I placed an order on Target.com for in-store pickup on 11/10/15. The order was for 10 bottles of Nuka Cola Quantum for Fallout 4. The total price of the order was $32.29. Upon completing the order I received a confirmation order email at 7:58am local time indicating that the order was ready for pickup at the Target store on 14200 E Ellsworth Ave, Aurora, CO 80012.
Its worth noting that this was a limited edition item/product that I was getting for myself and for my family and friends as gifts. I was understandably excited and relieved to find out that my local store had the item in stock and that I was able to secure these items, as these were to be Christmas gifts for friends and family. To ensure that I had the items in hand, I took a half day off from work so I could get to the store in a timely manner to pickup my order. Unfortunately I was not able to leave the office until after 12:00PM. Knowing that I had an order confirmation (with the funds being removed from my account) I felt that this wouldnt be an issue.
Upon arriving at the store I was greeted by an associate named Jean Anne Murray. When I presented my order confirmation to pickup the items, I was told that the items were unavailable. When I pressed her on why I would have received an confirmation if the item was not available, I was told that other customers had come into the store earlier and complained about the lack of availabilty of said item. In order to placate these customers, my PAID FOR items were then re-sold to these other individuals. This is unacceptable. Target should not be able to sell the same item twice (and receive payment for it twice). Furthermore, my order was already placed and confirmed. It is unfair and unacceptable that I, a paying customer, must bear the brunt of their customer service issues. He who screams loudest should not be the one who gets their way. That is not how a civilized society should operate. Furthermore, that is not how a publicly traded corporation/retailer should operate.
While this is an uncomfirmed assumption, I believe that this issue was exacerbated by unscrupulous behavior of Target and their employees. Please refer to the attached article which makes claims to Target employees purposely buying out stock before it is released to the consumer, just so they can resell it on ebay for a personal profit.
gameranx.com/updates/id/31600/article/target-employees-reportedly-buying-out-nuka-cola-quantum-bottles/
If this was a matter of an antiquated inventory system that was not up to date, then my card should not have been charged. To date, the money has yet to be returned to me. This is THEFT. They have taken money and failed to deliver the product as agreed. Furthermore I am out time and money for taking the day off work so that I could go to the store to pickup the order that was unavailable. These inappropriate actions by Target is unacceptable.
Target Shopper
Henderson,#2Consumer Comment
Wed, March 02, 2016
My bank statement shows when I buy online almost all the time when I purchased something therefore the purchase online is completed. I know this is several months ago yet this is a good reminder to who ever reads this. Get a refund and buy it later or somewhere else - people have ears when this happens therefore makes a good reminder to other around you - that you did pay them - when they try to mislead you that it was not sold
I have also seen Target put pallets of Beer and other alcoholic product in the kids department and kids candy along with the soda section and near the checklanes and other places its not legat to place them. Each Target Store can do things different yet when caught doing it can complain they did not do it. Fact is that Target store did.
#3Author of original report
Thu, December 17, 2015
since you dont understand how time value of money works, let me "hold" $10,000 of your money and i'll give it back to you in a week.
Christopher
Alabama,#4General Comment
Thu, December 17, 2015
...but you aren't charged for it until you pick it up. If you pick it up, then you are charged for it. If you don't(or can't) pick it up, you aren't charged for it. It takes several days for the hold to release the money, but it never leaves your account.
You didn't buy anything, you didn't pay for anything and you aren't owed anything.
#5Author of original report
Thu, December 17, 2015
The entire basis of my complaint was that they TOOK MY MONEY and failed to deliver the product that was paid for. Let me explain again for the 3rd time. They put a hold on my card for the amound of the purchase. if i had no additional credit limit left on my card, i would not be able to use that card to purchase anything else since the hold had used up all of my credit balance. That is effectively the same as them taking my money since it is preventing me from using that same money/credit to purchase something else.
If they take my money the item I paid for is mine whether i choose to pick it up immediately or pick it up at a later time.
Christopher
Alabama,#6General Comment
Thu, December 17, 2015
...therefore the items were not your's. There is no grey area. If you did not pick them up, then you did not pay for them and they are not your's.
#7Author of original report
Thu, December 17, 2015
a hold was put on my card for the amount of the order. that effectively ties up money the same as if a charge went through.
Christopher
Indiana,#8Consumer Comment
Thu, December 17, 2015
You placed the order, and you received your "Order Ready" email, but you aren't charged until you pick your mechandise up. It sucks you didn't get what you ordered, but you ween't charged for it either.