Kmart customers all over the U.S. were baffled when they received email notices that their online layaways had been cancelled.
Despite making regular, on-time payments on their items, customers in cities across the country reported getting notices on or around December 14, 2014, letting them know their online layaways were cancelled.
Some customers reported notices advising the items they had in layaway were no longer in stock, and that their refunds would be processed in seven to ten business days – meaning, the money would likely be received on or after Christmas.
A Kmart spokesperson initially responded to the reports by offering an explanation of what happened and issuing an apology from the company.
“We deeply apologize to our customers affected by this online layaway issue. Some of our online layaway customers received inadvertent cancellation notices on their contracts and have not received certain items they ordered through online layaway. This issue is specific to layaway contracts online for ship to home and does not impact in-store layaways. We are in the process of contacting those customers who have been affected and are working with them to resolve the issue,” the spokesperson’s statement said.
Not all contracts were cancelled, and in some cases they have been able to find items through alternative suppliers.
A blog post from Kmart’s parent company, Sears Holdings, updated customers on the action the company was taking to try to fix the problem on December 17, 2014. Refunds had been processed for cancelled items, the blog said, and customers should get those refunds “soon, if they haven’t already.”
“We are working to find the items that were identified as out of stock – and if we can find them we will provide those items for free and ship at no cost,” the post said, “If we don’t have those items, we will provide an e-gift card that can be used toward the purchase of items in the amount equal to the items cancelled in their order.”
The company continued to apologize.
“We are very sorry that this has happened – and we know this is a special time of year for families. We are working hard to make things right.”
