This complaint is regarding Williams-Sonoma's mishandling of a return and store credit following defective merchandise. My sister-in-law placed the original order for a SMEG toaster on January 17, 2025 as a birthday gift for me. I did not receive the item until January 29, and it was defective. I had also purchased the same toaster from Williams-Sonoma for my mother-in-law, and that unit was also defective. Due to receiving two defective products, I chose not to replace the item. I returned the toaster in person to a Williams-Sonoma store on January 30, intending to immediately use the store credit to purchase a KitchenAid mixer. I was told I could not receive a physical merchandise credit and would need to wait for an electronic credit to be emailed to me within an hour. That credit never arrived. Over the next 36+ hours, I contacted customer service multiple times and received conflicting information: that the credit was resent, that my case was flagged for another department, that the store should have issued a physical credit, and then that the store was not allowed to do so. I was repeatedly told to wait longer with no clear resolution or timeline. As of February 1, I still do not have usable store credit or a definitive resolution. This situation was caused by defective merchandise and significantly worsened by inconsistent and ineffective customer service. As a result, I will not be purchasing from Williams-Sonoma again and have advised my sister-in-law and friends to avoid purchasing from them as well. read more