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.

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.

Initial Complaint
Date:04/07/2023
Type:Customer Service 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.
Around 4/5/23 I placed an order ********** , the order went through with no problems I received an email from DSW which stated I cancelled my order, which I did not. The shoe was the last one, I tried to reorder but the shoe was out of stock? I never cancelled an order, not understanding why I received this message. Also I placed an order around 4/4/23 which has not been delivered, I plan to send that one back. Explanation is needed.
Business Response
Date: 05/26/2023
Hello **********,
Thank you for contacting the DSW shoephoria! Center and
being a DSW VIP Club member.
We sincerely apologize for any miscommunication with the
order cancellation email you received. It appears the order was cancelled due
to the item being out of stock. DSW’s website updates every 24 hours, which
means; if an item is listed online showing “Only 1 Left”, it could already be
sold out & the website has not been updated yet. DSW is working daily to
always make updates with the online site. For the inconvenience, we have added
points to your VIP account for a $10 Reward. This Reward is valid for 75 days
& expires on 8/09/2023. This Reward can be used online, or in any of our
DSW store locations.
Please let us know if there is anything else we may
assist you with.
Thank you,
*******
Customer Answer
Date: 05/30/2023
[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; However their Customer Service Is Terrible!

Regards,

********** *******
Initial Complaint
Date:04/07/2023
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.
I made a purchase 3/10/2023. I purchased a total of 3 items for $474.91. The order number is **********. I have only received one item to date. I contacted DSW and was told to contact my bank and ask them for a refund. I contacted my bank and they told me that DSW has to send the items or a refund. I contacted DSW again 3/21/2023 and was told a refund would be issued. I contacted DSW again 4/7/2023 and was told to wait another 10 business days. I haven't received a refund or the items.
Business Response
Date: 06/06/2023
Hello ******,
Thank you for contacting the DSW shoephoria! Center and
being a DSW VIP Gold member.
We sincerely apologize you never received 2 of the 3 items
from your order #**********. We have checked our systems and show the tracking
number for the Mix No. 6-Brandy High-Top Sneaker - Kids', does not have any movement,
so we are considering it as a shipper failure. We also checked the tracking
number for the Off-White-New Low Vulcanized Sneaker - Men's, but that tracking
shows delivered. We can consider this item a Lost or Stolen package. With our
Lost/Stolen policy we allow our customer service agents to process a missing package
claim for orders and items that do not exceed $250, and if the customer has not
claimed a lost package in the past. The amount of the two items missing total
$264.54, so that is why our agents were unable to process a refund for you.
But, since this is your first lost package claim, we are willing to assist. We
have processed a refund of $264.54 to your Afterpay account, ending in 5956 on
6/6/2023. This refund will show on your account within 3-5 business days.
Please let us know if there is anything else we may
assist you with.
Thank you,
*******
Initial Complaint
Date:03/25/2023
Type:Billing 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 a pair of Birkenstocks for $98 including tax on march 15th and got charged $160.50.

I paid for my order with a gift card and the remaining amount was paid by my Venmo account. When I placed the order the amount due was $10.50, however a $73 charge was made on my debit card which I did not know about, agree to or authorize.

Today is the 25th of March, and I have not received my money back for the amount authorized on my card on March 15th.

I have been going back and forth countless times with both Venmo and dsw and neither is taking responsibility for this billing error.

I am beyond frustrated and disappointed with the level of customer service that I have received from DSW.

