Plenty of Kohl’s customers have been frustrated at the store’s pricing and promotional policies, particularly when using Kohl’s Cash. Several have even sued the retailer for not making its policies more clear.
And, at worst, Kohl’s has been ordered to better disclose its policies – and then it continues to apply coupons and discounts however it wants to.
But not if two California shoppers have their way. Crystal Waters and Tony Valenti of Valencia, California are suing Kohl’s not because it hasn’t adequately explained its policies, but because they want Kohl’s to change those policies once and for all.
Their lawsuit, which has bounced around between state and federal court since it was first filed in February, has now been kicked back to a state court. So now it will be up to a California Superior Court judge to determine whether Kohl’s is cheating its customers.
At issue is the way Kohl’s accepts and applies Kohl’s Cash. During certain promotional periods, for every $50 that customers spend at Kohl’s, they earn $10 in Kohl’s Cash that can be used on a future purchase.
In the fine print, Kohl’s officially describes Kohl’s Cash as a “coupon”. But by naming it “Kohl’s Cash” instead of branding it as a “Kohl’s coupon”, the lawsuit claims that Kohl’s “infers, implies, and/or represents that Kohl’s Cash can be used as actual ‘cash’.”
But it can’t really. Kohl’s policies state that Kohl’s Cash must be used before any percent-off discounts are applied. So instead of getting your discount and then using your Kohl’s Cash as cash, you’re forced to use your Kohl’s Cash on the full price of an item, and then you get a discount on whatever balance remains. “If Kohl’s Cash could truly be used as actual cash, Defendants would apply the Kohl’s Cash after applying the discount,” the lawsuit states.
Shoppers are further disadvantaged when returning items which earned them Kohl’s Cash, the plaintiffs allege. When such an item is returned, Kohl’s deducts the full amount of the Kohl’s Cash from the refund. “While Defendants do not treat Kohl’s Cash as actual cash when applying Kohl’s Cash to customer purchases, they do treat it as actual cash when applying Kohl’s Cash to customer returns because it is in their interests to do so,” the lawsuit claims.
To better explain it in terms of actual dollar figures, the plaintiffs describe a hypothetical shopping trip.
“Let’s say a $100 toaster, which the customer purchased using $60 in Kohl’s Cash, was on sale for 20% off. If Defendants treated Kohl’s Cash as actual cash, Defendants would first apply the 20% discount to the $100, and then deduct the $60 in Kohl’s Cash, leaving the customer with an out-of-pocket expense of $20. However, Defendants first deduct the $60 in Kohl’s Cash from the $100 toaster, and then apply the 20% discount to the remaining $40, leaving the customer with an out-of-pocket expense of $32. Instead of paying $20 for the toaster, the customer has paid $32. The customer has lost $12.”
Following it so far? Now let’s say the hypothetical customer earned the Kohl’s Cash that was used to purchase the toaster, by buying a $300 blender. What happens if they want to return the blender? “Even though the customer receives the benefit of only $48 in Kohl’s Cash from the $60 certificate, when he or she subsequently returns the $300 blender, Kohl’s will deduct the full $60 from the $300 purchase price, and refund him only $240. The customer has now paid $92 for a toaster that would have cost him or her no more than $80 if he or she had never used Kohl’s Cash.”
It’s enough to make your head spin – and wonder whether all of these coupons, percent-off discounts and Kohl’s Cash are even worth it.
Waters and Valenti call it “a massive fraud”. Kohl’s, they say, has “created a scheme whereby they make it appear that Kohl’s Cash and percent-off discounts have greater value than they actually do. This, in turn, provides a false and misleading incentive for customers to return to Kohl’s to use their Kohl’s Cash and to purchase items at a percent-off discount.”
A previous legal challenge in California was resolved two years ago, when Kohl’s agreed to clear up confusion about its Kohl’s Cash policies by more clearly spelling out the program’s terms and conditions in stores and online. But nowhere was it said that Kohl’s couldn’t continue running the program however it wanted.
A separate, similar lawsuit in Ohio has been dragging on for four years now with no resolution just yet. In that case, a Kohl’s shopper also complained that she was unaware of how Kohl’s applied Kohl’s Cash and other discounts, because she said Kohl’s did not adequately disclose its policies. But she stopped short of demanding that Kohl’s change the program.
Waters and Valenti’s lawsuit, however, demands just that. They say the Kohl’s Cash policies violate a number of California consumer protection laws. So they’re asking the court to rule on whether the policies are “deceptive, unlawful, and/or unfair” and whether Kohl’s is being “unjustly enriched” by the manner in which it applies its discounts. They’re also seeking class action status, on behalf of anyone else like them who they say are being denied the full value of the discounts promised to them.
It will now be up to a California judge to decide whether Kohl’s can choose to run its own promotions however it would like. And if Kohl’s prevails, customers who don’t like it may choose to shop somewhere else.
Purchased appliances which were suppose to earn visa gift cards. kohls never sent them. Have been on the phone and e-mail for over 6 months. Totals over $400.00. Nobody wants to help. They send you to a phone number that is unmonitored. Is there a lawyer that can help?
My main Complaint is Shoddy merchandise how anybody can shop there is beyond me and I used to before it got so crappy low-end chinky chinky in the armor. Second complaint is absolutely no customer service.
My biggest complaint is on your receipt they give you one lump sum for discounts. U don’t know how much of its kohls cash or rewards discount or a percentage off coupon.
Therefore you have no way of knowing if it’s correct or keep track of how much Kohls cash was used. I can’t see any justification for not letting us know the breakdown.
