This is the weekly "Looking to VENT with J.Crew" post, a place to share our not-so-stellar experiences with J.Crew.If you have recently experienced a frustrating situation with J.Crew, maybe you might be willing to share that information with us in this post.
Please feel free to share your story on almost any topic— including poor experiences with purchases & orders, promotions/ offers, in-store visits, transactions with store associates, etc.
Just spent around $400 on my J. Crew card, and I am regretting it completely since the stuff arrived today. I usually wear a small, and after seeing the St. James Meridien II nautical unisex tee in this months GQ, I had to have it. I got both navy and white thinking I would return whichever one I liked least. Well I tried them on and they're horrible. I went down a size like the site says for a fitted look and it was still very loose around the chest. The sleeves were the same story as the chest, but to an extreme. They were also a few inches too short as well. I know the shirt is supposed to be a 3/4 but this was about 7/8 instead, so it looked like it just didn't fit instead.
ReplyDeleteI also bought the St. James Binic II sweater on final sale. I got an XS in that as well and while it fit okay everywhere else, the sleeves had the same length problem as the shirts. Since it's final sale I went ahead and threw it up on eBay since I can't return it.
And finally the watch straps. I have the vintage timex watch that J. Crew sells, and I'm not a huge fan of their watch straps in general because, unlike the strap it comes with, the metal loops move freely on J. Crews bands. I figured I would forgo that with the leather straps and deal with it for them. Well the leather is REALLY stretchy. I mean REALLY, like if you tug on both ends it gives about a good inch. I got both the black and brown, and these will be going back as well I believe.
Ugh, rant complete.
The 20% SPRING AWAKENING CARD seemed so great until I read you have to spend $150.00 to get that discount! It would of been SUPER COOL if it was just 20% off free and clear for SPRING that would've def. increased my J. Crew LOVE!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that Nicholas! You picked items that weren't even J. Crew but other respected names and even they didn't work out :(
ReplyDeleteOn another note, thanks J. Crew for dumping my shopping cart. All 23 items.
I'm a little frustrated with the width of the shoulders in the short-sleeve perfect fit tees -- they are too narrow. I know I'm a little broad-shouldered, but I don't think my proportions are the only reason they don't fit. Does anyone else have that problem with them? The long-sleeve perfect fit tees from fall/winter fit great.
ReplyDeleteOn the last promotion I bought 2 of the sequin boy tee's. Smalls of the spiced olive and natural cotton. Weird how they don't fit the same at all! The spiced olive is great and fits perfectly, but the natural cotton one it WAY tight on the sleeves. I am so sad about this. I hope my local B&M will let me exchange for another one even though it is final sale. If not...I would have to have it altered because my arms suffocate :(
ReplyDeleteSubscribing. :)
ReplyDeleteLots of new items added to online sale this am. No additional % off as I can see though.
ReplyDeleteNicolas-
ReplyDeleteI had the same problem with the St. James Binic sweater's sleeves being way too long. I took it to my tailor and she shortened the sleeves to the perfect length for $10. Just a thought if that is the only thing wrong with it for you.
sthnshopper:
ReplyDeletei have the same problem... i've bought several perfect fit t's over the years... both short and long sleeve... i have slightly broad shoulders and it make no sense... half the time i'm returning a small for a medium, sometimes returning a medium for a small... and once with final sale stuff, just wound up giving it to my 14 year old niece who's about half my size. i think it's just the usual size inconsistency problem... not to mention i can fit into a 0 or 2 in the perfect fit button down blouses but i need a medium in the perfect fir t-shirts?
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ReplyDeleteI have a question that may be silly...
ReplyDeleteWhat is a b&m?
Thanks!
Hi Courtney-
ReplyDeleteB&M is a brick and mortar store(like the actual store at the mall).
Nicholas, I've often wondered whether the 3rd party selections might not the result of painstaking choices made after world-wide expeditions, but rather the result of looking down the block and up the street at the stores conveniently located near or next door to the Collection Store on Madison Avenue...
ReplyDeleteMy painter henley looks like it is made of eyelet there are so many holes. Can anyone comment on whether the newer Vintage Cotton is the same fabric as the painter tees? I want to avoid another holey mess.
ReplyDeleteNicholas-
ReplyDeleteI totally agree on the watch straps. I have bought several other JC straps for the JC Timex watch and their quality is far lower than the strap the watch comes with. :(
ooops, might not be the result!