You guys have my $62.50 which is fraudulently being held from my checking account. Please release the money back to my bank account immediately.
Business Response
Date: 06/06/2023
Hello ********
Thank you for contacting the DSW shoephoria! Center and
being a DSW VIP Club member.
We sincerely apologize for the confusion with the charges
from your order #*********** We can assure you that the order total for the order
was $98 & there were no other charges made. $10.50 was collected from the
Venmo account(****), DSW Gift Card ending in **** was charged $25 & DSW
Gift Card ending in **** was charged $62.50. Again, our apologies for any confusion
this has caused. We have added a $20 Reward to your VIP account. This Reward
can be used in-store or online & is active for 75 days.
Please let us know if there is anything else we may
assist you with.
Thank you,
*******
Customer Answer
Date: 06/07/2023
[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:03/17/2023
Type:Customer Service 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.
My account with DSW was hacked and a fraudulent purchase was made for $487.11. I received an email for the fraudulent order from DSW and called them immediately. I told them my account was hacked and that I did not authorize that purchase. They said they would cancel the order. They did not cancel the order. I followed up and they said since it was already processed it couldn't be cancelled so they submitted a request to FedEx to not deliver the item and return it to the warehouse. I could see tracking updates through FedEx that the item was eventually delivered. I have also seen others online who are experiencing the exact same problem even though they have been notified there is a security issue with their site. They are allowing hackers to continue stealing from their customers! I will tell everyone I know about this and I will never shop at DSW again.
Business Response
Date: 07/02/2024
The business stated they have resolved this directly with the customer.
Business Response
Date: 07/15/2024
Hi ***,
Thank you for reaching out to the BBB, our records show you were taken care as of 4/6/2023.

Sincerely,
******, DSW inc.
Customer Answer
Date: 07/19/2024
[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:03/12/2023
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 would like to file a compaint against Designer Shoe Warehouse owned by Designer Brands in Columbus,
Ohio. The value of the dispute is $423.99. I purchased a pair of Gucci Shoes from DSW online on July 14, 2021. The order number is **********. (The item number is ************).
I am a VIP member which entitles me to return unworn shoes for one year. I returned my Gucci shoes on March 29, 2022 through FED EX. The label was sent to me via e-mail by DSW. The shoes were received in the warehouse on March 30,2022. I have FEDEX proof of delivery signed by HDSW as received in the warehouse. The tracking number is ************. I had reached out to DSW via phone as well as e-mail. I was told that it was too much money to refund without a supervisor's approval, even though they sent me an e-mail stating the shoes were received. The e-mail stated the credit was being processed within 7 business days. I was then told that they couldn't locate the shoes in the warehouse. I contacted my Discover Card and was told DSW needed to contact them and let them know to refund me. I made quite a few attempts to get my money back which was clearly owed to me. I have a photo of the shoes in the box showing I sent them back. I had filed claims with both DSW and Discover Card. I continued to contact DSW and spoke to many supervisors' and got nowhere. I was bounced back and forth from DSW and Discover Card. As of this date, March 12, 2023, I still am waiting to be reimbursed. This is way too much money to let this matter go. I will be happy to forward copies of the supporting documents if needed.
Please help me resolve this issue.
Thank you.
Sincerely, **** ******
Business Response
Date: 07/02/2024
The business stated they have resolved this directly with the customer.
Business Response
Date: 07/23/2024
Hi ***,
Thank you for contacting DSW,

I apologize for the delay in responding to your BBB complaint. I see that your matter has been fully resolved by us on March 14th of 2023.