I’ve shopped at K for years and just found a charge on my bill that I can’t remove. Always did paperless, and my fault that I didn’t check online. Its interest on protected balance charge. Along with interest charge on purchases, I will pay $51.09 for this and Interest on purchases. I know I have to pay on purchases. This is crazy. How can I take this off protective charge or is this even legal.
Why would anyone shop at Kohls? Have to be a sucker that likes wasting money. They never have good prices on anything. Their prices are insane compared to other stores. Nike shirt for $30 that I can get at jcpenny, macy’s or nike store. They always have old outdated sneakers from 2 years ago. And even they are outrageously priced for not being a newer model.
Meant to say the shirts at Kohls for $30 they have at JCPenney, Macy’s or Nike Store for $20.
Kohl’s is only worth shopping with coupons and decent sales. No different from Macy’s and JCP. And Macy’s coupons aren’t valid on like 90% of the stuff that they sell. I’m always shocked when I buy something and a coupon DOES apply. Kohl’s is doing that now on some stuff as well, but not nearly as much as Macy’s does.
Also, Kohl’s has changed their regular 15/20/30% coupons to unique codes, good maybe 10 times so they cannot be shared on public sites. And the free shipping code now only works if you are an MVC customer.
Hundreds and hundreds of complaints from people who have had problems with this company, lost money and was ripped off by a big fat Corp. (Which isn’t a surprise really) …so what ya gonna do ppl???? BOYCOTT KOHLS! THATS WHAT!!! ITS SO EASY. Rip up any of their cards and DONT SHOP THERE AGAIN! SOOOO FRIGGIN EASY!!! AND YOULL HAVE MORE MONEY TO USE ON THINGS THAT AREN’T AN UNREASONABLE PRICE! SCREW KOHLS. THEY SUCK SO BAD ANYWAY!!
After having my own negative experiences on the dark side at Kohl’s, doing a little reasearch, reading through all these comments I decided to cut up my credit cards, & close my Kohl’s account……YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!! OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS WHEN I WILL SAVE TONS OF MONEY. Kohl’s Kash & coupons are nothing, BUT deception with small fine print covered with flashy GREEN-COLORED paper! Nothing is really on sale except maybe clearance or discontinued items. MOSTLY everything at Kohl’s IS cheap quality with intentional super high mark-up prices. ANY cheaper ADVERTISED prices ARE MEANT TO deceive you to make you think you are getting something on saaaaaaaaaaaaalllllleeeee when it’s still being sold at a price higher than what it costed to make THEIR products in the first place, as well as being sold for waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more than what CHINESE people are being paid to make cheap-ass Kohl’s products.
SHAME ON KOHL’S….HEY PEOPLE…their name means…darkness!!!!
I would be there daily if I could make a return and get Kohl’s cash in cash. Shoot, I would have different outfits and disguises and go 20 times a day. Imagine buying a toaster, getting $10 Kohl’s Cash. Returning it. Getting $10 back. Yes mam, I know how to make money.
Here is what happened to me just this black Friday deal. I bought a necklace and bracelet worth >1000$ and earned 270 in Kohl’s cash. They waited almost a week to process the tranaaction and i didn’t receive the email/mail that they said will receive my Khol’s cash by.After a week i contcated them online. I chatted with representatives twice online and both said I will recive the email within 30 min (I even took the screenshot of our chat). I received nothing and I called to their customer office 3 times. Each time, I was told a different thing. The first one said she couldn’t send the cash and gave me a kind of a refernce number that I should use during purchase. The second one said i will recieve the cash the first week of the next month. The last one told me that the cash is already expired the day before. I told him that I called the day before and nobody told me that it is going to expired that day. He said “ok I can give you the reference number that you can use for your purchases”. I told him I was ready to do the purchase and gave him the SUK number and he said “you can not use the cash on brands”. With that they denied my cash. This is a pure robbery. Shame on you Kohl’s.
There was a store sale, 25% off which they deducted from my purchase. They told me a total. I took out my Kohl’s Cash to pay with thinking that it was a “tender” just like a 10 dollar bill. But no. Right before my eyes on the check-out screen, my $10 Kohl’s cash was inserted in the middle of my transaction and the 25% was dropped down and taken off the new remaining amount. So effectively then, even though the store advertised 25% off everything that day, it wasn’t true if you were spending with Kohl’s cash.
Exactly right but that’s what they did to me. There was a store sale, 25% off which they deducted from my purchase. They told me a total. I took out my Kohl’s Cash to pay with thinking that it was a “tender” just like a 10 dollar bill. But no. Right before my eyes on the check-out screen, my $10 Kohl’s cash was inserted in the middle of my transaction and the 25% was dropped down and taken off the new remaining amount. So effectively then, even though the store advertised 25% off everything that day, it wasn’t true if you were paying with Kohl’s cash.
I just returned $18 worth of merchandise, but because of the $15 kohls cash I earned on the total transaction, my $18 return was reduced by the full $15 Kohls cash amount and I was given $3 back! Since when does $18 worth of merchandise earn me $15 Kohls cash?? Never, but they deducted the Full Amount of the kohls cash from my return! Very upset about this. In effect, they stole the kohls cash I earned for the purchases I did not return. Seems like this should be illegal.
It’s because you obviously went below the threshold for the Kohls Cash that you had earned and obviously spent (you forgot to mention that piece). If you had not spent the KC, you would have gotten back the full amount and the KC would have been invalidated. Now, what sucks is that the KC was likely reduced in value when you used it if you had a coupon, so you may not have gotten the full $15 that was deducted from your return.
