PSA - Hampton's Buyer Beware: Store Credit Only, Unexpected $150 Restocking Fee and Refund Policy…read more(Update - response to owner comments at bottom)
I discovered Hampton's Men through a Facebook ad and placed a $1,400 online order for a sport coat I had never seen or tried on in person.
When it arrived, I decided it was not for me. I never even removed it from its packaging to try it on. I promptly returned the unopened item.
Only then did I learn that returning it would cost me $40 in shipping, plus a $150 restocking fee that was not clearly disclosed during the ordering process.
What surprised me even more was Hampton's Men's refund policy. Even after paying the restocking fee and return shipping, a refund to your original payment method is not guaranteed. Based on the policy, the company has complete discretion over whether to issue one. In my case, I was left asking the owner to make an exception just to receive the remaining $1,250 from an unopened return.
That is not the customer experience I expect when making a $1,400 online purchase from a retailer I discovered through Facebook advertising and product photography.
The owner told me he would "work with me," and I hope he ultimately does the right thing by issuing a full refund to my original form of payment.
Until then, my advice to prospective customers is simple: read Hampton's return policy very carefully before ordering. Make sure you understand that an unopened return may still cost you return shipping, a $150 restocking fee, and that a refund to your original payment method may not be automatic.
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Tyler,
The most concerning issue is NOT the $150 restocking fee. It is that Hampton's can accept the returned merchandise, retain a customer's original payment, and provide only store credit instead of a refund to the original payment method.
That is a material restriction. In my view, it should be clearly and prominently disclosed in the Facebook advertisement, on the product page, and before checkout, not simply placed on a separate Return Policy page.
Had I understood that Hampton's could keep my $1,400 after I returned the coat and issue only store credit, I would not have made the purchase.
For clarity, I opened the shipping box to view the sport coat, but I did not break the plastic seal, remove the coat from its packaging, or try it on. I returned it promptly in the same sealed condition.
What is especially troubling is your admission that you initially intended to "work with me," but changed course after I posted reviews about my experience. In other words, the decision about whether I would receive my money back appears to have turned on whether you approved of my criticism.
A customer returning a substantial online purchase should not have to rely on the owner's personal goodwill, or remain silent publicly, to receive a refund to the original payment method.
Consumers deserve to understand that before doing business with Hampton's.
