to. You I wouldnt have been 🙂
So far you have 18 comments. Don’t you think Cusp would rather 19 of us hear about the great service you got and plan on going there ourselves? Instead, I’ll never shop there. Poor customer service is such a huge pet peeve of mine. It can make or break a sale for me regardless of the product’s quality. You’re rightfully annoyed!
I guess someone is PMS-ing!! LOL. What good way to scare off customers. I wonder how she got the job as manager? You’d think that expensive clothing would last longer, but I guess not. I’m glad you handled that well.
I’m such a wimp when it comes to returning things. I would almost rather fork out another $100 for a new sweater (which is gorgeous, by the way) than have to deal with the grief of returning something. That manager was particularly rude, though, especially considering you’ve been a good customer. Glad everything worked out for you.
Wow. I’ve heard of WALMART being more gracious than this about returning broken purchases. Good for you for standing your ground!
OK sad day that customer service is not what it should be – I mean what a rip off!
Also, unrelated but I had a dream I met you in real life (is this weird or what) and you kept telling me how much you liked my hair – lol 🙂
that service = disgusting. i’m sorry! it really is a beautiful sweater. and please come up here soon so we can go to Dosa 🙂
I would never shop there again + I would write a letter to her boss. I hope you jotted down her name. How very rude of her to treat you like that.
What a bitch. I would do as others have suggested and write a letter to her boss, she was totally out of line. You’re paying that much money for quality and quality things are supposed to last, not fall apart in barely a month.
Sorry about your sweater. 😦
Congrats on not slapping her. I definitely would have! So rude.
Sorry about your sweater.
What the beck? Good gracious, what a turd for a manager. I’m sorry you had to go through that (although I did chuckle once or twice at your description). I hate returning stuff, too. It seems like such a waste of time. Better luck next time!
That’s so rude! I’m thinking a $100 sweater should last for life. You sounded like you handled it well though. I probably would have been really immature and started arguing
Ew, what an awful experience…and a bitch of a manager. I get very irritated with bad service. This return scenario is why Lawrence only shops at Nordstrom. He read once that someone returned a tire there. A tire! And, yes, a $100 sweater should last at least 5 years. It’s a cute sweater, by the way!
Poor customer service makes me so mad! I hate when they make me feel like I am the one who should be embarrassed…that is why I rarely return anything. I feel shame, and then I feel stupid for feeling shame, because isn’t it normal to want the things you buy to actually work/not break/not rip? But I digress.
It is a cute sweater…but that manager is an a-hole.
Ditto. Sigh!
I would be SOOOO upset on SOOOO many levels. I also would probably be spineless and do nothing.
So, good for you! Despite the shoddy service and sub-par attitude, I’m so glad that you demanded something back.
I also can’t imagine buying $400 shoes that would break a week or month later. That is insane.
Okay, I swear I just left a comment but it didn’t take.
Anyway, I commend you on being civil AND demanding something for the sweater. I’m always pretty spineless about things like that, so good for you!
And as far as $400 shoes that break within a week or month… I can’t imagine what I would do! I certainly wouldn’t shrug and just accept it.
I have to admit that I would totally write a letter. I have a friend who does that all the time, and she usually a. feels better and b. gets something (not that it’s always that she wants something, in fact she usually doesn’t, but she does feel that it is her right as a consumer).
what the heck kind of service was that? good for you for standing up for yourself and showing Maya not to let people push you around like that! i think all stores and restaurants should have a “how was your shopping/eating experience” comment card. especially car dealerships haahaa.
You’re lucky you got a gift card (eventually). A mall I visited wouldn’t let me return or exchange a pair of my husband’s shoes that broke after the first wear… I was trying to return it only 4 days later. They simply said, “he’s worn it, we can’t sell it to anyone else now and it is not a “company defect”, so we can’t send it back to the parent company”. Sigh!
Oh my God! That lady treated you horribly!!!
Ooops… I meant to continue from there.
That crazy lady obviously has her own issues and was taking them out on you. How sucky! I admire you for keeping your cool. Way to go!
wow! i can’t believe how rude that manager was! geez. i’m sorry that happened and even sorrier you had to give up the cute sweater. you just reminded me of one of the reasons i don’t mind living in the south, hehe 🙂
Just found your blog after running a Google search for bad customer service from CUSP. It seems like I’m not alone! In this case, I ordered items online, but didn’t receive an email verification, leaving me to wonder if the order had gone through (I checked my spam folder multiple times)
Then I decided to return several items, but again did not receive a refund or an email stating my package had been received. Finally, a month after I shipped the items (well within their 30 day return policy) I called to ask what happened. They said they received the items but will not be refunding me, and that the items will be shipped back to me. Umm, there was a reason I returned them…
Anyways, there was no change to the situation even after the customer rep talked to her manager, so I’m forced to dispute the charges through my credit card. I’m going to avoid all Neiman Marcus stores from now on. Neiman Marcus, CUSP, Last Call…
I’m so sorry you had issues with Cusp too! I’m not sure what their problem is? I hope that your credit card company is able to dispute this on your behalf.
Their selection is top notch…that’s what makes it even sadder that I don’t want to shop there any more!