You CAN return the item you bought with the Kohls Cash and get new Kohls Cash in return, but it’s only valid for 30 days.
You should have tried to do a return without receipt and taken whatever they gave you (lowest recent price) in a gift card.
YOu would have been better off returning it without a receipt. At least you would have gotten the full amount back in a credit! Its ridiculous. Kohls knows how to screw their customers so you need to know the loopholes to get around their shadiness.
I was in line to pick something up once and this poor old lady was returning a shirt or something. She had her receipt and all, the woman behind the counter took the return, processed it and said thank you! The lady looked confused and asked where her money was. The woman told her because she used kohls cash, she gets NOTHING back. NOTHING. She was so confused she just walked away. I felt really bad for her. I definitely would have not left that quietly and demanded they at least give me the damn shirt back! Then I would have told them Im returning it without a receipt! Ridiculous!
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Didnt do that for me took my kohls id cash and my return money for another reciept on a differant item they owe me 19 dollars $9 .cash for a return and $10 kohls cash. !!! Im so mad ! Ill never shop there again. ! They’re a fraudulant Co…Might have to look into it .after reading all these reviews ! Do yourself a favor and shop at a reputable. Store ..!
I’m going through the same thing now. Kohl’s cash is a scam. They took $15 from a senior citizen at Christmas. Customer service is non-existent.
I work at Kohl’s in store. Your example of the toaster and Kohl’s cash is wrong. If the toaster is on sale for 20% $100 it will ring up at $80 then your $60 Kohl’s cash will be deducted, making your price to pay $20, now if you have a % off coupon as well, THAT COUPON will be applied after the Kohl’s cash. And of course if you buy a blender and earn Kohl’s cash, and then proceed to buy a toaster with said Kohl’s cash, and then turn around and return said blender (be lucky we let you return the blender, you probably used it, as well) of course you are going to get less money back, only a self entitled moron would not understand that. Now go spill Hot Coffee on your lap, and hope there is no “caution hot liquid” label on the cup, so you can SUE.
It seems like someone with such a poor attitude should not be allowed to work at Kohl’s. I hope you don’t say garbage like this at work (or maybe they don’t allow you to deal with customers).
As for being “lucky” that the customer would be allowed to return something, clearly you should read the store return policy. If you don’t agree with it (as you clearly do not), then you should find someplace else to work.
Bottom line is that Kohl’s uses a very loose interpretation of the word “cash”, and it is wrong.
The name for the coupon explains within itself. ” Kohl’s cash” … hint it’s the company giving its customers’ cash back for spending $50 . Do they need/have to do this, of course not .. but people do come back to the store to receive this coupon. It’s no where near fraud, it’s a business . It’s like saying ” hey , thanks for shopping at Kohls , here’s $10 back for spending $50.. use our money first then continue with a valid % . It’s simple and easy to understand that those who want to sue are people who do not think about the workers and how much they have to put up with customers and/or changes that come with the stupidity and selfishness of others. Be happy that this company let’s you stack up your coupons , you actually do save alot at kohls with their % , sales and kohls cash as well as rewards that are earned within a month.
Funny how you haven’t noticed your own store policy. No, the Kohls cash is deducted first, before the sale percentage. That’s on the receipt, no matter how “it rings up” at first. It calculates so that the customer doesn’t receive the Kohls Cash amount. Since it’s called cash, it’s misleading. Customers may spend more just to get the Kohls Cash. Then can’t use it as cash. Also, it’s applied differently as a purchase compared to a return, to further cheat the customer. This isn’t a matter of selfishness on the customer, but on Kohls, because it’s a marketing scheme based on misconception. Like a con. Kohls creates increased sales! Don’t insult the customer. Kohls should change the cash name to coupon, and clarify the use. But that wouldn’t increase their sales as much.
KOHL’s is like the tobacco industry trying to pretend what is obvious to everyone isn’t real. They have deceptive practices and anyone with half a brain knows it. They play on those who are too ignorant to realize they are being played.
Strange how my inet was cut off when I tried to respond. I was trying to type earlier that I had purchased 2 items today. 10.00 Kohl’s cash and 5.00 coupon leaving the balance at 8.00. I specifically checked to have a local pick-up and somehow one item was sent to the next town over. Well I cancelled the order today and placed a new one. The 5.00 off coupon was no good of course because it had already been used on an order that was screwed up some how. Another problem is sometimes in the site you apply coupons but when you check out somehow they end up not being applied. I wonder why? So yes Bill, it seems as though they have a tendency to play people. But I’m glad that I’m not the only person who saw the Kohl’s cash scam and obviously you saw so yourself.
Kohls is in business to make money. That does not mean they are being deceptive. They want you to return and shop some more. KC along with other promos and discounts gets us back in the store. With that being said, you don’t lose KC when you make a return because you never earned it! Think of it this way. Imagine that you made the purchase without the item you are returning. Did you spend $50? If not, you never earned $10 in KC. Now when you do earn KC and apply it to another purchase, but decide to return the item where you earned the KC you spent, it is deducted from the return amount. Why, you ask? Because you never earned it! It’s very simple. I don’t get the confusion. It’s a coupon folks. Not actual cash. Kohls will give you back what you paid when you make a return with a receipt or card lookup.
You are missing the whole point… The treat it differently for a return versus a purchase. That is the issue.
How about when you decide to return the item which granted you the Kohls cash, you also return the item you applied the Kcash??? Then you can re-purchase the item again…Problem solved!
