Macy's

[Meadbh]

This week I had a bad shopping experience. I will be attending a wedding in the U.S. this Fall and wanted to purchase gifts for the happy couple from their registry. I made my choices from the online registry, and then phoned Macy's International Orders desk, because the website only works if you are in the U.S. Macy's was unable to process my order after almost an hour working with two agents. At that point I had read, spelt out, corrected and double checked every piece of information several times. One of the difficulties was that the agents believed that British Columbia was a country. They couldn't find it on their list of countries.

After wasting some time on a geography lesson, I realized that the task of processing an order from Canada was beyond the capabilities of Macy's agents. I eventually called it a day after 56 minutes on the phone, and shopped elsewhere. Funnily enough, I had a similar experience with Macy's about 10 years ago, involving a baby gift. I was living in a different part of Canada at that time. I recall the agent saying that "we are not set up to take orders from Canadian customers". Well fine. Macy's got a second chance and screwed up again. They just lost my business for ever, even if I am in NYC and shopping in person.

Of course the exchange rate meant that I spent more than I had planned. Oh well, it's family.

 

[Texas Proud]

I do not know why you are so upset at a company that does not do business in your country not having a system to do business with someone from your country...


If I wanted to buy something from a Canadian company and they told me I could not... well, so be it...


Then again, losing you as a customer will not break the bank... you do live in Canada, so how much could you have bought? I am sure some bad press might affect some, but probably not....

 

[Meadbh]

I do not know why you are so upset at a company that does not do business in your country not having a system to do business with someone from your country...


If I wanted to buy something from a Canadian company and they told me I could not... well, so be it...


Then again, losing you as a customer will not break the bank... you do live in Canada, so how much could you have bought? I am sure some bad press might affect some, but probably not....

I am upset because (a) I was unable to purchase the gifts that I wanted to give; (b) this company puts itself out there as welcoming international orders; and (c) I wasted so much time with incompetent staff. I abhor incompetence.

I am quite aware that sales to international customers are a small component of their market, a niche which they clearly don't give a damn about. End of rant.

 

[braumeister]

One of the difficulties was that the agents believed that British Columbia was a country.

Sure, but at least they tried, because British Columbians probably speak a variety of English.

Imagine if you were talking about New Mexico. In that country, I'm pretty sure they speak a different language entirely.

 

[Texas Proud]

I am upset because (a) I was unable to purchase the gifts that I wanted to give; (b) this company puts itself out there as welcoming international orders; and (c) I wasted so much time with incompetent staff. I abhor incompetence.

I am quite aware that sales to international customers are a small component of their market, a niche which they clearly don't give a damn about. End of rant.

I have zero knowledge of their intentions.... but in your first post you said that they said to you....

"we are not set up to take orders from Canadian customers".


​

I took that to mean they were NOT welcoming international orders... also, since you could not complete the transaction on their web, I would also assume they are not welcoming international orders.... (then again, maybe it is only Canada they do not want to sell.... jk)...


Agree that if they cannot do it, they should have been able to tell you much sooner than an hour...

 

[Meadbh]

I have zero knowledge of their intentions.... but in your first post you said that they said to you....

"we are not set up to take orders from Canadian customers".


​

I took that to mean they were NOT welcoming international orders... also, since you could not complete the transaction on their web, I would also assume they are not welcoming international orders.... (then again, maybe it is only Canada they do not want to sell.... jk)...


Agree that if they cannot do it, they should have been able to tell you much sooner than an hour...

It was during the transaction 10 years ago that they said they were not set up to do business with Canadians. I was hoping that things had improved since then. I mean, Macy's is a U.S. retail icon. Why would they want to alienate international customers? And if they don't want our business, why not just say so up front?

 

[MooreBonds]

I have zero knowledge of their intentions.... but in your first post you said that they said to you....

"we are not set up to take orders from Canadian customers
​

Umm....in the first post, Meadbh clearly says

"I had a similar experience with Macy's about 10 years ago, involving a baby gift. I was living in a different part of Canada at that time. I recall the agent saying that "we are not set up to take orders from Canadian customers".

And this time around,

phoned Macy's International Orders desk.

 

[GrayHare]

Doing business across international borders adds complexity, and that means costs. Where markups are small it's not worth doing such business unless the international customer is willing to pay a surcharge beyond the already higher shipping fees.

 

[Meadbh]

Doing business across international borders adds complexity, and that means costs. Where markups are small it's not worth doing such business unless the international customer is willing to pay a surcharge beyond the already higher shipping fees.

In this case I was attempting to purchase gifts from a wedding registry list for a couple who live in the U.S. The handling of the gift would have been identical to a gift purchased by a U.S. resident. Only the payment would have been international.

 

[W2R]

Meadbh, wow, you know someone in the US well enough to want to buy them a gift from their wedding registry? That's so cool. I don't even have a casual acquaintance living in Canada.

To me, what this thread proves is that you are quite cosmopolitan, and I am impressed! Macy's is behind you in that respect and should follow your example. Maybe they will some day. Right now it sounds like they have some serious wrinkles in their procedures to iron out.

 

[Meadbh]

Meadbh, wow, you know someone in the US well enough to want to buy them a gift from their wedding registry? That's so cool. I don't even have a casual acquaintance living in Canada.

To me, what this thread proves is that you are quite cosmopolitan, and I am impressed! Macy's is behind you in that respect and should follow your example. Maybe they will some day. Right now it sounds like they have some serious wrinkles in their procedures to iron out.

I have lots of family in the U.S. and this wedding will be the occasion for a family reunion. My extended family lives in six different countries. I myself have lived and worked in three countries, including the U.S. I place international orders regularly. Macy's is the only retailer that has refused my business.