ReplyDeletei don't like how jcrew marks items down to final sale one day and then the next day throws a promo like additional % off final sale. im sure tons of people are going to buy the new markdowns today and end up getting peeved about it tomorrow. it's happened to me before and it makes you feel cheated. on the flip side, if you wait to see if there will be a new promo, everything you want will be sold out. its like a lose/lose situation!
ReplyDeletexoxo, the vintage is not the same fabric makeup as the linen/cotton henleys, but it does have a similar handfeel. sort of slubby almost.
ReplyDeletei haven't had any troubles with my linen/cotton henleys going holey on me, though. and fwiw, i find i have to size down in anything made of vintage cotton. for some reason all the tops seem to be cut loose. but as with everything, YMMV.
Nicholas, I had the same issue with the St. James bateau tee that JC sold last year. I was SOOOO i love with it, found it marked down and trotted home with glee, only to find it was a boxy mess on me. boo.
The vintage cotton is different from the painter tee fabric but it is really thin and seems like it would easy get holes. I am staying away.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rebecca!
ReplyDeleteAnother note about the spring fever card -- the 2pt font legalese says the card is not valid on jcrew.com or phone orders. Card goes onto say 20% discount applies to purchases of $150 or more before shipping and handling fees are added.
ReplyDeleteSo I can shop w/it on the phone or not.
No need to answer that. Just making a point. Copywriter From Space scribes legal as well.
Update: I called CS and they are allowing me to return the sweater!
ReplyDeleteI'm also returning all but the navy tee, which I'm going to have my tailoress taper the torso and sleeves, and hem the sleeves. It's probably not going to be worth the price after that's done, but I really like it aside from the fit, and I can wear it with so many things (red, khaki, and navy chinos and shorts, dark denim, white denim, etc.)
So [mostly] all is well.
This is sort of OT.. J.Crew should be embarassed that they have to mark things down $900 to sell them, when "only a handful exist". FAIL. http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Navigation/Sale/AllProducts/PRDOVR~29323/99102138697/ENE~1+2+3+22+4294967294+20~~~20+17+4294967081~90~~~~~~~/29323.jsp
ReplyDeleteElaine, I recall reading that last year's linen-cotton tees were really nice and they sold out fast. I'm keeping my eye out for similar this year.
ReplyDeleteJ.CrewJD, thanks for your input on the vintage tee fabric compared to the painters. Saved me some money on those.
oops sorry xoxo, i read too fast and didn't see that you had said painter henleys. are they holey ones from this year, then?
ReplyDeleteyes, the linen-cotton tops were from last year and they've re-issued them as factory items ... the fabric feels a little bit different from my retail ones, maybe i should check the label!
omg! that poncho! wow.
ReplyDeletemaybe with the super-duper collection items they should make them to order. that way there's no harm, no foul, right? no insulting markdowns. 'cause wow, that is embarrassing. i wouldn't want to be the designer who came up with that one!
I mean, let's be serious. It was a $1200 poncho that, even on the model, looked rather like an old stable blanket with a buckle on, draped over the shoulders (Oregon-trail-like: "There's a blizzard! let's hide in this abandoned barn! Curl up under this abandoned blanket so that we don't freeze).
ReplyDeleteSurely they can't be too shocked. And if they are, they're way out of touch and this should be a reminder.
I'd hate to be the person who bought the poncho full price.
ReplyDeleteElaine, the painter henley I have is from 2010. I bought one henley and one cardigan. I hardly wore the henley at all - maybe 3 times max - because of the raw-edge neckline that I decided I didn't like after the first wearing. It just looked cheap IMO and with all the holes it has developed it is now a rag. The cardigan is still NWT. I am reaching for the perfect-fit mixed-tape cardis for casual wear instead.
ReplyDeleteI pictured that poncho as a robe Obe Wan Kenobi made out of a picnic blanket!
ReplyDeleteJruby18: that is hysterical! Seriously that poncho is awful. Who would pay over 1,000 bucks for that?? Sometimes JCrew is so confusing b/c they will produce looks that I love, and then they throw you a curve ball like that and you are left scratching your head... what were they thinking??
ReplyDeleteOMG I've been waiting for that plaid poncho to be marked down $895.01!!! I'm planning to wear it with my sequin harem pants.
ReplyDelete(I'm sorry J Crew, I really do love you.)