No, the problem is not solved when you return every single item. In fact, I returned every single item and magically I still have a balance on my charge card. Do that math Einstein, or are you paid to be stupid?
Hi Sue ,
I had the same issue with Kohls… i returned 10 pairs of jeans on line that were delivered to my house because the had a horrible odor to them. I returned them to the store (every pair) and they sent me a bill for $80.00 i spent 3 hours I will never get back on the phone trying to explain how can they charge me $80.00 when everything had been returned??
How did you resolve your issue?
Why would anyone in their right mind think you could return an item that you used kohl’s cash on and get real money back. That’s ridiculous. You Kohl’s cash is a valid discount on your items being purchased. A gift! It’s not real money, it’s kohls cash. You cannot expect any company to redeem a gift that they are giving you on a purchase for real money. You bought the item. The company didn’t force you to use their gift. You choose to use it. The fraud is the consumer trying to get real money back from the company that is offering a gift to their customer! On another note. At least you’re not being charged a restocking fee.
You clearly work for Kohls and I hope I never have to deal with you. Their ads make it seem like real money. And they used to allow you to get a merchandise credit if you returned the items you bought with Kohls Cash rather than getting it again. So if anything they changed the definition of it when they stopped letting you get a merchandise credit.
This is similar to what CVS did with Extrabucks. Except in their case they actually show the ECB as reducing the price of the item, so they’re even worse (or just bad in a different way).
Why on earth would any legitimate company charge a restocking fee? Are you dense?
Hi I went shopping on blackfriday and got 30$ KOHLS CASH BALANCE. Let me explain to you how this is fraud and why you shouldnt redeem online. First off kohls will only do free delivery if you spend 50$. So that means if you have a 30$ kohls Cash your going to have to spend 80$ to get the free delivery because of the KOHLS CASH BALANCE actually acts as a coupon so that way your not actually spending money which is scamming people to spend more money online. I have a quick question If I went into the store and spent 70$ + 30$ kohls cash you should get 20$ back in rewards am i right?
The policy states when you SPEND. When you apply KCash to the purchase, you are not SPENDING the amount of the KCash coupon. You must SPEND YCash aka “Your Cash” to get free shipping. Good news. If you use the kiosk in the store to place your purchase, the shipping is free!
You know a store is bad when they hire people, who couldn’t pass a 3rd grade English class, to hit the comments on their behalf.
And it was said by the person who writes her name with a lowercase letter.
No! The kohl’s cash is a gift! Not real money! I know you must understand that!!!
It’s not a gift, it is part of the advertised sale.
For those of you that are trying to imply kohl’s cash is real money. I’d like to ask you if you’ve ever been able to use it at another retailer, or deposit it into your banking accout? Obviously not. So it’s not real money. It’s kohls cash. For kohl’s dept store. You can use your kohl’s cash on anything in the store except for charitable’s. It is to save you some real money, to come back and redeem it on another purchase. The activation time period on your kohl’s cash printed right on your kohl’s cash. You can’t return an item you purchased after the expired date on the kohl’s cash and expect to get your kohl’s cash redeemed. Just like you can’t return an item you purchased with a 30% coupon and expect to receive another coupon. The redemption periods are clearly marked. If someone purchases an item for you, you bring it back for a return without a gift receipt. How’s is kohl’s suppose to know what amount of money the person paid for it? Get a gift receipt. There are people that steel items from department store and bring them back without receipts thinking they can get cash back. That is not going to happen. You need a receipt. Yes the kohl’s cash is ativated before your coupon. You are still saving your money on your purchase.
I worked at Kohl’s and if a customer does not have the actual Kohl’s Cash, but they do have the original receipt showing the Kohl’s Cash earned which also shows the identifying number issued for said Kohl’s Cash, Kohl’s will NOT accept it! The reason we had to say is that “Kohl’s Cash is just like cash, if you lose it, like if you lose a $10 bill, it’s gone”. The receipt identifies each Kohl’s Cash earned with the same number that is on the actual Kohl’s Cash given to the customer, less the four digit “PIN” number. Supposedly that “PIN” number is necessary to redeem Kohl’s Cash IF you don’t have the actual Kohl’s Cash with a printed bar code to “scan” for an “in store” purchase, or if it is used during an “on-line” purchase. Perhaps the bar code has said PIN number included, I don’t know, but it seems to me that the PIN number should also be printed on the customers receipt along with the identifying Kohl’s Cash number. To me, I believe this is NOT an oversight by Kohl’s, but in fact another way for Kohl’s to deceive their customers which is completely opposite of Kohl’s so-called promise to customers, employees and stakeholders, to practice a high standard of “Integrity, Honesty, Fairness, and transparency”. In my opinion Kohl’s care about one thing and that is their bottom line (money)! Kohl’s sure talks a lot about their “Greatness” but it’s all just talk. One example is where the Ethical Standards and Responsibilities Policy mentions that a common cliche is that actions speak louder than words and I do believe that Kohl’s lives up to this but in a negative way for them, not in a positive way it was intended. In my opinion their actions actually demonstrate their Lack of integrity, honesty, fairness, and transparency by telling customers the Kohl’s Cash is the SAME as cash because if it was then all “discounts” would be applied first then subtract Kohl’s Cash; but they apply Kohl’s Cash first then the discount. I know that you don’t apply a payment of cash, credit card, gift cards or checks first to a purchase then get the discount because there would be no discount to apply if you paid for your purchase, and if you only paid for part of the purchase in cash then apply the discounts – that would be ludicrous! Kohl’s should NOT say Kohl’s Cash is just like cash if it’s not!
