‘They’re basically robbing people’: Shopper issues warning about Saks Fifth Avenue after they rejected her return

A woman recently sparked discussion on TikTok after urging her audience not to shop at Saks Fifth Avenue.

In her video, which has garnered over 500,000 views, TikTok user Brittany O'Brien (@brittanypaigedesigns) recounts her ordeal with the department store when trying to return a dress.

“Do not shop at Saks Fifth Avenue,” O'Brien begins. “There is something extremely fishy going on with Saks, and they're basically robbing people and scamming people left and right.”

Saks Fifth Avenue refuses O'Brien's dress return 

The TikToker explains that she was shopping for a dress for her sister’s wedding. When she came across a “$700 Roy Brook” dress on the Saks Fifth Avenue website, O'Brien decided to “splurge” and order it to try it on. 

“When it came, I tried it on in my apartment for maybe five minutes,” she recounts. “Ultimately, I decided to go with another dress that I ordered from somewhere else.”

O'Brien says she packed the dress and immediately returned it. However, a month later, she received the same dress back in the mail.

“I had been waiting for my money back, but I know that they take a very long time to actually refund you,” O'Brien explains. “So when I got this in the mail, I was like, ‘Wait, what's going on?’”

O'Brien then says she contacted Saks Fifth Avenue customer support to find out what was going on. “The agent told me that the return was rejected because it had deodorant stains and odor and looked worn,” she states. 

However, upon “investigating” the dress together with her mom, O'Brien says there was “nothing wrong with it.” 

Customer support then allegedly requested that O'Brien send photos of the item, which she promptly did. In the video, the TikToker included images of the dress, showing no visible deodorant stains and appearing to be in perfect condition. Despite this, her return was denied once again.

“They email me back and they say that due to deodorant stains and body odor, they will not be accepting the return,” O'Brien Says. 

The TikToker shares more troubling details

The TikToker called customer support again, but continued to encounter resistance. She said agents claimed they “don’t have the authority” to issue a refund. O'Brien did mention that one of the agents was kind to her, despite the issue remaining unresolved.

O'Brien also shares another negative experience she had with the store.

“I had purchased two other dresses before… and tried those on and returned them and it took 60 days for me to get my money back,” she recounts, adding that their return policy is 30 days.

"I thankfully did get the refund on those other dresses, but this one, I just have a bad feeling about it,” she adds. 

Lastly, O'Brien says other people in her close circle have also had negative experiences with the store. 

“One friend purchased a Gucci wallet for her husband for Christmas and they sent her a lesser-value wallet,” she says. “They wouldn't take the return.”

“They are robbing people, they are scamming people,” the TikToker concludes. “I am warning you if you are looking to make an expensive purchase or really any purchase, do not purchase anything from Saks.”

What’s happening with Saks Fifth Avenue returns?

O'Brien isn’t the only Saks Fifth Avenue customer complaining about their return policy. 

For instance, Saks Fifth Avenue holds a 1.1/5 rating on TrustPilot, based on reviews from 870 users. 

Many users complain about their return and refund policy. One wrote, “I was sent the wrong item and am now four weeks waiting for my $2,000 refund. This company should be put out of business. I am also filing a consumer affairs complaint against them.”

Similarly, the store has a 1/5 rating on Consumer Affairs, and 3/5 on Yelp, where thousands of commenters complain about issues with refunds and returns. Some said they encountered problems even when receiving the wrong items. 

According to the Saks Fifth Avenue official website, the store “accept returns via mail or in-store.” The site does note, however, that returned items must be in the same condition as when sold.

“Returns that do not meet these criteria will not be accepted and will be sent back to you with an explanation," the site states.

Commenters have similar stories

In the comments, users echoed O'Brien's feelings about the store and shared their similar experiences with Saks Fifth Avenue. 

“The same thing happened to me!” shared one user. “But karma eventually caught up to them when I bought a $130 bracelet that was on sale and they sent me a $2k bracelet instead.”

“I’m literally going through this right now,” recounted another. “A $1,200 dress I returned a month ago they ‘Can’t find the return and are opening a case.’”

“The same EXACT thing happened to me with a very expensive dress also for a wedding,” wrote a third. “Tried it on like you for five minutes and went through the whole ordeal you went through.”

@brittanypaigedesigns @Saks Fifth Avenue You should be ashamed of yourselves. you’re robbing customers #saksfifthavenue #saks ♬ original sound - Brittany Paige

The Daily Dot has reached out to Brittany Paige via email and Instagram direct message. We’ve also reached out to Saks Fifth Avenue via email. 

Important update to the story

In an e-mail exchange with the Daily Dot, O’Brien shared updates on the situation with Saks Fifth Avenue, following the engagement her viral TikTok video received.

When asked if there had been any updates since the video, O’Brien wrote she expects a full refund from the store.

"On Friday afternoon, I was contacted by a representative who works for the Saks executive team seeking to help me get a refund. She assured me that she would personally be handling the case and provided me with a return FedEx label,” the TikToker wrote. “I am unsure if they reached out because of my claim with the Better Business Bureau, the viral TikTok video, or a combination of both."

O’Brien also revealed that others with similar experiences had reached out after the video went viral. "Besides the hundreds of comments of people saying they had the exact same or similar experience as me, I have had several private messages from people explaining in-depth their negative experience with Saks,” she said.

In response to whether they plan to take further action if Saks denies the refund, the source expressed broader concerns about Saks’ practices.

"People should not have to get a video to go viral in order to get a refund from a retailer," she wrote. "From the hundreds of comments from people claiming the exact situation happened to them, it is clear that my situation is not an isolated incident but rather part of larger fraudulent business practices from Saks."

Saks responds to our request for comment

A Saks spokesperson also responded to the Daily Dot via email. "Across the retail industry, there has been an increase in online fraud, particularly related to returns. As such, we have added more rigorous steps in our return process, including additional quality checking and stronger authentication," the spokesperson wrote.

"In some instances, this has unfortunately resulted in longer than expected return processing times," they continued. "Our top priority is ensuring our customers enjoy the luxury shopping experience ... and we will continue to take steps to improve our processes moving forward.”

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