MIS5102: Process Improvement and Innovation

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Fox School of Business

David’s Bridal Return Policy Nightmare

By 122 Comments

Over the course of the last year I’ve been a bridesmaid in three separate weddings, all of which required me to buy a dress from David’s Bridal.  In my opinion, David’s Bridal has a ton of problems associated with the customer journey.  Some of these include website experience that isn’t very user friendly, a lack of documentation on policies for customers, typically unfriendly and impatient staff in store, and so on.

As a consumer, I try to be as understanding as possible because as a marketer I know how hard it is to automate business processes, and also how hard it can be to change them.  That being said, David’s Bridal has a serious return policy problem.  Not only is the policy frustrating, but the entire process surrounding the policy.

The process:

  1. Navigate the painful website and decide on a dress (or order the dress you have been told to order by a bride).
    • This should be done minimum 6 months in advance with David’s Bridal to work out kinks.
  2. Call a store and ask them to order it for you OR order the dress online
    • If you call the store, be careful to be explicit in the color code, size, and style because otherwise you run the risk of not receiving the right dress).
  3. Go in store and try on the dress.
    • Other than having to go to the store which can be a pain, this is the best option in the likely event you need a different size or style.
  4. Decide to return or keep the dress.
    • In store, the experience is ‘fine’.  Online, the experience is one of the most frustrating customer experiences I’ve had with a company to date. This is where the process completely breaks down.

The most recent time I ordered a dress from David’s Bridal was coincidentally during a crazy busy month at work.  I had to make sure a dress got ordered, in case I needed to order a different one.  I blindly ordered a dress, hoping it would fit.  Once I received the dress, it hung in my closet for about 2 weeks before I finally had a few minutes to try it on.  The dress didn’t fit.  I opened the package it came in, and wasn’t able to find any documentation on how I might go about returning it.  After scouring my emails (found nothing here), trying to call David’s Bridal without success, and digging through the website for almost an hour, I was able to find a small link that told me to put in my order number and get an ‘RMA’ number for return.  What is an RMA number? 

After going through more phone calls and finally discovering that I was outside of the return timeline, I had to beg them to take the dress back, and had to order another one while I was on the phone with the customer service agent to get a refund.  But this refund wasn’t going to come easy.  I finally got the awful email pictured on the right.  After calling back again to ask HOW to return it, they informed me that I needed to buy a box, go to the post office, create a shipping label, and then write the RMA number on a package ‘big enough so that the receiving department can find it….  OK…. To sum this up, I got a refund, but had zero communication from the company regarding receiving my return for over a month.

I believe the biggest fundamental problem with David’s Bridal having a bad policy and overall frustrating customer experience when returning an item is that because the dresses are pricey, and often the consumers don’t have any other option than to buy the dress there, the organization has no real incentive to invest in making the process better.  In my opinion, there is a lack of understanding of potential future consequence by ignoring a truly painstaking process for customers that could have buying influence over others in the future. 

I think that if the returns department and the customer experience department (if that exists) would team up and do a Root Cause Analysis, lay out the customer journey, and then implement a RACI chart, it likely would really help to facilitate making some small changes to improve this experience.

Questions to the class: what do you think David’s Bridal should do first to start to fix this process? Which other tools could they use to facilitate improving this experience? What do you think will be the long term negative effects that they will face unless they fix this? 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amen sister! I can’t think of a more antiquated or underrated (and super annoying) problem. Honestly, bridesmaid dress shopping is still in the dark ages. There have been no improvements to their processes in ages. The employees and the technology both need a major reboot! For as large as David’s Bridal is, you would think they would have easy returns, digital ways that would drive customer retention (like email you when your return was initiated or processed) maybe even an App to that would make the whole thing easier and give the shopper a reason to come back and buy more dresses. Is that really a novel idea to them?
    I gave up on David’s Bridal years ago from my frightful experiences with them, and I won’t go back.

    Reply

  2. Oh how i know of this issue. I ended up with 2 bridesmaids dresses one year for one wedding since I past the return window. I think one thing David’s bridal can do is include return instructions in the physical mailing. Also they could make a clear “how to return” link on their websites. Email reminders of how you like your dress would help remind customers of the return timeline. Also they could extend the return window as most people doing anything wedding related order weeks/months in advance due to timelines for production of the item or the item only being in for a particular season. Tools they could use are chat bots and online form submissions to get the RMA number. Also they could partner with shipping companies to have dress packages returned easier by supplying the container and returns at no cost to the customer like Stitch fix or Verizon. What will end up happening with all the online confusion is less people ordering dresses online from them which will reduce revenue. Brides and Bridesmaids will be more reluctant to order from them opting for dresses from other retailers with better return polices.