Corey are you being paid by Kohls to post here? Surely if you work at Kohls you must be aware of these things. One time when I went to make a return I did it by card lookup(same as having a recipt) because it seemed easier. But it rang up for less than I paid for it. So, I searched my wallet and found the receipt right then and there and gave it to him and the return rang up for more money back. I told him “see you can see for yourself that it was going to give me two different amounts.” It was the manager who was helping me and he saw it for himself. I think when I did a card look up (same as a receipted return) it was deducting Kohls cash even though I did not use the Kohls cash. So you know if you give someone a gift receipt I wonder if they dedicate Kohls ash from the fight receipt whether it was used or not. I would think after my experience that gift receipt returns and card look up returns could be another area that should be investigated for potential fraudulent business practices.
Kohl’s is a rip off!
I returned and they took $20.00 from my return price.
When I tried to use a 20% coupon in conjunction with the Kohl’s cash, they do not allow.
So they take $20.00 REAL money from me, but they do not allow me to use their 20% coupon on their “Monopoly” money.
They are a rip off.
Very dishonest.
We should boycott by not shopping there this holiday season!
Can I join this class action?
What cash expires? Kohl’s cash! It’s not a cash! It’s fraud.
This is my fit time using Kohl’s cash. I returned everything, but I ended up an expired Kohl’s cash , $10 bill plus tax and interests. It’s just because I returned one item to begin with. It’s like a setup to the customer. It’s not cash at all. It expires in one week. What cash expires? I am at Ohio.
I just made a purchase yesterday for $70 (after 30% discount) and received $10 cash. Today I returned one item at $30 but in exchange was purchasing additional items costing $112 (after 30% discount). I could not use yesterdays Kohl’s cash of $10 today because of return even though I was making an exchange (not for same item, just for same amount) plus additional purchases. I get that you cant just buy and return to get Kohl’s cash, but if you are making an exchange in value, you should be able to use the Kohl’s cash on any additional purchases at that time! Yes I did get $20 in Kohls cash but that’s to get me back in the store AFTER the 30% expires! As a consolation, I was given a 20% discount card. It’s a joke! The only time you make out is with the clearance items and that’s when they’re at least 75% off because the original prices are 4 times the amount so you’ll THINK you got a bargain with their SALE price.
I have figured this out long ago and that is why I NEVER use my kohls cash. It is so not worth it! The one time I did earn and thought I was ‘safe’, ie keeping everything purchased, I was wrong. I was going to return a baby gift where I had earned kohls cash, and spent it. I earned and spent $20 in kohls cash. The item i was going to refurn was $8. I was going to get NOTHING back if I returned, so I kept.
What they should do is return items that earned ‘spent’ kohls cash, back as kohls cash up to the dollar amount of kohls cash earned, similar to what they do when returning items purchased with kohls cash.
As a cardholder, the 30% promo is always the best deal.
If you don’t want to lose kohl’s cash you ask for a merchandise credit. (a gift card). then you get the full price, including the kohl’s cash back. use that card when you pay for your stuff. I’m surprised no one mentioned that in the article NOR anyone in the comments. If no one is being told that then THAT is deceptive.
Hm interesting because if I process a return you can have 3 choices. Refund to your card, convert entire return amount into merchandise credit or issue a Corp refund. You spend rewards or kohls cash than you get it back if you return something that it had been applied too. Simple as that lol
First and last time at Cohl’s: online shopping, bought two sorce pans for about $100, given $30 Cohl’s cash, applied it to another pan and paid the difference $30, $130 on my credit card. Quality low and I retuned all three in store, refunded $100 on my card: I spent $130, I returned all the three pans, I was refunded $100. Basically, Cohl’s took me $30 by selling me nothing! My first time at Cohl’s and using the so-called cash! Apart from plain cheating, rip-off, scam, I do not know what to call this. Beyond my imagination.
That seems wrong. Are you sure they didn’t reissue the $30 you received in Kohl’s Cash in a new certificate? I can see where returning the second order would result in $30 reissued KC, and the first order only giving you a $70 refund since you already spent the KC.
I can’t tell you how many times I didn’t get to use my Kohl’s cash because of the expiration date I’ve lost tons of some money I didn’t even know this is an option im pissed
You should be aware you have at least 5 days max from last I heard after the initial expiration date so if you haven’t tried using your kohls cash after that date that’s not kohls fault. However ask a cashier to scan your kohls cash anyways a few days after if you forgot to use it and it should work. The worst that can happen is that it doesn’t work. I tell customers 3 days max after kohls cash final redemption day so they get their discount.
Are U serious! That kohl’s cash is a gift from kohl’s. To use at kohl’s in the time period set for that promotion. You didn’t loose any money! You chose not to come in and redeem you kohl’s cash gift!
It is not a gift. It is a bonus for making a purchase and most people factor that into the price of the item when making said purchase.
Now, if they send you $5 in KC for your birthday, that is a gift.
I don’t know when you last did this, but getting a KMRC as a refund when you used Kohls Cash has not been an option for several months. you now get replacement KC with a 30 day expiration. The only way you’d get a KMRC for a return when you paid with KC is if you tell them you don’t have the receipt, and then you run the risk of losing money if it’s been on sale for cheaper than you paid (plus they can start refusing to take returns like that after a few, since they ask for your drivers license).
I am not sure what kohls you shop at, but the kohls where I live absolutely will not give you a merchandise credit. They give you kohls cash back in the form of kohls cash that is BLUE and not Green and it is valid for 30 days only. I contact corporate a lot (directly to the president) because I have lots of issues with them and their policies.