Sincerely, *****, DSW Inc.
Initial Complaint
Date:03/07/2023
Type:Delivery 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.
Online Purchase that was never received. It was delayed past the point where I could pick it up.
Order ********** October 25, 2022.
84.99 -$15=$69.99
Charge is continuously posting to my credit account every 7 days but the item was never in my possession. Remove the charge.
Business Response
Date: 03/14/2023
Hello ******,
Thank you for contacting the DSW shoephoria! Center and
being a DSW VIP Gold member.
We sincerely apologize you didn’t receive any updates regarding
your ship to store order #**********. We are sorry to see that you are still receiving
authorizations from the order. We have sent over a request to have the order
manually cancelled in the system. This request will be processed within 48
hours. Once processed, any authorizations you are seeing on your method of
payment will disappear within 3-5 business days. You will no longer receive any
pre-authorizations for the order.
Thank you,
*******
Customer Answer
Date: 03/20/2023
I accept the business's response to resolve this complaint.
Initial Complaint
Date:03/04/2023
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.
Hello, I had place and in-store purchase at the Tarrytown Rd DSW location in white plains. Order number: #********** My first major issue is me not receiving not ONE update whatsoever in regards to my purchase that I wanted shipped simply to the store. Since the day I purchased the item on 2/18/23, I was not informed whatsoever as to where my package was until I had to call myself. When calling the next day they CONFIRMED my order was at the store. Not even 24 hours go by and they call me and tell me all of a sudden my order was canceled which didn’t make sense. Even though my order was canceled, you guys still had the boots at the store. My order was canceled but then I was told that I was able to pick up and pay all over again for my order. I went to the store to pick up the boots and repay all over again, even though it was at the store. When looking at the boots, I immediately notice they completely look like they’ve been worn in our scuffed. I am very disappointed with my overall experience with you guys. I tried to explain the situation MULTIPLE times via email to customer service and they were not at all understand what I was saying. After sending my issue, they tried to offer me a gift card , even though I paid full price. I haven’t even tried them on whatsoever for my event that is tomorrow. This has happened to a friend of mine were no communication with a major issue with her order it, and it never being delivered to the store. I’ve listed in my contact number. Please feel free to call me
Business Response
Date: 03/14/2023
Hello *****,
Thank you for contacting the DSW shoephoria! Center and
being a DSW VIP Club member.
We sincerely apologize for any confusion regarding the communication
of your order #**********. For DSW Ship To Store orders, we only send communication
when the order arrives at the store and is ready for pickup. That communication
is sent via email. For regular ship to home orders, communication regarding
shipping updates are sent when the order is shipped out.
Our apologies the item was in a worn condition when you came
to pick the items up from our store. DSW stands behind the quality of our product,
and that is not how represent our products we offer to our loyal customers. We
have shared the feedback regarding the damaged product to the appropriate
department. We have added extra points to your VIP account for a $20 Reward.
This Reward is available until 5/29/2023. The Reward can also be used either
in-store or online.
We have found on the original order, there were two payment
methods. The first was a DSW Gift Card # ******************* & the other a
Visa, ending in ****. Since the order was cancelled, there were no charges
added to either forms of payment. There were only authorizations for the order,
which have now fallen off. The gift card has a balance of $50, and the Visa no longer
has an authorization for the order. Please let us know if you no longer have
access to the DSW Gift Card so we can assist further.
Thank you,
*******
Customer Answer
Date: 03/15/2023
Thank you for getting back to me, in regards to my order that I placed the shipping store no communication was sent whatsoever. Nobody even communicated that my item was at the store until I had to call and say something myself. That SAME exact week my friend also experienced the same exact dilemma where not one associate communicated whatsoever, your employees stated her package was never delivered to her even though an associate said it was there. I’m saying this, because this has been a reoccurring issue with customers and this specific store location. Employees should be trained or informed on how the shipment process works for in-store purchases. As for my shoes that were worn, employees should double check that your merchandise is well intact before selling it to customers. All they had to do was just open the box, for them to CLEARLY see all the scuffs on the boots like I immediately. I don’t really care about gaining more rewards, I just want employees to be better informed and have more awareness, especially at the Tarrytown Rd location. This situation took almost a month to resolve and I hope that location just becomes better.
Initial Complaint
Date:03/02/2023
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 placed an order with DSW (ORDER # **********) for 6 pairs of white sneakers for a total amount of $484.83 and I returned the entire order in two separate packages. Both packages were shipped back to FedEx using return labels provided by DSW. The first 18 pound package (FedEx tracking number ************) was returned to DSW and arrived at the DSW facility on September 9, 2020. This first package contained all of the shoes except for one pair. The second package (FedEx tracking number ************) was 6 pounds and was received a the DSW facility on September 30, 2022. This second package contained the last pair of shoes from the order. Despite returning the entire order, I was only refunded $59.99 for one pair of shoes and I was not refunded until December 9, 2022. I have been following up with DSW since then to try to be refunded for my return.The first 5-6 times I called, the customer service representative assured me that I would be refunded in 7-10 business days but I have never been refunded. The latest times that I have spoken with DSW, they have indicated that their backend office keeps denying the refund because warehouse stated they only recieved one pair of shoes despite having the tracking information which shows receipt of two packages with all of the order. DSW keeps stating that my only option is to dispute the charges with my credit card, but you can’t dispute charges past 60 days and they have dragged this out for months continually promising me a refund for my return.
Business Response
Date: 03/10/2023
Hello ******,
Thank you for contacting the DSW shoephoria! Center and
being a DSW VIP Elite member.
We sincerely apologize your order #********** was not
received back to our returns department. We have reviewed the order, as well as
the notes left on the order by our teams. It appears they educated that a
dispute must be filed by you with your financial institution. DSW policy allows
customer to file one lost order claim per lifetime with DSW. By reviewing the
account with our teams, unfortunately there were other lost order claims on the
account. Also, since the order amount exceeds the DSW threshold to claim a lost
order, which is $250, we would be unable to provide a refund for the lost
returned order. We suggest you file a claim with your financial institution that
was used when the order was placed. Please let use know if there is anything
else that we may be of assistance with at this time.
Thank you,
*******
Customer Answer
Date: 03/10/2023
DSW knows that their request to ask me to dispute the transaction with my financial institution is unreasonable and impossible. Charges can only be disputed with banks generally within 60 days, and in some cases, within 120 days. DSW had assured me MULTIPLE times that a refund would be provided within 7-10 business days over a period of months (I kept having to call back to follow up since the refund would never show up on my card) and now it is well past the 120 days to dispute charges with my bank.
Separately, there is no reason that DSW would need to refund this as a "lost order". It is clear from the FedEx tracking information that I sent my return back in TWO separate packages using return labels provided by DSW. The first package contained five (5) items, weighed 18 pounds and was delivered to DSW on September 9, 2020 (FedEx tracking number ************). The second package contained one (1) item, weighed 6 pounds and was delivered to DSW on September 30, 2020 (FedEx tracking number ************). I was only refunded for the one (1) item sent back and delivered to DSW in the second package. DSW was able to verify using the FedEx tracking number that the first package with the five (5) items was indeed received at the DSW warehouse, so why can't I be issued a refund for these items?
Initial Complaint
Date:02/22/2023
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 an item from DSW on 02/02/2023 with a gift card I was given as a gift
I had to return the same item today 02/22/2023. I did not remember I used a gift card and the money was credited to the gift card I used at the time and threw out
I went back into DSW when I realized the error. I was told to call their customer service.
I did so and explained that I no longer have the gift card. I was told there was nothing DSW can do to reverse the refund and told me to call the gift card. I will call make a complaint about the gift card company as well

