lane bryant posts

Dear WalletPop:

I'm writing to let you know of a battle that I've been fighting since late June. I am owed a credit of $275 for an overpayment on my AT&T Dish Network account. Neither AT&T nor Dish disputes that I am owed the money; however, due to massive, persistent communication failures between Dish and AT&T and poor customer service toward me by both parties, I still have not received my credit.

Here are the details: Prior to leaving AT&T DIsh Network for AT&T U-Verse, I was sent a replacement Dish receiver that I did not request. It took me a while to return it. In the interim, I was charged $275 for the equipment. Complicating things, my online bank account was set to autopay any AT&T bill, so it did, prior to my returning the equipment. The bill was paid in full. That includes the $275. I then returned the equipment, as Dish acknowledges. Because I returned the equipment, that $275 charge should be removed, as Dish also acknowledges. Dish Network has said on multiple occasions that they have informed AT&T through their systems that I am owed the money. Dish has also said on multiple occasions that they have credited AT&T the $275 so they can pay me. AT&T has had repeated problems seeing that confirmation in their systems. This has happened multiple times since June.

I have been so disillusioned by this process that I have canceled my AT&T U-Verse service, which I actually enjoyed, and have moved all of my services -- TV, phone and Internet.

Matt Schulz
Austin, Texas

The holiday season is already upon us, a reminder that those of us who need to purchase gifts should get our butts in gear unless navigating a packed mall is our idea of a good time.

While Black Friday is a the most publicized shopping day of the year and still one of the best times to pick up deals on electronics, friends-and-family events remain one of my favorite times to buy gifts. Traditionally shoppers would have to spend precious time making new friends and rekindling old relationships to get invitations to special friends-and-family events, but the Internet has changed all of that.

The users over at Slickdeals.net have taken it upon themselves to pull together the most detailed list of friends-and-family deals to help you to get the most bang for your buck!

Here are a few of the "Friends and Family" offers currently available.

• Beauty.com
• Bloomingdale's
• Sears
• Eddie Bauer
• Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy
• Christmas Tree Shops
• Cole Haan
• Cost Plus
• Crazy 8
• Gymboree
• Harry and David
• Joann
• Kmart
• Kohls
• Lane Bryant
• Mandalay Bay
• Sephora.com
• The Limited

There are already over 20 stores offering discounts to friends and family members, with discounts ranging from 10 to 50% off! The full details for these deals, as well as coupons, are available at Slickdeals.net.

Many of these friends-and-family offers can be used online as well as in your local store. Be sure to check the restrictions and times as most of these deals are only good for a few days in November. Additionally some stores, like Sears, have a special after-hour's event just for friends and family. Finally, don't worry about making up an employee name to whom you are third cousin twice removed; once you have the coupon, the stores couldn't care less how you got it.

Mall walkers know The Limited well. For the past 45 years, the chain has graced shopping centers and currently has 225 locations across the country. Now, the company is going virtual with an online shopping site. What took it so long?

The company's history is a mishmash of purchases and sales. With The Limited stores as its flagship, the company expanded into Limited Brands and at one point or another, also owned Bath & Body Works, Victoria's Secret, Henri Bendel's, Express, Lerner's, Lane Bryant, Limited Too, and Abercrombie & Fitch. But no longer. Now most of those properties are still under the banner of Limited Brands, but The Limited itself is a property of Sun Capital Partners, Inc., a leading private investment firm focused on leveraged buyouts. The spin-off happened in 2007, so forgive the Limited if it's coming a little late to the online retail sector.

As CEO and president Linda Heasley told WalletPop today in an online interview, "Limited Brands did not perceive e-commerce as an important part of our brand extension." So up until now, they've only ever had a splash page. But, she added, "Once we were acquired by Sun Capital in July 2007, setting up e-Commerce was one of the first major business objectives we undertook since becoming independent for Limited Brands. We know the internet is such a big part of our customer's everyday life and what the modern woman needs is convenience because of the busy and active lifestyle she leads. Besides that, our clients have been asking for an online store for quite some time."

The new site is a traditional online clothing retailer, offering seasonal clothes, specials and all the usual categories of tops, pants, outwear and accessories.

Thelimited.com faces a steep uphill battle coming back to the game so late, trying to compete against more established sites. Expect discount codes to come shortly, but for now, most of the "specials" are not so low-priced.

But the sector is doing better and better every year, so thelimited.com might actually have good timing. Last year, online clothing sales beat out computer sales for the first time. Among the top 500 retailers ranked by Internet Retailer, most of them are office supply sites or computer-related. But Sears, which is struggling mightily in this economy, is number 8. On Nielsen's top 10 online retailers list for July 2008, clothing retailers did very well, with J. Jill, in a similar category to the Limited, scoring 4th place, and LL Bean and Children's Place also ranking in the top 10. So there's hope yet for late bloomers.