    Reply

  3. Molly – How frustrating! I think you nailed it when you said “the biggest fundamental problem with David’s Bridal having a bad policy and overall frustrating customer experience when returning an item is that because the dresses are pricey, and often the consumers don’t have any other option than to buy the dress there, the organization has no real incentive to invest in making the process better. ”

    Why would they invest in changing it when at the end of the day people are going to continue going there at the bride’s orders. What are you going to do if they don’t let you return it? Say “Alright I won’t be a bridesmaid in my close friends wedding!” No – and they know that. That being said, their current process is very broken. As a consumer, I’m very hesitant to order anything online unless I know there is an easy an reasonable return policy. I think the first step to fixing their current process is the communication in how you can make a return. It sounds like your entire return journey was confusing from beginning to end. Unfortunately, the only way David’s Bridal will become outdates is if they get some serious competition. It’s almost like Comcast – You hate dealing with them but you have no choice because they pretty much have monopoly of the market. That being said, just because you use them as your service does not mean it’s not an awful customer experience.

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  5. no wonder David’s Bridal is struggling. I tired to return a pair of shoes I bought online and it was the most frustrating process ever! How does Davids Bridal expect to compete with other retailers when they wont let you return online orders in store and wont provide free shipping on returns. I was so turned off by the customer service representatives tone that I decided not to deal with Davids Bridal for anything else related to my wedding. I would rather support local bridal shops.

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  6. I am very computer savvy and for the life of me, I can’t find the button to create the RMA. This has to be a poor design on purpose. There is no other reason to make this experience so difficult. With most of using Amazon, target and other websites, we know how easy it should be to return an item. Too bad, since I was very pleased with the shoe selection and was thinking of ordering more. I can’t be bothered though, if they continue to make this so difficult.

    Reply

  7. Ditto!!
    Online returns are a nightmare!! And expensive.!
    They don’t carry inventory in store so you’re forced to shop online!!
    Optaining an RMA, waiting to be approved, printing to your own label with no UPC is a waste of time bc UPS will have to generate a label with a UPC. I ordered 2 dresses and a bustier online. I returned all three paying $50 total in return postage charges!! $50!!!!
    If DB would just include a smart label (prepaid postage return lable) that would be a giant step in the right direction.
    Another step in the right direction would be to carry more inventory in store. I want at least see & feel the product. And is it beyond belief to be able to try it on????
    They could increase the inventory by taking back online returns!!
    Dillard’s & JCP, Macy’s all have the option of returning an item to the store. Dillard’s & Macy’s include a Smart Label!!
    I would not be surprised if to hear DB file a Chapter 13 soon!!

    Reply

    • The website says they offer free return shipping. “3. You will receive an email with details about your return, including a prepaid shipping label and instructions.”
      I am wanting to order multiple dresses based on the website saying they offer free return shipping- why did you have to pay?

      Reply

  11. I have the same situation now!! All the process make me feel they don’t want me to return. Everything is complicated and nothing to do with them. They are so smart to “trick” the customers!!!

    Reply

  12. y opinion, David’s Bridal has a ton of problems associated with the customer journey. Some of these include website experience that isn’t very user friendly, a lack of documentation on policies for customers, typically unfriendly and impatient staff in store, and so on.

    As a consumer, I try to be as understanding as possible because as a marketer I know how hard it is to automate business processes, and also how har

    Reply

  13. dvance due to timelines for production of the item or the item only being in for a particular season. Tools they could use are chat bots and online form submissions to get the RMA number. Also they could partner with shipping companies to have dress packages returned easier by supplying the container and returns at no cost to the customer like Stitch fix or Verizon. What will end up happening with all the online confusion is less people ordering dresses online from them which will reduce revenue

    Reply

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  16. kely to push back the schedule and increase costs.In an interview with American trade journal Energy Intelligence on Nov. 21, Christer Viktorsson, director general of the UAE’s Federaldsfsc

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  22. Can someone please share the “trick” to get an RMA code? There are no links on their website and to get through to them over the telephone is virtually impossible.

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  23. Everyone on here is absolutely right about the nightmare to return!! 7 days!! I didn’t even get everything shipped together so they all came in diff days!! So how is that my fault??! 7 days is absolutely absurd! So we can’t work or get sick during this pandemic that we have to get stuck with a purchase! My items are still in the unopened package! I don’t know what to do but that’s too much money down the drown to never even wear the item! There has to be something we can do!

    Reply

    • Oh my! Going through a total nightmare here with 3 bridesmaid dresses that I can only get credit for! I want my money back as I will NEVER go to this store!

      Reply

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  116. Why would they invest in changing it when at the end of the day people are going to continue going there at the bride’s orders. What are you going to do if they don’t let you return it? Say “Alright I won’t be a bridesmaid in my close friends wedding

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