We use cookies to give users the best content and online experience. By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to allow us to use all cookies. Visit our Privacy Policy to learn more.

Manage Cookies
Resources for Businesses My BBB
Share
Business Profile

Retail Shoes

Designer Brands Inc.

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Retail Shoes.

Complaints

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

Find a Location

Designer Brands Inc. has 111 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

    Please enter a valid location.

    Customer Complaints Summary

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

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    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.

    Sort by

    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/07/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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 placed an order for some new balance shoes for my son for christmas. When they came in they were the wrong shoes. I called and they said they were reordering the correct ones and for me to send the originials back. I sent them back and then checked my email, the ones they reordered were still wrong. After contacting them via phone they informed me that they no longer had the shoes i ordered originally so they would issue a refund. I still have not recieved my money back even though they have the shoes for 8 days now. I have emails stating they refunded me on Dec.1 and Dec 6 and I still don't have my money. When i called them they said the refund was issued but still no funds of 95.61!!

      Business Response

      Date: 07/02/2024

      The complaint was handled by the business directly.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/06/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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 September 7, 2023 I ordered a pair of boots online from DSW. I was billed $75.54 on my ***** ***** Master Card. The boots were never received. In the evening of Oct. 7 I called to complain and was on the phone for at least 30 minutes with someone named ****. She said the boots would be reordered and sent, They never arrived. On Nov. 28th, I called again to complain and spoke to someone named *** or ***. She said I would receive a refund in 3-5 business. That hasn't happened.

      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 your experience with contacting our DSW *********** Center regarding your order **********. I completely understand your frustration regarding this, and being told a refund for your order was issued, and it was not.

      No worries, I was able to successfully issue your full refund of $75.54 to your MasterCard ending in 0336. You can expect to see this reflected within three to five business days, and the return reference number (ARN) confirming that this was successfully processed is ***********************.

      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: 20968749

      I am rejecting this response because: The Master Card account the money is being refunded to has been closed. My new Master Card account is ******************************, 5414 1383 0809 9515, expiration date 07/26. Please send the refund to my current Master Card account.

      This renews my faith in this process. Frankly, I had decided this problem was a lost cause. I'm far from poor and could afford to pay for the boots my granddaughter never received, but there are a lot of people for whom losing that amount of money could be a problem. Thank you for resolving this.

      Regards,

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

      Business Response

      Date: 07/03/2024

      Hi *****,
       
      Thank you for contacting DSW. I understand that you have a new MasterCard, but no worries; if the account information is the same, the refund will go back to your new card. The return reference number (ARN) *********************** means that the bank approved the refund, and it is processing back to you successfully. We advise that you partner with your financial institution if you require further assistance with this.

      Sincerely,
      ******, DSW ****

      Customer Answer

      Date: 07/05/2024

      [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:12/05/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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 shoes to the DSW store on Dublin-Granville Rd. On November 18th and was told I'd receive a refund 5-7 days. i called 2 more times after not receiving a fund and each time they told me tyey went ahead and processed a refund ( as if they haven't previously?) . I still do not have a refund and it's been 3 weeks. Very shady. I want my refund.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/02/2024

      Business states they worked directly with the business to resolve this issue.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/23/2024

      Thank you for contacting DSW, 

      I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that has been caused regarding your refund. I have checked the AfterPay system, and it shows the refund was processed on 12/6/2023 for $182.71. Thank you for being a VIP Gold member. 

      Sincerely, Numma, DSW Inc.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/01/2023

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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 received an email from DSW.com advertising Crown Vintage Castland boots for 29.99 when I to order them they had a price of 79.99. I contacted the company through their Chat and was asked to send a photo of the email which I did. They then contacted me and told me to place the order and they would adjust the price manually. I've contacted them multiple times with no results until today. They did reduce the price but are unwilling to apply their advertised discount of 35%+10% which applies to these boots. They are the ones who sent me the Price Drop email and told me to go through with the order. I would not have spent my time ordering and dealing with all this if the discounts weren't going to be applied. Thank you for your help in this matter.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/02/2024

      The business worked with the consumer to resolve this issue.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/01/2023

      Type:Delivery Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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 11-17-23 I placed an order ((**********) for 2 pair of boots. My payment method was with Afterpay. I never received the boots. They were shipped by FEDEX. The tracking numbers are ************ & ************. I received an email stating the boots was delivered to my home address on 11-22-23. I never received the boots. On Sunday I contacted FEDEX and reported I did not receive the delivery of the boots. I was given a case number (C-*********). I contacted DSW on Monday 11-27-23. I informed them I never received the boots. The foreign customer rep told me there was nothing she could do since I reported I didn't receive some shoes in April. I told her if I reported I didn't receive them, then I didn't get them, and I do not pay for shoes I do not have. I requested a rep from the USA to call me. The next day I received a call. She told me someone would be in contact with me. I emailed DSW also. The response I received was that I had to file a dispute with my bank. My bank told me I could not file a dispute since the transaction is not showing on my account. I contacted Afterpay, they gave me a ticket number ********. I spoke with ****** from Afterpay this morning. She told me if I disputed the transaction that would affect my good standing with Afterpay. They also told me DSW just needs to file a refund with them since they have paid you all for the shoes. FEDEX also called me back on 11-30-23 to let me know that DSW would have to file a claim with them, and they would take care of it, since it was their fault, the driver did not deliver to the correct address. I have been calling & emailing DSW all week. Staying on hold to only get a person who does not understand English & cannot help me. Afterpay & FEDEX have done their portion and so have I. All DSW needs to do is file a claim with FEDEX and refund Afterpay. The payments have begun to come out of my account for shoes I do not have. I am very upset. This situation could have been resolved. I refuse to let DSW keep my money. If I have to write to the Dept of Finance ( which is my next step), I will. I purchase too many shoes from DSW to have this terrible experience.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/02/2024

      The business worked directly with the customer to resolve the issue.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/29/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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.
      11-1-23 163.53 date of purchase
      11-11-23 date of return
      Still have not gotten refund

      Business Response

      Date: 07/02/2024

      The business stated they worked with the customer directly to resolve this complaint.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/23/2024

      Thank you for contacting DSW,

      I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that has been caused regarding your refund. The refund was issued on 11/28/2023 for $153.63. Here is the reference number:74906413332188143768668. Thank you for being a VIP gold member. 

