Oh, Tarjay. Shame on you.

So, I normally wouldn't post this, but I'm frustrated enough that I just had to share on my tiny corner of the interwebs.  My husband and I decided that we should order a couple baby gates to help keep the cats separated and facilitate safe interactions between them, since our big orange cat, Karma, is not a fan of new-kitty, Lancelot.

Instead of braving the baby section at Target, we ordered online.  We found gates that had great reviews and were only $25 each.  We ordered three.  I checked the shipping, knowing that they might be bulky, but when I checked out, it appeared I was still going to get the free shipping over $50.  It was late at night, after I'd gotten home from a very long shift on Friday.  I saw the email from Target confirming the order, glanced at it very briefly, then went to bed.

Not bad, for $25, right? We thought the way the holes 

were shaped would make it impossible 

for a cat to squirm through.

The next morning, my husband asks me why Target has a $500 hold on our bank account.  The answer is, of course, I have no idea.  I went back and reviewed the confirmation email they sent me (and of course, it says you have 30 minutes from the time of the order to make changes or cancel the order).   I saw three baby gates, at $24.99 each, as expected.  Then I scrolled down and saw the shipping.

$389.97 


I nearly started bawling when I read that, and I am positive that when I checked out, it said free shipping.  So, Saturday morning, before I had to go to work, I was on the phone with Target trying to resolve this.  In fairness, the customer service rep was very nice, but I spent almost an hour on the phone with her trying to get it sorted out - an hour I really didn't have to spare.  Finally, she said it was their error, that shipping should be much less, and that she was going to escalate it to another department to resolve it.  She was unable to give me what the real shipping charge should be, even after an hour.  I was so anxious and frustrated, and they wouldn't let me cancel the order altogether, which is what I really wanted to do, at that point.  Still, she assured me shipping would be "around $20" but she couldn't say for sure.

So, with my case number in hand, I let her go and went to work.  Sunday morning, nothing from Target in my email saying what the real shipping was.  On my way to work Sunday afternoon, I saw an email from Target, still quoting the same shipping rate, and a total cost of $469.63 for my order of 3 baby gates.  My husband was nice enough to call them again while I was at work, and they said shipping would be free, but it would take 7-10 days to refund the shipping cost.

I am dubious that the shipping cost will be refunded, but I hope it is.  I still feel like vomiting over the whole thing.  I love Target, but if this isn't resolved, I'm not sure I can bring myself to shop there any more.  *insert sadface*

So, how about the rest of you?  Have you ever dealt with anything like this?  How did you resolve it?  Is there any place that's now on your no-shop list because of this type of experience?  Do tell!  I'd like to know I'm not alone, here.

Will keep you updated.  Let me tell you, those baby gates better come in a gold box...