I just thought.... if I were good a photoshopping, I'd photoshop that poncho onto Obe Wan Kenobi. Thanks for that idea, JRuby. :)
ReplyDeleteI am so frustrated with the sizing of the dresses this season - they are (in general) running so big, wide, and long in the chest/shoulder area! Pretty much every dress I try on *would* look great *if* the shoulder straps were taken up about 2 inches! (ie: cotton tank dress with back exposed zipper, Delaney dress, siren maxi dress, etc.... ALL returns!!!) If I have to spend $20 on a $78 cotton dress to get it tailored, I am then spending $100 on a cotton dress that will probably have a hole in it by the end of the summer - or before!
ReplyDeleteI am not small chested and I have a long torso, so I rarely have this problem... especially if I size down! In fact, usually I have the opposite issue in JC dresses. The PS at my B&M today said most of the dresses are running big in the top this season. grr.... why?
The nylon schoolboy jacket: I bought it on sale in a size 4, which is my correct size, although I do sometimes wear a 2. The photos in the catalog and online all depict the fit as being slim. It's not. The whole thing is very roomy and boxy and of course, it was final sale, so I cannot return it. I'll have to take it to my tailor and have the back split so that it fits appropriately. I am a bit upset with JC because they clearly must have clipped it in the back for it to look so form fitting on the models. Why wouldn't they just make it a slimmer fit to begin with? UGH!
ReplyDeleteI'm absolutely sick of Final Sale and can't even look at the website for very long without switching off. Please END it, J Crew!
ReplyDeleteI know we've discussed this ad nauseum, but I'm pissed b/c out of the last 3 orders, I've received the wrong sized items. I know my b&m will let me return them, but I'm still uncomfortable having to go in and ask them to waive their restrictions. Luckily, I kept the mismarked plastic bag on both items to show the mistake. Grrrrrr
ReplyDeleteYes, final sale, please go away. I might actually buy something if it was regular/returnable sale!!!!!
ReplyDelete@tamara: Hahahahahahaha :)
ReplyDeleteI recently ordered the matchstick cords in three colors on final sale. I tried the pants on at my b&m to confirm the sizing TWICE before I ordered. When they arrived, they were all cut dramatically differently -- one pair fits as expected, the second is much too large in the waist, and the third is clownishly large in the waist, butt, and thighs. How does that even happen?! Does J.Crew have any quality control at all...? The pants were super cheap, but they're worthless if they don't fit! Not looking forward to the tailoring bill for all this. Boo!
ReplyDeleteCaitlin, I was able to return an FS item due to mis-sizing. You have a compelling case!
ReplyDeleteI'm very sad that the Perfect Shirt falls short of perfect. No matter what shirt I try ... I either have to sacrifice it fitting me in the chest, or sacrifice it fitting the rest of my torso. I either burst out or look like an over-sized square. I wish the shirts had an extra set of button holes at the chest so I wouldn't have to worry about popping out.
ReplyDeleteCaitlin- I also just had a bad experience with a pair of Matchstick cords I ordered last week final sale with the free shipping. The size was fine, but they were:
ReplyDeletea.)the wrong color
b.) had the security and hang tag cut off so obviously someone else's return
c.) were from Holiday 09! They didn't even have the right item number on them because they were from a year and a half ago!
The first rep I spoke with at J Crew said she'd let me return them, but charge me $5.95. I called later and spoke with someone else and they were very apologetic and said I can return at no charge. It is disappointing as now they are completely sold out in my size. The rep said she couldn't imagine how they had sent me ones from 2009.
At any rate, it is worth calling and if you don't get a helpful rep the first time don't give up! :)
1) Why can't I find petite sizes in the store? Yes SA, I would love to walk out of the B&M with that suit but I need a petite in the pants and regular sizing in the jacket. No, I would rather not order multiple sizes online just to be sure of the fit, wait 7 days for the package, and haul the returns to the store via public transit to ensure proper refund.
ReplyDelete2) Why can't you stock the shell for any Jackie cardigan in the store so that I can purchase the cardigan and shell as a set? (Glad I didn't buy the cardigan - the shell is not available in the color via online store.)
I know you're all going to be heartbroken, but the plaid poncho was so popular it has sold out. At least that's what the web page says. :) If it were not so horrendously expensive I would have bought it and turned it into a skirt, because I actually like the plaid and I'm sure the fabric is lovely.
ReplyDeletebeyondtheblue,
ReplyDeleteYour example is why I stopped shopping final sale and my JCrew purchases dropped off drastically in 2010. I had too many experiences like yours. Hope you get them returned just fine. You should not have to pay the return shipping fees for their mistake! Good luck.
Thanks for the advice, all! I'll see what I can get out of a few phone calls... y'all are so helpful :)
ReplyDelete