      Sincerely, Numma, DSW Inc.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/29/2023

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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 placed an order on DSW's website over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend- 11/25 with all the discounts and promotions. The ORDER # **********.
      6 days later I got an email saying they were cancelling the order.

      The original order was marked down and a 40% discount on top of the marked down price.
      I went back to try and get another similar pair with all the mark downs and discounts, and they were over. I wrote to them multiple times to ask them to honor all the mark downs and discounts.
      They are telling me they can honor the 40% discount but not the mark down on top of the discount. They cancelled the order and took almost a week to inform me and thus not allowing me to get the same mark downs and discounts.
      All I am asking is for the same mark down and 40% discount. They are saying they will only honor the 40% off and not the mark down on top of that.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/02/2024

      The business stated they worked with the customer directly to resolve this complaint.

      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:11/28/2023

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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.
      So disappointing to see the DSW customer service all outsourced. Several times this year I needed help and the agents make a bigger mess. First time, I needed my email changed and the agent locked me out of my account by changing my password too without telling me. Now I had a pair of shoes to be shipped expeditedly which are still pending. I called DSW and reached the outsourced center where the guy tells me the order is canceled. I ask for a supervisor 4 times and he finally transfers me and she tells me she canceled the order and requested a refund. Now several hours later I get an email saying "were still working on your order and will notify when it ships". Like come on DSW. This is a headache shopping with you guys as we can't even get reliable customer service!

      Customer Answer

      Date: 11/29/2023

      **************;

      Business Response

      Date: 07/02/2024

      The business stated they worked with the customer directly to resolve this complaint.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/28/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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.
      My mother passed away less than a year ago, and she was an avid shopper at DSW. I returned all of her new shoes for a store credit. I have since purchased shoes for myself ( I am disabled), and my special needs child. The shoes are new, do not fit, and i want them returned for my money back. DSW is refusing due to as they claim excess returns. I clearly think it is discrimination of the special needs and handicapped. I have produced reciepts, and i am out of money. I WANT ALL OF MY MONEY BACK, ALL OF THESE SHOES RETURNED, AND I WILL GO TO ********* WHERE THEY VALUE MY BUSINESS

      Business Response

      Date: 07/02/2024

      The business stated they worked with the customer directly to resolve this complaint.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/15/2024

      Hi *****, 

      Thank you for reaching out to the BBB, our records show you were taken care as of 1/17/2024.

      Sincerely, 

      ******, DSW inc.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 07/16/2024

      [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:11/21/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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 11/1/2023 I placed an order online with DSW for two pairs of boots to be picked up in the store. My order number is #********** in the total amount of $137.77. One of the boots did not fit so I decided to make a return to the store. I went to DSW located at 4910 South Baldwin Road Orion, MI 48359, which was the store that I picked my order up from on 11/14/2023. I tried to do an exchange but they stated that I could not do that since it was ordered online so I opted for a refund. My return order number is #********** in the amount of $103.34. After leaving the store I realize they sent the refund to a no longer active card. I had an online chat with customer service and told them what happened to which they told me to call the customer service number and give them a new card to issue the refund to. When I called they stated that I could not give them a new card number because they sent the refund already. I was then told I need to speak to a Supervisor and was put on hold for 20 minutes then they picked up the phone and disconnected my call without speaking to me. I then called again and they did the same thing a second time. I proceeded to do two more online chats to which they told me to contact my bank. I did so and my bank agreed to turn my compromised card back on temporarily and to request that they resubmit the refund. I then decided to email customer service since I did not have luck with the other avenues. I received an email back initially with the wrong refund amount and then they stopped responding to my emails and I still have not received my money and I no longer have the product. I feel like I have been robbed.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/02/2024

      The business stated they worked with the customer directly to resolve this complaint.

      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: 20901142

      I am rejecting this response because: the company never worked with me at all to resolve the matter. I was met with dead ends every time I called and emailed customer service. I had to escalate the matter with my personal bank and they had to take things to **** directly since Designer Shoe Brands would not cooperate or l respond to my banks attempts either. 

      Regards,

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

      Customer Answer

      Date: 07/03/2024

      Yes, my bank went ahead and refunded my money since I had the proof that it was not returned to me by Designer Brands. 

    Designer Brands Inc. is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

    To become accredited, a business must agree to BBB Standards for Trust and pass BBB's vetting process.

    Why choose a BBB Accredited Business?

    BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.

    BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles.

    When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.

    BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period, except for customer reviews. Customer reviews posted prior to July 5, 2024, will no longer be published when they reach three years from their submission date. Customer reviews posted on/after July 5, 2024, will be published indefinitely unless otherwise voluntarily retracted by the user who submitted the content, or BBB no longer believes the review is authentic. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. If you choose to do business with this company, please let them know that you checked their record with BBB.

    As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB accreditation, and some businesses are not accredited because they have not sought BBB accreditation. BBB charges a fee for BBB Accreditation. This fee supports BBB's efforts to fulfill its mission of advancing marketplace trust.