Business Profile

Retail Shoes

Designer Brands Inc.

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

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Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Designer Brands Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

Customer Complaints Summary

235 total complaints in the last 3 years.
120 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

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The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

Initial Complaint
Date:12/23/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
DSW CONTINUES TO HAVE A FAULTY RETURN PROCESS! I WAS IN A STORE TODAY AND ATTEMPTED TO RETURN MY SHOES! THE STORE REPRESENTATIVE CALLED CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY WERE TOLD THAT THE RETURN WAS INTIATED OVER THE PHONE. CUSTOMER SERVICE TOLD THE STORE REPRESENTATIVE THAT I WOULD RECEIVE AN EMAIL CONFIRMATION SHORTLY. I DID NOT SO I CALLED CUSTOMER SERVICE. CUSTOMER SERVICE TOLD ME TO GO BACK TO THE STORE AND HAVE THE STORE INITIATE THE RETURN! I NO LONGER HAVE THE SHOES BECAUSE I LEFT THEM WITH THE STORE!

I AM ALSO STILL WAITING ON MY MONEY BACK FROM ANOTHER ORDER THEY MESSED UP!
Business Response
Date: 07/02/2024
The business said this was resolved directly with the customer.
Customer Answer
Date: 07/03/2024
[If you do not say why you are rejecting the company's response, BBB must close your complaint.]

Complaint: 21051074

I am rejecting this response because:
I never received the refund for the items that were returned.

Regards,

*****************************
Business Response
Date: 07/09/2024
Thank you for contacting DSW,

I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that has been caused with your refund. Thank you for being for being a VIP Club member.

The resolution is attached to the word document for this response.

Sincerely, Numma, DSW Inc.
Customer Answer
Date: 07/12/2024
[If you do not say why you are rejecting the company's response, BBB must close your complaint.]

Complaint: 21051074

I am rejecting this response because: The refunds you .mentioned in your response are not part of my complaint.

i requested a refund for the amount of ***** for order, ********** back in 2022. **********, also contains the smilar items. I beleive your company mixed up the returns and that is why the refund was never received. Every single pair of these boots from both of these orders were returned, but refund were not received for every single pair.
I have been emailing your company for over a year trying to receive it. It was never refunded to my PayPal.

Regards,

*****************************
Business Response
Date: 07/15/2024
Hi ******
Thank you for reaching out, our records show you were taken care as of 7/15/2024. Thank you for being a DSW VIP Elite member!

Sincerely,
******, DSW inc.
Initial Complaint
Date:12/23/2023
Type:Delivery Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Firstly, I bought a pair of shoes from DSW on 10/30. The order was shown in their system still not be shipped until 11/7. So I contacted their customer service and they told me the order was stuck. But they can’t cancel my order directly. So I asked whether I can do dispute from my bank directly. The agent said yes. Therefore I disputed the order.
But the other day, I received the shoes suddenly. I returned them to a DSW store immediately on the same day, and I also received the return confirmation email. I thought this thing was over.
However, one day I found that the claim was reversed and my money was taken away again. But they never refund me. I contacted the customer service again. The agent said they would refund me and I also got a refund email. But the money never arrived.
I contacted the customer service after two weeks. They said because I used to dispute the order, the order was shown disputed, so they can’t refund me.
But they reversed my claim and took my money again! I never received my refund of this order!
Business Response
Date: 07/02/2024
This was resolved directly with the customer.
Business Response
Date: 07/23/2024
DSW payment team advised unable to issue refund as dispute was already processed and won.
Initial Complaint
Date:12/20/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
On 10/29/2023 I purchased 3 pairs of shoes from DSW online, and returned 2 of those shoes on 11/07/2023. I returned the shoes to the store as I always do and I was told a refund of $86.99 would be credited back to my account. It is now 12/20/2023, and I have been in contact with DSW customer service since 12/5/2023 via email asking them when my refund would be credited back to me and they have continuously told me week after week that it would be credited back to me within 3-5 business days. I waited the full 5 business days each time they sent me the same generic email, and the $86.99 still has not been refunded. I requested that a supervisor or manager call me and provided them with my phone number, and I was still never contacted and only communicated with via email using the same generic language since my initial inquiry on 12/5/2023. I have given their customer service team ample opportunity to make the situation right and to refund me for the shoes that I returned, and no one is giving me any legitimate reason as to why after 43 days, I still have not been refunded. It is absurd that a company can hold on to customer funds without any care on consideration for the customer & continuously sending the same emails with the same verbiage with no progress. Someone should have called me and come up with another way to refund me as there are countless methods to refund customers today.
Business Response
Date: 07/02/2024
The business stated this was resolved directly with the customer.
Initial Complaint
Date:12/19/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
On 10/04/23. I ordered 16 pairs of shoes on- line for a total cost of $697.37, making payment via Afterpay.
I exchanged 1 pair of boots and returned 6 pair of shoes for a total refund of $379.94. I only received a refund of $95.92.
I have call several times, last time being 12/15, each time being told a different refund amount, being told I will receive the refund between 3-5 days and that a confirmation email will be sent.
Business Response
Date: 07/02/2024
The business responded that this was resolved directly with the consumer.
Business Response
Date: 07/23/2024
This complaint will be resolved when the customer responds to the email I sent on 7/23.
Initial Complaint
Date:12/17/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I returned a pair of Cole Haan wingtip Zerogrand shoes to DSW on Midrivers Dr St Peters Mo 63376 on Oct 7, 2023
I got an email confirming my return and it stated my credit would be on my credit card in 7-10 business days. I have contacted DSW many times regarding my credit. They keep promising to issue my credit. But as of today December 16, 2023 I have not received a credit.
Business Response
Date: 07/02/2024
Hi ****,

