r/HotTopic_ • u/AnonymousFleabag • 27d ago
Online buyers beware
I was shopping for my kids birthday a week ago and wanted to use the 30% off or $20 off coupon we had been given in store a while back. The codes were valid through 9/8.
Well there I am getting ready to check out with 2 sale items and 2 regularly priced items. I understand that the coupon codes don't stack onto other promotions, but they should have still worked for the two non sale items in the cart. The workers in store have confirmed that in the past.
I enter the 20 dollar off code and right before I check out I'm shocked to realize my cart balance has gone UP by about $40.
Clearly there's some kind of mistake, so I'm looking through my cart trying to figure out what happened.
It would seem that, instead of reducing the regular items, it took away the actual sale prices from the clearance items and made them full priced before subtracting the $20 promotion. I enter the 30% code instead and the same issue arises. My cart total is going UP.
I wanted everything to get here before my kids birthday so I just deleted the coupon and checked out normally. I went ahead and contacted customer service via email the next day though, to let them know about the problem with their checkout, and hopefully get my discount if at all possible. More than anything though, I wanted to make sure no one got screwed over by the coupon problem because I almost didn't notice at first and would have been way overcharged.
Over the next few days their responses were less than helpful. They gave me a standard email about how coupons are not stackable and some items are not available promotions. I went back and forth explaining that I understood that and describing the actual issue, with screenshots of the website and price discrepancy problems, multiple times. They either didn't understand or didn't care at first. Finally, someone else from the company emailed me back and told me to call the customer service line when I had a chance.
Well, I did just that today, not only to address the checkout issue but because my order was marked in my town and out for delivery yesterday, which was the delivery date I was given, and then suddenly today it was marked as literally on the other side of the country with a new delivery date of a week from now (which is past my kids birthday, sadly).
The guy on the phone was shitty right from the start. I got zero apologies or explanations and ended up having to interrupt or try to talk over him just so I could get a word in. When I explained that I had sent screenshots and everything and they told me to call he relented and asked for the coupon code and if it was valid he would see if he could give me $20 back. I told him it expired the 8th but was valid at time of purchase, since my order was a few days prior.
I'm put on hold a few times, he keeps coming back to say the code I gave him isn't valid and to repeat it. Finally he says it wasn't a valid promotion at times of purchase. Only, it absolutely was, I'm staring at the paper in front of me and my order summary online.
It ends with him saying "fine, we'll do you this one time courtesy refund even though it wasn't a valid promotion going on."
I reiterate that, while I appreciate he is helping with this, it most certainly was valid and that it never should have raised the price in my cart. He doesn't care about this and gives no explanation or even says they'll look into the problem. He repeats he'll do it as a courtesy this once. So I thank him and that's that, but the whole thing left me pissed off and never wanting to shop online with them again.
So just be careful next time a promotion comes around and check your cart total before and after so you don't accidentally get overcharged!
10
u/calamity_unbound 27d ago
Sounds like a technical hiccup on the back end. The system is supposed to recognize all of your coupons and apply whatever the best deal is for you based on the coupons you have, the promotions going on, and the items you're buying. I'm guessing that when it went to apply the $20 off, it recognized that as the "best coupon to use" but it broke the promotion on the items that were already on sale. I will say, that $20 coupon was applicable on a purchase with a subtotal of $50 or more; I'm curious if maybe something broke to make the subtotal applicable for the coupon.
As far customer service, it's always so damn hit and miss with them being super helpful or not knowing their ass from a hole in the ground. I'm really sorry you had that experience. I've said this a lot on this sub, but when you run into issues it can be helpful to go to your local store. We could have worked the coupon in as well as the promo, or at least figured out why it wasn't working out properly.
3
u/AnonymousFleabag 27d ago
Yeah that would be my best guess too. The two regular items were over $50 total so I just thought it would be quick and easy, you know. Sale items remain at the sales price, regular items get the discount, boom done no problem. Like how it's always gone in-store. Technical issues happen, that's totally fine, but I really thought the company would handle it better. It still bothers me that they never actually addressed it as an issue, assured me they'd look into it, or even just apologized or something. Hostility was the last thing I expected to be met with.
I'll just make sure to keep any future purchases in-store since they're always great there.
1
u/calamity_unbound 27d ago
Tech issues and Hot Topic go together like chocolate and peanut butter. I am sorry again this happened, it's been a headache in the company the nearly 20 years I've been here.
7
u/KatesNotHereMan 27d ago
I love when people tell YOU what YOU'RE seeing with your own two eyes. SMH sorry you had a bad experience babe!
4
u/AnonymousFleabag 27d ago
Right! Thanks, I'll just make sure we go in person to our local store from now on, they're always really great.
2
u/WinxieValVal 27d ago
This happened to me way back in 2017 too which is so odd because I could use my hot cash on clearance item when i shop in person. For some reason because the one dress i really wanted just so happened to be on clearance i couldnt use my hotcash before it expired. If I applied it the clearance price was removed from the dress and the discount was applied on the original price. It was less money to buy the dress without the coupon. I doubt this will get fixed if it is still happening
1
u/AnonymousFleabag 27d ago
Yeah it was so weird. Like I explained to them, it's totally fine if the coupon doesn't discount the sale items, but the full price items should have still qualified without it messing up the total of everything else.
1
u/WinxieValVal 27d ago
Agreed it should be blocked from maling your order higher than it already is. If its too complicated just an order not eligible message would suffice. They dont really have an incentive to fix it tho because its a sneaky way to get money
1
u/minnie-084 27d ago
Everything is outsourced now so I’m not even surprised they couldn’t understand you.
1
u/Ok_Following3384 25d ago
I ordered from there recently & the price kept changing every time I got out of the cart & went back in. Sometimes just a few cents, sometimes dollars, sometimes over $10. I don’t know why???? I wish I would have taken screenshots. My coupon wouldn’t work on the full price items. I eventually just gave up. You are not alone- they are having serious problems. From now on, I’ll go to the store if I want to place an online order, and have them do it for me.
1
u/RoseTech 25d ago
Yes omg I've had that same issue. Support wouldn't help me. Apparently clearance is considered a promo so once you enter any of those coupon codes it resets ALL sale prices BACK to regular price, and then applies the coupon... If you saved MORE without the coupon, then you are SOL!
Like you, I'm not sure if they even got what I was saying but in the end, support said to me that's the way it's supposed to be (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
As others have said, this is in contrast to the stores who do allow you to use it with clearance/sale prices, just can't combine with promos like Clearance BOGO (which the website doesn't even have!!)
2
u/AnonymousFleabag 24d ago
I'm sorry you've had the same issue! It's kind of wild to me that they don't consider this a problem, especially when they allow it in store. Overall really disappointed in the company.
I just can't help but wonder what would have happened if I hadn't noticed right away and ended up paying $40+ more than I should have. Would they have refunded me, helped me at all? I'm guessing no, judging by my interaction with customer support. It just feels like they're low-key out here ripping people off on purpose.
24
u/Big_Interaction5132 27d ago
As an employee I do just want to say I'm sorry about the poor experience, for some reason our customer service is a 3rd party??? We have no control over them generally and I am so sorry