Nordstrom — Local services in Bellevue

I highly recommend the personal stylist/shopper experience! I am 3 months postpartum and returning to work in the next couple of weeks. After pulling apart my closet I realized I had very few pieces that I felt confident in from my pre-baby days and that I was missing a lot of the basics (tops, layering pieces, and pants). I ended up booking an appt with Avery O. (which was funny considering our matching first names!) and she was phenomenal!

Avery reached out a few days in advance to ask for some recent pictures of me, some of my favorite pieces, and any inspiration photos I had for a wardrobe. The online form asked for general budget, sizes, and details on what you needed. I also added my height and weight to the online form open comment section to give a better idea for sizing as I wasn’t sure what my sizes would actually be, especially in pants.

When I arrived to the appointment I brought a few of my favorite pieces, and Avery showed me to a private fitting room that had multiple outfits that she had spent time collecting before I arrived. The time was very well spent with Avery switching out items as needed, encouraging me to try on the different pieces with each to show the versatility, and being very helpful and honest about what was working and what didn’t. She was also great at letting me know that she’ll keep an eye out for different pieces in the meantime and send me a text if she finds something that I might like.

After a lot of fun time trying different pieces and things I would have never thought to grab off the hanger, I ended up feeling confident in getting ~90% of what she had picked. She worked really great with my budget and found sale items that would still be timeless, so I was able to walk away with an amazing full wardrobe. We focused on the essentials and I’ll definitely be back later in the year to fill in gaps as my size plateaus out post baby. There were two items that I ended up needing altered to fit just right and Avery grabbed someone from alterations right away so I could leave the pieces and I’ll pick them up next week.

Overall such a great experience, and it was so fun to go home knowing I’d feel confident going back to work soon and being able to do a fashion show for my family at home! I highly recommend Avery O., she took the extra steps to make me feel confident and gave me plenty of tips that I know I can easily follow when shopping or styling my...

The customer The Nordstrom Customer Service I Once Loved Is Gone

I’m honestly shocked at how far Nordstrom’s customer service has fallen. It used to be elite—now it’s mediocre at best.

I went in to return a couple of gifts my mother-in-law had given me, clearly told the associate they were gifts, and asked to exchange them for something more my style. Instead, she refunded the money back to my mother-in-law. I immediately said, “No—I wanted to exchange, not return.” She realized the mistake, felt terrible (which I understood), but then told me there was nothing they could do.

I asked for a gift card instead. She said she couldn’t issue one. Her suggestion? That I call the person who gave me the gift and ask them to send me the money back. I almost lost it. That is embarrassing, awkward, and completely unacceptable.

So I asked her to call a manager. The department manager came down, and again I explained the situation. Her answer? Same thing: “Call the gift-giver and ask them to send you the money.” I asked what they planned to do to fix their mistake. She asked, “What would you like us to do?” I said, “I’d like a $175 gift card, and you can call the person you refunded and ask them to write you a check.” She laughed and called that suggestion silly. I told her, “You’re right—but this is your mistake, not mine.”

At this point I feel like I’m on a hidden camera show. I ask to speak with the store manager or whoever’s in charge. The manager refuses to come down and instead asks me to come back in an hour—after I’d already spent 45 minutes dealing with this circus.

An hour later, I return. They give me a $175 gift card and say, “You won.” That’s it. No apology. No acknowledgment of the hassle. Just a weird, dismissive remark like I was playing a game, not trying to resolve an issue they caused.

I’ve been loyal to Nordstrom for over 30 years. I’ve paid more to shop there because of the customer service. I’ve had ICON status for years. But not anymore. The standard has clearly dropped. This was embarrassing, frustrating, and totally avoidable.

Do...

I'd like to start by noting that I've been a loyal Nordstrom shopper since my childhood. It's disheartening to observe the noticeable decline in customer service over the past few years. Historically, my experiences have always been top-notch, whether in-store, via phone, or online. Lately, to avoid service hiccups, I've opted for online shopping and then returning items at the Alderwood location. However, even straightforward tasks like returns seem challenging and leave a lot to be desired.

Today, I had to place a cosmetic order over the phone with the Bellevue location, thanks to a glitch in the online system. Despite multiple attempts, my online orders keep getting canceled roughly 30 minutes after processing. I've confirmed that there are no issues with my card.

This phone ordering experience further cemented my disappointment with Nordstrom. Knowing the store's reputation, I specifically called the Bellevue branch. As someone who's worked in customer service, I completely understand the challenges that come with being new or unfamiliar with a system. Nonetheless, I expect new staff members, especially those representing luxury brands like Chantecaille, to be trained to a degree of professionalism. Nachelle, the new Chantecaille counter representative, was courteous but seemed quite overwhelmed and unfamiliar with the online processes, even with assistance from another associate. Throughout the call, she kept mentioning, "you will receive a text." Yet, when I sought clarity on its relevance, “is there a code on that text that you will need or is it a receipt”, I was met with silence. Only after a significant pause, post-ordering, was it revealed that I needed to confirm the order via a link in the said text.

To add to the confusion, she suddenly inserted an awkward sales pitch halfway through our conversation.

I only wanted to utilize my Nordstrom notes for this order. Given these experiences, it's rapidly becoming the sole reason I consider...