I would like to know how to get a refund of my $83.69 which is floating around
Business Response
Date: 07/02/2024
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 ****
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:02/15/2023
Type:Sales and Advertising 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.
On February 10, 2023, I purchased shoes that totaled $164.98 (Excluding Sales Tax) from the DSW located at **** ** **** ****** ** ****** ********. I used a DSW VIP card that I recently received that promised a 20% discount on my next purchase (Subject to the conditions on the back of the card). At checkout, the salesclerk refused to honor this card and stated that the card was not valid for the shoes that we purchased. I asked her to show me where on the card it stated the exclusion. She agreed that it was not on the card or the back of the card and she said that I had to go to DSW.com and it would explain that these shoes were excluded.

When I got home, I went to DSW.com and couldn't find any exclusions. None. I contacted DSW customer service, and they responded that the $33 that was meant to be applied could not be credited to my mode of payment. They only offered to apply $33 to my next order on the DSW website. They also offered to apply $10 for my inconvenience.

I do a lot of on-line shopping but buying shoes on-line doesn't work for me. I need to actually see and try on the shoes. So, I told DSW that I would never use the DSW website.

On February 14, 2023, the DSW Customer Relationship Leader provided me with a link to their exclusions - which could not be located without the link that was provided. The shoes I purchased are in fact listed as excluded. However, I believe that DSW is guilty of false or misleading advertising. Please see the attached correspondence, receipts, copy of DSW VIP discount card, and other documents.
Business Response
Date: 02/22/2023
Hello ******,
Thank you for contacting the DSW shoephoria! Center and
being a DSW VIP member.
We sincerely apologize your 20% discount was not applied to
your in store purchase on 2/10/2023. DSW has specific items & brands that are
excluded from certain promotions & coupons. We are sorry the excluded items
were not clearly listed on the coupon for you to view. We would love to make
this right for you. We heard your concern of not doing shopping online. Please
provide us with your VIP account details & we would be more than happy to
add a Reward to your account, so you can use the discount in store on your next
purchase. The account we were able to find by searching your name does not match
the details you provided. Please provide either your phone number, email
address, or VIP number associated with the account.
Thank you,
*******
Customer Answer
Date: 02/22/2023
[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,

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

I have 2 telephone numbers: ###-###-#### and ###-###-####

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Designer Brands Inc. is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.