NEW YORK — Target is a victim of its own success.
The discounter drummed up so much hype around its exclusive, limited-time line by upscale Italian designer Missoni that its website crashed and was down most of Sept. 13, when the collection was launched, angering customers. More than a week later, some shoppers who bought the Missoni for Target line are posting on social media websites Facebook and Twitter that they won’t shop at Target again because their online orders are being delayed — or worse, canceled — by the retailer.
Brielle deMartino, 23, of Del Ray Beach, Fla., was so excited that she woke up at 6 a.m. on the launch day and spent $700 on Missoni clothes, a bike and plates. The next day, she got an e-mail from Target that her online order was canceled. Then, she spent hours on the phone with Target customer service representatives she describes as unapologetic.
“I have never been treated like this,” said deMartino, who got the charges removed from her card after calling her bank and posted on Facebook and Twitter about the ordeal. “Instead of taking responsibility, they didn’t care. I have always been pro-Target, but I don’t want to give my money to a company like that again.”
Target became the discount industry’s darling by making it cool to buy stylish clothes and trendy decorations at the same place you pick up toothpaste and paper towels. But recently, it has suffered from similar public-relations nightmares as rival Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
