Nordiska Kompaniet Reviews 69

Return policy is clearly not in favor of their customers - NK follows the policy ''Let's make it as difficult as possible to accept returns, so we get the money''. It is concerning to me to see that a company like this, who asks a lot of money for their products, deals with their returns of their customers. in way I have experienced it. My advice to all of you, don't order with NK if you are not sure you want to keep your products. I understand there are rules to follow to avoid abuse of the return policy, but some customer focus when for example a price tag was removed (as the order was a present), but the price tag was included in the return package when returning is a reason to not accept the return...I mean.. Claiming there are stains on the product, but not showing any evidence? Again, people, do not order with NK when you are not sure you want to keep your product, this company clearly is not a big fan of handling returns.

I visited the beauty department 14/6. I walked around the beauty department for a long time searching for assistance. When I finally found an employee she was no help at all. I had to color match myself and when I told her what shades and products I wanted, she could barely be bothered to find them. As a tourist I first opened the products I bought the next day as I got home. I see one of the products is broken and I email the department. A few days later they replay back telling me to contact another email address. They suggest I bring the product in to the store to exchange it. As I explain I was on holiday, this is not an option. After that I have sent another 2 emails which all has been ignored. Whis I had spend the 2500 sek. In a store with better service..

Yesterday I experienced absolutely incompetent and unprofessional treatment by a staff member at the customer support desk (ground floor) at NK Gothenburg. I purchased a pair of shoes and a lovely lady at the shoe store informed me about the VAT tax refund, she also guided us to proceed with the papers to the ground floor to manage the refund at the Refund point. It is relevant to say that I am a non-EU resident soon traveling home, I was a tourist in Sweden. Once I came to the customer support desk on the ground floor, I and my relative started talking to a staff member and said that we came here to issue the VAT refund for my purchase. A staff member asked me where I am from, I responded "from Ukraine". On this a staff member replied: "Do you have a direct flight to Ukraine?". It was very unprofessional and rude, maybe a person living and working in Sweden hasn't watched the news and is not aware about the war and flights cancelled since February 2022! I started to feel very offended and stressed right away. Then I showed my 2 tickets - a flight to Poland and a train ticket to Ukraine, and said that I am not a resident of the EU, I also showed my passport. A staff member said that she is concerned that I wont travel to Ukraine for real (???) and that she is concerned that the purchased item will remain in the EU (???). The purchase was done from my personal bank card which is on my name, the tax refund documents are also on my name and of course I have and will have the items with me during my travel. My travel documents are also valid and full. After long long meaningless conversation and us explaining that I am not an EU resident and I have the right to issue the VAT tax refund, we just left very frustrated and with no help received.

At home I checked the Global Blue rules on their official website. So those Refund offices (customer support desks) are just an intermediary between the customer and the Global Blue. At this desk a customer can get the VAT refund issued, but then a customer becomes responsible for making sure all receipts are stamped by the customs and that the Global Blue receives a letter with those receipts within 15-21 days (official regulation from their website). If those are not received by the Global Blue on time, the Global Blue retrieves the refund and the fee from the customer's bank card which is already in the system. So it is fully customer's responsibility for doing all the needed steps and stamps on time, and it's not for NK desk to 'approve' if a VAT tax refund can be done or no if all needed papers for the VAT tax refund are available.

NK customer support desk is just an intermediary for the VAT tax refund process for tourists in Sweden, and is not an airport or customs. However, a staff member who we happened to meet, seems to believe that she is customs herself and can 'approve' or 'not approve' who gets the VAT refund issued.

I think NK definitely needs to focus on educating people who work there so that they are competent and know what they work with and how to do their work. It would also be great if staff members didn't accuse people of intending 'not to travel for real'!! I definitely feel I was mistreated and I feel this could be on the ground of nationality. Also, it would be good to acknowledge that not all Ukrainians are refugees, some are tourists and non-EU residents.

When I later contacted the customer support via email in order to complain about this situation, the customer support manager didn't seem to understand the issue and the response was that the staff member who I talked with 'worked at the airport and knows the rules'. I am sorry, but NK VAT Refund desk is not the airport or customs. It would be good if the staff could read the VAT tax refund rules so that they could do their work competently.

I wont be shopping at this store anymore if I travel in the future. By the way, the amount of the VAT tax refund I'd get is 17 EUR - now I will get it issued the other way. But it is a matter of bad service, so I decided to write my review about this situation.

Awful shipping costs and zero flexibility.

Going under within short....

This review is for the physical store in Gothenburg. It's a nice store but the sales assistants in many departments are so nonchalant that you don't even get a hi from them. The bedding and furniture section in the basement is the worst. I was looking for a duvet cover and, though I was standing there for several minutes looking at the choices, not once was I approached by the sales associate. This isn't the first time. In fact, it is ALWAYS like this. Why does this matter? Because, if a sales associate can't even acknowledge one's existence, why in the world would I want to actually buy anything in that shop? Swedes don't seem to get that the point of a retail shop is to make sales. I am not saying that the salesperson needs to be aggressive but you're not likely to sell anything to a customer unless they are in a hurry or you've got something they can't or don't want to leave the store without. I am now looking online because, if the service in person is no better than buying in a shop, why bother with a physical shop at all? After all, shipping is free and it's a lot less hassle.