I am shocked at how popular and widely advertised Speigel is, considering their shady business ethics and the deplorable way they treat their customers. After my own disaster with the company I did an internet search on the subject and came up with an astounding number of folks who have been jilted by them. How are they still in business!?

I ordered a swimsuit from them on the Monday before the 17 of May 2009. We were leaving that weekend for our anniversary and I selected three day shipping. It arrived late in the evening of the fifth day, long after we had set out for our trip, even though the order was made at the beginning of the working week. We returned to find the package sitting on our doorstep. I discovered that the cut did not fit me well when I tried it on, so I set about returning it. Thus started an avalanche problems.

I emailed the customer service department to ask about their return policy on swimsuits (many websites will not let you return un-packaged swimsuits or lingerie, even if they have not been worn) and to ask them to clarify something on the return form. I waited for a week and received no response. I emailed them again, this time to a different department in case the first one did not handle such complaints. After another four days, I still had no response. Feeling my return time running out, I sent an email to every department and started to make phone calls.

I sent out a total of 6 emails, one to each department they had listed. I made three phone calls, and finally on the third try got to talk to an actual person. To his credit, the gentleman was very polite and apologetic, and was able to give me the information I needed. I sent out my package with all of the appropriate paperwork fifteen days before the return time limit. Then I waited.

After about a month of no response I sent another email with my packing number and other information to their shipping and return department. Again I went weeks without response. I called their customer service number again and this time got a young woman. When I told her my problem she became very blunt with me, and gave me the impression that she thought I was wasting her time. I asked if they had received my package yet, and gave her my order number. Before I could even finish the number she very sharply said "no" they had not received it. I didn't see how she could have had time to look it up, so I called her out on it and asked if she could actually look it up to see. She very pointedly told me to be patient because she was still typing. Then I very distinctly heard typing start on the other end of the line. She had NOT been typing to look it up until that moment when I asked her to check. She responded that yes they had received my package (so she lied to me?), but it had not been processed yet. I asked her when it had arrived, and she said she could not give me that information. (After looking through other people's complaints about the company I now know for a fact that this is not true, and that information is readily available to customer service reps. I did not know this at the time however, so I grudgingly took her word for it). I asked how long it would be till I got my refund. She told me she did not know. I asked if I would be reimbursed to my credit card, and she said yes, adding "you could be patient lady, we are working on it" with no attempt whatsoever to disguise the annoyance and anger in her voice. I was really shocked at her venom. I asked her what her name was (I was going to report her behavior for sure) and she got quiet, and then hung up on me. It was by far the single worst customer service experience I have ever had.

September came, and my husband and I where about to move from Texas to Arizona. I was growing fearful that I would never hear from the company again. Then, four days before our move date they FINALLY came through. Or so I thought. I received a letter in the mail from Speigel. When I opened it I found a certificate for $45 (my whole order totaled well over $70) because I had "not returned my merchandise within the time limit specified". I beat the time limit by weeks! At worst it could not have taken more than ten days for the package to make it to them, including any weekends. I was livid! They made me wait, ignored me, where rude to me and now where going to rob me and lie to me outright. I made on last call to the company and waited for thirty minutes before speaking to someone. When the woman picked up on the other line I explained my situation to her. She asked me to wait for a moment, and put me on hold. Within minutes the call was disconnected. I assumed it was a bad connection and called again. This time a young man picked up and I explain my situation to him again. He too asked me to hold and, within 20 minutes of being put on hold, my call was again terminated. There was no doubt in my mind that they just where not going to talk to me, and saw no point in caring about "customer service" now that they had my money.

Not one email I sent them has ever been answered.

I will tell everyone I can what a shady operation Speigel is running. The unfortunate thing is that because of the companies prominence and visibility, I think most people will not learn about it till they have serious problems with the company and find out about it after the fact as I did. I will not be dealing with the website again (not even to redeem my measly $45 gift card) and I would advise anyone I know to steer clear as well. They are a wolf in sheep's clothing, and should be avoided.

They have put a hold on my daughters account
without even so much as a phone call.

I have been in contact with one the customer reps.
who said she would look into the matter of my
daughters bank account and call me back.

Still waiting for the phone call back.