Thank you for contacting DSW. I apologize for the delay in responding to your BBB complaint and for not receiving the refund for the Cole ************** Wingtip Oxford from your order **********. I completely understand your frustration regarding this and will be sharing your feedback with our back-office team.While reviewing your order, I can see that the $210.49 refund was successfully processed through Apple Pay 4/16/2024 and the return reference number (ARN)confirming this refund is ***********************. Thank you for being a DSW VIP Gold member! Please see attached word document for further resolution.

Sincerely,
******, DSW ****
Business Response
Date: 07/15/2024
Hi ****,
Thank you for reaching out, our records show you were taken care as of 4/16/2024.

Sincerely,
******, DSW inc.
Customer Answer
Date: 07/23/2024
[If you do not say why you are rejecting the company's response, BBB must close your complaint.]

Complaint: 21017698

I am rejecting this response because:
I did not receive the $50 gift card they claim they sent.
I believe a refund that took over 6 months to be processed is ridiculous.

Regards,

*********************
Business Response
Date: 07/26/2024
Hello ****,
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the delay in processing your refund. We are taking steps to prevent such delays in the future. I am pleased to inform you that your gift card was sent to you on July 2 at 3:31 pm Eastern Standard Time. I have attached our confirmation email for your reference.

Kindly check your promotional folder as Gmail sometimes redirects our emails with gift cards there. We recommend checking both the promotional and junk folders. If you do not find the email, please let us know, and we can resend it.

Thank you for being a valued VIP Gold member. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for reaching out to us. We are here to assist you and look forward to serving you in the future.
Have a wonderful day.
*******************************;
Initial Complaint
Date:12/16/2023
Type:Delivery Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
order some tennis shoes from a site dsw pay for shoes never got the shoes so look at my bank account the was taken for shoes the order were from October now this December no shoes payment went out my account by ******** ***** on Oct 21/2023 call the company they don't have my order not in their system but i get email from them send me couple all the time i know that i'm in their system how would they send me couple if i was need to get my REFUND back please can you all help me
Business Response
Date: 07/02/2024
Hi *****,

Thank you for contacting DSW. I apologize for the delay in responding to your BBB complaint and for not receiving the shoes you ordered in October 2023. I completely understand your frustration regarding this and did a thorough investigation to attempt to place your order. Unfortunately, I was unable to locate an order with your name, email address, phone number or address.

I also partnered with another member on my team, and they were also not able to find an order with your information. Unfortunately, since we are unable to locate your order, we are unable to issue a refund. If you can provide us with a valid 10-digit order number, we will be able to assist you further.If you do not have a valid 10-digit order number, we would recommend disputing the charges with your financial institution.

Sincerely,
******, DSW Inc.
Customer Answer
Date: 07/02/2024
[If you do not say why you are rejecting the company's response, BBB must close your complaint.]

Complaint: 21014568

I am rejecting this response because: asked for refund back for those tennis shoes it was later in night when these were order around 11pm they say that company don't have order showing in there system but i'm getting email from the company DSW how do the company know my email just want my money back why it took so long for bbb answer my complain

Regards,

*********************
Initial Complaint
Date:12/11/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Returned an online purchase (order number **********) to the store located at 4741 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody, GA 30338 on November 4, 2023. I received email confirmation that DSW received my return on November 4, 2023. As of today, December 11th, I have not received my refund for the purchase.

I chatted with customer service on November 17th asking about the status, and the refund was not initiated, then waited 5 business days to call customer service. Customer service then "initiated" the refund again by entering the information manually.