You get store merchandise credit if you use gift receipt to return.
Very unfair that’s why I have stopped shopping there
I’ve always felt they cheated us . Kmart is bad about returns and not giving u hardly anything for the returns regardless of what u paid
This is Kohl’s not Kmart. I haven’t heard anything bad about kmart returns,kohl’s I hear a lot about. They wanted to give me $8 for 3 toys that I know my family spent probably $100 on. I went to toys r us,and they could only accept one,but I got back almost $13 fr just the one,compared to the $8 for 3 Kohl’s wanted to give me, They’re such a rip off. I very rarely shop there,and when I do it’s the clearance stuff.
I agree with all above except on the returns. You will loose the discount t and kohls cash. Also when exchanging you have to exchange fire exact item, color, and price to not loose any of it, and that’s with a receipt! Why can’t an exchange be similar or some other item and not the exact same
Price? I know why, that’s how they have been pocketing the extra money by deceiving consumers. Have you ever done the math in an exchange or return? One penny off and your discounts will be recalculated for lesser amount
In the exchange or return, meaning you then pay our more money on an exchange than a 1 cent difference.
Incorrect Shelly I work at kohls if you can’t find the item specifically you can even exchange for a item that is the same original price as the original one you had. Also without a receipt you can still do an even exchange as well for returns we can do lookups with the card your used be it credit or debit. Whatever you get back is what you said after the discounts. Than if you redeemed kohls cash or yes 2 you rewards you get that back as well mam. Whatever you paid and whatever you used is issued back at the time of return.
Paid*
This is not entirely accurate. This past Christmas a number of Kohl’s cash numbers were fraudulently applied to third party purchases, my local store had seen a number of such transactions. As a “good will” gesture the store manager allowed a dollar off coupon identical to the Kohl’s cash amount for those that could be verified as misused. Now try do a return and point blank you
are told you lose the value of the cash you earned despite having been victimized somewhere along the way. Kohl’s is a smarmy place to shop. I stopped shopping there for years due to all the problems, my mistake to ever spend another dime in that place.
Lol okay tell a worker who has worked in customer service the policy he is taught is not entirely accurate.
That’s true, and unfortunate. I had an expired $10 KC which did not scan and the cashier just took $10 off. my item. As you mentioned, that $10 was lost if I returned the item.
Hi, I primarily shop at Kohls, I think the mark downs are great. However in light of this issue, I would just like to point out for the case, if it is stated to earn the Kohl’s cash, you have to spend “$50 AFTER TAX AND ALL COUPONS HAVE BEEN APPLIED”, SO why do YOU NOT get to USE THE KOHL’S CASH” AFTER ALL OF THE TAX AND DISCOUNTS HAVE BEEN APPLIED?” I think that is a BIGGER issue than the return part. You return without a receipt, anywhere you run the risk of Getting the NOW time of return CURRENT PRICE. NOW it may also work in your favor, bc if you got it on sale, but now it is OFF sale, then you get the then CURRENT PRICE!! OR that is how it should work. Look I like Kohl’s for their products, I have never had a CS issue, and I am A SHOPPPPPPPEEEERRR, Max out card, pay it off to only go and do it again! I have 2 boys that each bath they grow out of clothes, so that is why I shop so much. But the POINT is these GUYS have a VALID POINT IN THEIR CASE. Kohl’s IS CHEATING, and NOT JUST A FEW PENNIES HERE AND THERE, WE ARE TALKING PROBABLY AVERAGE OF $10-$12 PER TRANSACTION. NOW, you factor in that Kohl’s has 1,155 active stores. so just for figures for the ease of this, lets say they get 300 customers per day in each of all 1155 their locations, which may be close as an average, SO now take 300 times 1155= 346,500 so now let say that 75% of them use Kohl’s cash on their purchase,so now that is right about 260K shoppers using the KC. SO now let figure each of those Clients lose the average of 10$ per transaction, and of course some are going to be more, less blah blah, this is an average for examples, don’t post U SAID THIS IS THE #s I AM GIVING AN EXAMPLE THAT’S IT…SO NOW, 10$ times the 260,000 clients that shop each day!! NOT EACH WEEK, LETS even say EACH WEEK that these are the # per week, WHICH IS SOO BEYOND LOW, BUT EITHER WAY,that is $2,600,000 THAT KOHLS TOOK IN A SHADY WAY, THAT IT’S AVERAGE CONSUMER IS NOT AWARE OF. NOW, YOU