 

[Walt34]

Imagine if you were talking about New Mexico. In that country, I'm pretty sure they speak a different language entirely.

You laugh, but it is a genuine issue and sometimes a problem for New Mexicans. Apparently lots of people flunked geography....

 

[Ready]

Macy's is a dinosaur trying to stay relevant in a world where more and more people would rather shop online from Amazon than deal with an overpriced big box store in a crowded mall. And it doesn't surprise me that their internet sales team is just as weak as the salespeople in the stores.

I suspect that they will eventually just go away, just as Robinson-May, Filenes, Jordan Marsh, and dozens of other big box clothing stores have done. Their model of marking things up 500%, then offering 50%, is not fooling anyone. It's too easy to find out what a fair price is by going on line now, and it's only a matter of time before the relatively small segment of the population who doesn't understand this is no longer around.

 

[mn54]

maybe they just have a problem with a currency made up of "loonies"

 

[Meadbh]

Macy's is a dinosaur trying to stay relevant in a world where more and more people would rather shop online from Amazon than deal with an overpriced big box store in a crowded mall. And it doesn't surprise me that their internet sales team is just as weak as the salespeople in the stores.

I suspect that they will eventually just go away, just as Robinson-May, Filenes, Jordan Marsh, and dozens of other big box clothing stores have done. Their model of marking things up 500%, then offering 50%, is not fooling anyone. It's too easy to find out what a fair price is by going on line now, and it's only a matter of time before the relatively small segment of the population who doesn't understand this is no longer around.

I have to agree. Stay nimble or die!

 

[Meadbh]

maybe they just have a problem with a currency made up of "loonies"

The transaction would have taken place in U.S. Dollars.

 

[Gotadimple]

I suspect that they will eventually just go away, just as Robinson-May, Filenes, Jordan Marsh, and dozens of other big box clothing stores have done.

Except that they didn't go away. They became (wait for it . . .)

Macy's

(sigh)

Rita

 

[Amethyst]

I empathize. I don't know how it is in Canada, but in the U.S. there seems to be a shortage of people who a) want to work retail or phone help jobs, b) speak enough English to do so, and c) have enough smarts to deal with even the faintest hint of an out-of-box situation.

I just endured a horror-show trying to buy a dishwasher from Homedepot.com. The original rep, who contacted ME (I didn't call them) because the web site sale didn't go through, was unaware (and their web site did not state) that Maryland requires dishwashers to be installed by a "licensed plumber." Which, apparently, Home Depot doesn't have.

We had a dishwasher sitting on our kitchen floor for 3 weeks, and it took another month to get all 3 refunds (machine, "install fee," and haulaway fee). The Home Depot "install fee" was much less than a plumber would charge. I dreaded the additional complication of setting up a plumber's visit, and when I noticed that the machine's front was scratched, I decided to cancel the whole order.

I tracked the interactions carefully. I made no fewer than 7 calls to Homedepot.com customer service. Most of the reps were very polite, but I also had to talk to a delivery company in Baltimore, where the not-very-articulate rep talked down to me and seemed to be scolding me, causing me to request her supervisor, who was more professional.

So...if some U.S. companies are this bad with American customers, they must be thrown entirely for a loop with international ones.

 

[anethum]

The funny thing is, if you visit a Macy's store in the U.S. and show them a foreign passport, they'll give you a coupon good for 10% off most purchases for 30 days. A European friend who was visiting me a few years ago when the Euro was strong, wanted to buy a business suit because prices were much lower here. I took him to a Macy's near me, he found a suit he liked, and got a 10% discount off the sale price with his passport. Macy's had no problem handling a foreign credit card inside their store.

Visitor Savings Pass | Visit Macy's USA

 

[Texas Proud]

Umm....in the first post, Meadbh clearly says



And this time around,​

Obviously I do not read post that closely..... I am more of a skimmer.... so, I can miss some important part....

I did know that her first one was 10 years earlier... did not pick up on the international phone.... but since they were not able to help, there must be something up there....

 

[Texas Proud]

OK... got me curious.... found that you might be able to do it online...

https://customerservice.macys.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5360

Looks like you can pick Canada as country and ship to either Canada or the US....


They even talk about the phone...

So it looks like incompetence....

 

[Meadbh]

OK... got me curious.... found that you might be able to do it online...

https://customerservice.macys.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5360

Looks like you can pick Canada as country and ship to either Canada or the US....


They even talk about the phone...

So it looks like incompetence....

The link you posted focuses on sending goods outside the U.S. My goal was to send goods to an address in the U.S. Wherever the destination, if the customer's credit card is not associated with a U.S. billing address, a telephone call to the International Order Desk is required. This is explained in the dialog box shown in the attached screenshot from the actual registry in question. Furthermore, the second paragraph suggests that purchases made by international customers can only be shipped to locations in the U.S. or its territories. My goal was to make a purchase using a Canadian credit card and to have the goods shipped to the recipients at an address in the Northeastern U.S. The process failed.

 

[freedomatlast]

Imagine if you were talking about New Mexico. In that country, I'm pretty sure they speak a different language entirely.

Quote from Homer Simpson: "There's a NEW Mexico?"

 

[itsmyparty]

I tried to purchase a gift from US for a Canadian relative using US Costco & Costco Canada. Was told couldn't be done. I could purchase the item here and mail it or buy a Costco gift card here and mail it. Apparently has something to do with Canadian tax/customs system ... Limit on amount of gifts cross-border...something like that. So Macy's isnt the only one.


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