Lastly, I called customer service again on Monday, December 4th, asking for the status because it has been a month since the return, and I still do not have my refund. I was told I needed to wait another 3-5 business days.

Today, December 11th is the fifth business day and I do not have my refund. The last customer service agent said I was going to have it this morning and the amount was $80-something dollars.
Business Response
Date: 07/02/2024
This has been resolved directly with the customer.
Initial Complaint
Date:12/10/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I wear wide shoes, which DSW doesn't carry much of in-store, so in November I ordered a number of pairs online and had them shipped to my local store. At the store, I tried the shoes on and returned all but one pair. The store personnel said the company had just changed it's ordering/payment software and they were having issues. After 30 minutes and the manager calling HQ, they assured me the refunds would be handled within a couple of days. I have now been trying for weeks via DSW's online chat, customer service phone, and customer service email to get my refund (over $300). Then via email they just asked for the details on all my orders and when I replied with the requested info, they apologized and said I would need to CALL THEM AGAIN. But they don't provide a person's name, so essentially I am having to start over each time. This is fraud.
Business Response
Date: 07/02/2024
Thank you for contacting DSW,
I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that has been caused with your orders. I was able to find two orders, order number:********** placed on 11/2/2023, was stuck in processing and was never cancelled, so that caused you to see pending authorization charges every 5 days. I have cancelled the order, and the pending authorization will fall off within the next 3-5 business days. Order number:********** placed on 10/31/2023 shows two items were cancelled, and one was returned, and refund was issued on 11/10/2023 for $90.86. For the items cancelled you won't get a refund the pending amount will just clear from your account. Thank you for being a VIP Gold member.
Sincerely, Numma, DSW Inc.
Customer Answer
Date: 07/02/2024
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

Better Business Bureau:

I accept the business's response to resolve this complaint.

Regards,

*************************
Initial Complaint
Date:12/09/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
In-Store #************ $106.96 (credit request)

On December 2nd, 2023, I opened up an in-store Afterpay account. The representative started manipulating apps on my telephone to get access so the purchase could be made. Towards the end, she mentioned that in order to use Afterpay within the store, Google must have access to all Google Pay bank accounts. I informed her, no thank you. Somehow, she processed the charge through the in-store app. Because I knew Afterpay had already linked my bank account, I immediately removed all G-Pay options. Why did Google Pay need access to all of my accounts?

On December 9, 2023, I went to the same DSW to return the new shoes that were unworn. The manager and the rep looked at me as if they were stolen shoes. I suspected discrimination. They refused to issue me a refund, telling me to call corporate. Afterpay is only responsible for accepting the charge, and Afterpay is always paid within two weeks of any purchase. The manager and rep were disrespectful to me, and I am requesting help getting a refund that DSW rejected for a new shoe return.

Thank you
Business Response
Date: 07/02/2024
This has been resolved with the consumer directly.
Business Response
Date: 07/23/2024
Hi **********,

Thank you for contacting DSW,

I apologize for the delay in replaying to your BBB complaint.I apologize to hear about the we did not accept a recent store return, but I did not noticed that this issue has been resolved by one our Recovery agents on 12/19/2023.

Thank you for being a VIP Elite member with us.

Sincerely, *****, DSW Inc.
Initial Complaint
Date:12/07/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I purchased shoes online from DSW in the amount of $208.98 on 11/4/23, order # **********. The shoes were received a few days later and did not fit. I brought the shoes to the DSW store in Eagan, MN to return and get a refund on 11/13/23. The associate let me know the return was complete and refund would be received within 7-10 business days as that is the wording on their website. I waited over 10 business days and did not receive a refund. On 11/27, I emailed DSW customer service inquiring about when my refund would be received back on my credit card. Their response on 11/28 was that the refund is stuck due to some error. They forwarded the request for a full refund to their concerned team. They said the refund will be credited to my Apple Pay account within 3-5 business days. On 12/5/23, I emailed again asking when the refund would be issued. I was given the exact same response; the refund is stuck due to some error. They have forwarded the request for a full refund to their team and will be another 3-5 business days to be credited to my Apple Pay. As of 12/7/23 (today), I contacted DSW customer service via phone and DM on Facebook. I spoke with ******* on the phone and she said a supervisor has issued my refund already today and I should wait 3-5 more business days to see the money in my account. I would like my full refund credited immediately.
Business Response
Date: 07/02/2024
The business worked directly with the consumer to resolve.
Customer Answer
Date: 07/02/2024
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

Better Business Bureau:

I accept the business's response to resolve this complaint.

Regards,

*************************

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Designer Brands Inc. is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.