DO THAT TIMES 52 WEEKS PER YEAR AND KOHLS SHOULD BE GIVING US 50$ for every $10 WE SPEND!! THAT COMES OUT TO BE 1$35,200,00 YES that is OVER ONE HUNDRED THIRTY FIVE MILLION PER YEAR, THEY ARE CHEATING ITS CLIENTS OUT OF AND THEY ARE POCKETING. MY QUESTION, IS HOW IS THAT BEING REPORTED? IF THE KC IS REPORTED UNDER MARKETING OR WHAT EVER AS A EXPENSE I’m SURE, HOW IS THE MONEY THEY GET BACK FROM THE KC “THEY ” HAVE ALREADY WRITTEN OFF AS A MARKETING EXPENSE, AND THE FACT THAT IT EXPIRES, SHOWS THEY BASE THIS ON A BREAKAGE SYSTEM. THEY HAVE THEIR DOUBLE AND TRIPLE DIPS GOING ON!! NOW YOU GOT ME ALL FIRED UP, AND I DON’T WANT TO SHOP AT KOHLS ANYMORE! DAMN IT MAN!! BC NOW, YOU THINK HOW ARE THEY ABLE TO HAVE “CASH” EXPIRE?? WHY ARE THEY ALLOWED TO DO THAT, THEY DON’T LIST IT AS A COUPON, WHICH YES COUPONS ARE ABLE TO EXPIRE, BUT THEY PRESENT IT AS CASH, BUT USE THE BACK DOOR OF IT BEING A COUPON, SO IT CAN EXPIRE AND HAVE NO ACTUAL CASH VALUE. SO THAT IS LIKE SAYING WE ARE GOING TO GIVE YOU $500 CASH BACK IF YOU BUY ThIS CAR, THEN YOU GO TO GET THE CASH, AND THEY SAY, OH NO, IT HAS NO ACTUAL CASH VALUE, AND YOU HAVE TO KEEP THE CARE FOR 15 DAYS, THEN BRING THE CASH OFFER BACK AND WE WILL GIVE IT TO YOU, IN PRODUCTS FOR YOUR CAR, BUT YOU ONLY HAVE BETWEEN X-Y TO BRING IT IN.( SO YOU ARE BUSY,) YOU BRING IT ON ON Z AND THEY SAY, YEAH SORRY EXPIRED. WELL ITS CASH, HOW DOES CASH EXPIRE? WELL IT IS A COUPON, BUT WE CALL IT CASH BACK BC WE WANT TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT BUYING A CAR FOR 30K, AND I ALSO MAKES YOU COME TEST DRIVE THE CAR, AND THEN LOOK YOU BOUGHT IT!! SO MY “CASH” MARKETING YES DECEPTIVE BUT EFFECTIVE!! BUT YEAH SORRY, YOU ARE SOL!! THEY ARE DIPIN SO MANY WAYS, I AM LOSING COUNT AND I AM POINTING THEM OUT!!! MAN!! I HOPE YOU GUYS KICK THEIR BUTTS, SIGN ME UP FOR THE CLASS I AM IN!!! I WILL HELP BRIAN STORM, IF YOU EVER WANT TO FIGURE OUT MORE THINGS THEY ARE DOING SO WRONG! I AM GOING IN ON FRIDAY, AND USING EXPD KC AND IF THEY GIVE ME CRAP I AM GOING TO PULL UP THIS ARTICLE AND ASK IF THEY WOULD LIKE ME TO PRINT IT AND HAND IT TO EVERYONE THAT COMES AND GOES FROM THEIR STORE?? I BET THEY GIVE ME FULL VALUE!! PLS KEEP US UPDATED ON UR PROGRESS!!!
GOOD LUCK GUYS!! STAND YOUR GROUND, YOU ARE RIGHT SO RIGHT! GET A PETITION GOING ON, MAKE A FB PAGE AND SEND OUT ALERTS TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT LIKED THE KOHL’S PAGES, AND SHARE THIS WITH THEM, POWER IS IN NUMBERS!!!! I WILL MAKE ONE MORE SUGGESTION THEN I AM ALL DONE. I WOULD REACH OUT TO THE FTC, THIS IS THEIR FIELD, DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICES, DECEPTIVE MARKETING, THIS WOULD FOR SURE FALL UNDER THAT PART. ALSO, THEY CAN REALLY PUT A HURTING ON THEM, IF THE FTC DETERMINES THIS WAS A BUSINESS PLAN AND NOT JUST AN OOPS, WHICH IT SEEMS PRETTY CLEAR THAT THEY HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE OF THE DECEPTION, AND THEY DON’T SEEM TO BE STOPPING OR HAVING PLANS TO STOP ANY TIME SOON. I WOULD ALSO GIVE A CALL TO THE CFPB, AND SEE IF THEY CAN MAYBE HELP YOU IN ANYWAY. ALSO YOUR INSPECTOR GENERAL, AND OFFICE OF YOUR GOVERNOR, THE AG, NOW WE ALL KNOW THAT KOHL, HAS A SLEW OF ATTORNEYS THAT WILL TIE THIS UP IN COURT FOR EVER, HOPING YOU GUYS WILL GROW TIRED AND GIVE UP, OR RUN OUT OF MONEY FOR YOUR LEGAL TEAM, OR BOTH!! WHICH IS WHY, I WOULD SAY, GET A PETITION GOING AROUND, GET AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN TO SIGN AGREE AND AUTHORIZE TO HAVE THE FTC CONTACT THEM TO CONFIRM THEIR ISSUES, ONCE THEY HAVE A CLEAR PATTERN OF ABUSE THEY HAVE TO TAKE ACTION!! VISIT ftc.gov you will see what it it all about on their SITE.
OK, SORRY SO MUCH, BUT THIS HAS FIRED ME UP!!
THANKS, FOR THE TRUTH!!
ROX
Thanks for the cap lock lmao and Roxanne inncorect you get kohls cash pretax not after tax which is stated in the back of the kohls cash
Incorrect Corey,
I shop at Kohl’s on a fairly regular basis. Each time I need to exchange something that I’m not happy with. I ask an associate, manager, etc. how it works. Every time I’m told exactly what Shelly was. This is extremely disheartening to me. If I’m exchanging a shirt for example, which I didn’t like the fit of, why in hell would I want to exchange it for the same thing!
Now I’m not saying that that’s not the case at your store Corey. Surely though, you realize, or at least now do. That not every store is going to follow the same rules. I’ve found that to be the case with most any major store.
I have also been unhappy with the way Kohl’s cash is deducted especially if you return an item.
Because you would like to commit return fraud by repeatedly buying and returning items, driving up the cost for everyone else?
NO company allows you to buy and return items and keep the bonuses you you earned from the items that you returned. Try telling your credit card company that you should be allowed to keep miles you earned from items that you bought and then returned and see what they say.
It’s not unfair, it’s common sense, and the rules are all printed on your receipt and the coupon. If you are too lazy to read then, that your family fault.
Lots of people use and enjoy these coupons. Sucks that lazy people who don’t bother to read or understand very simple common sense rules are trying to rain on everyone else parade.
No, it is the whole part about ‘inconsistencies’ that makes me mad. They deduct as a coupon when buying, but when returning, treat it as actual cash. I just never use mine. Way better deal to use the 30% cardholder code and know I can return whatever i want, whenever I want and not have to worry about silly deductions to my return, etc.
I have been questioning this for awhile now myself. Just today I returned a pair of shoes that I paid 80 dollars for. Upon returning they refunded my card for 45 saying that I used 20 in kohls cash which I fail to remember doing. The math makes no sense either way. I will support any action against the company and really am turning my card back in.
Sir I can only assume you think kohls has the ability to change the amount you get back? Which is inncorect your receipt would state anything taken off be it kohls cash,rewards, or a $ Or % off coupon. If you did a lookup than it found your transaction through kohls to your financial institution in which th3 card belongs too. Meaning kohls have no control over reducing your amount because it was traced back to the original purchase.
I agree with the two above. It just has you running back and forth to spend more money. It’s really not treated as kohl’s cash and am a regular customer who just recently figured this all out also. I would get so frustrated at the register when I see how it’s deducted. It’s like your giving it right back once you earn the cash . Meaning if there is a percentage used more comes off of the kohl’s cash which leaves you more out of pocket. I hope am saying it right it’s so confusing it gives me a headache. The other day I had 20 in kohl’s but a 20 percent . Total came to 17 bucks and change but in case I lost it I went ahead and added pair 3 $ earrings. I still ended up paying 3 $and change. If they are not going to deduct properly way give it. Oh I get it ,to keep us coming back thinking we are really getting a deal.
I’m sorry your head is so fragile aches from just trying to comprehend simple rules which are printed right there on the coupon and receipt.
The rules are quite simple: dollar off coupon are applied first, then percentages off it says that on literally every coupon. It’s sad people who are too lazy to read the back of the coupon think that’s an excuse to sue. Kohl’s coupon policies are super generous, because most stores do NOT let you double up coupons at all. Heck, many stores don’t allow you to use coupons on sale items or clearance items at all.
PS, your math is crap or you are lying. If you truly had $20 in purchases ($17 +$3 earrings) your total WOULD be 0. The percentage off is applied after the dollar off coupon, so presumably you assumed $17 AFTER the 20% off +$3 AFTER the 20% off.
It says on the coupon that it doesn’t work that way, yet you are blaming a store because you are either too lazy to read the coupon or too stupid to understand a simple statement like “dollar off coupons are applied before percent off coupons”.
It’s sad. Lots of us love these coupons and have zero issues with understanding how they work, but a couple lawsuit happy complainers who can’t be bothered understanding simple rules have to try to run it for everyone else.
Wow, not sure why you’re being so nasty to people. And I think that you are mistaken on the point of the case as well. The point of this case (whether I agree with it or not is irrelevant) is that the ‘coupon’ is called Kohl’s Cash, (cash being the operative word) and that Kohl’s gives less value to the coupon when being applied to a purchase vs. a return.
When you hear the term ‘Kohl’s Cash’ (according to the lawsuit) the average person would think of something that can be spent like cash (i.e. used at the end of the transaction after coupons and on anything you want). The customer is instead being given a coupon (which can only be utilized on specific items and in specific ways and is used before other discounts, etc.)
The court case is determining not whether people can understand the rules of the coupon or even how simple the coupon instructions are, but whether Kohl’s has created a type of false advertising in calling the coupon ‘Cash’ and whether or not Kohl’s is profiting by customer use of the coupon in a manner such as the transaction described in the court case, which gives the coupon differing values based on which stage the customer is in for purchase vs. return.
Do people not read or choose to be ignorant. The policies are on the Kohls Cash…read people. By the way really? It’s not real cash or can’t people tell that? This is why retailers are going under, frivolous and ridiculous people..read your coupons!
Are you stupid and did you even read this article? Because clearly it sounds like you didn’t.
The whole problem is the wording KOHLS CASH! The lay person is assuming it’s just that “cash”. You should not expect me to give you my “cash” before you take off my %off. That’s the issue. SMH
Exactly right but that’s what they did to me. There was a store sale, 25% off which they deducted from my purchase. They told me a total. I took out my Kohl’s Cash to pay with thinking that it was a “tender” just like a 10 dollar bill. But no. Right before my eyes on the check-out screen, my $10 Kohl’s cash was inserted in the middle of my transaction and the 25% was dropped down and taken off the new remaining amount. So effectively then, even though the store advertised 25% off everything that day, it wasn’t true if you were spending with Kohl’s cash.
Wow
Well I’ve found that your statement on kohls deducting the kohls cash upon a return is barely correct. If a customer redeemed their kohls cash then it’s deducted from the return amount. However if they don’t if they drop below one of the benchmarks whatever it may be $5 kohls cash for every $25 Or $10 kohls cash for every $50. For example, if a customer spent roughly 100 after tax then they earn $20 kohls cash now if they return it ,and drop below the $50 benchmark than they lose $10 of the $20. However if they even exchange the items for something of the same original price then their kohls cash isn’t affected. Just my two cents