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.
My repetitive vent is about the website (slaps knee), but this week I'd like to point out the return policy printed on the receipt. It doesn't exist, actually. It says:
ReplyDeleteTo view our merchandise return policy please visit us at www.jcrew.ccom. For questions please contact customer service (ph#) or (email).
Once you get on the website, the policy still isn't complete because you need your receipt for all returns, unless they're on your J Crew card. They can find your transaction if they swipe your JC card. As far as I know, their computers cannot look up your transaction if they swipe your Visa/MC/Amex.
I felt bad for a woman who was making a return in-store last week. I heard the SA give her the 'you're past 30 days, but I'll go ahead and return it this time' remark. The SA wasn't mean or snotty at all. I thought she handled it well, but of course the customer was confused and stayed silent.
Boo, Crew. Fix your receipts.
Aww, that's unfortunate for the woman. I thought after 30 days, an in-store could be returned, but for store credit?
ReplyDeleteAlthough the price point is about the same as Banana Republic, BR regularly offers sales and discounts. What gives with JCrew? The price point keeps getting higher and higher. Yes, I love JCrew. The whole concept is more exciting and the clothes more beautiful and interesting but the quality is the same as BR. I can't afford to shop there anymore.
ReplyDeleteThe blog youlookfab.com has an interesting article relating to the rising cost at JCrew. http://youlookfab.com/2011/03/24/j-crew%E2%80%99s-price-confusion/
Subscribing. :)
ReplyDeleteyou I noticed that as well, takes as much ink to print that as it would to print the basic info of the return policy. one is not always at one's computer, not very smart.
ReplyDeleteThis is not really a vent...just some info to put out there. I think JC SA's CAN look up a transaction if you have the card that you used to purchase the items. It may only be for purchases within a certain time period(say, a week or so) but they CAN do it. Over Spring Break, I made a huge purchase while shopping with my college age son and daughter while at one JC. Later in the week, my daughter and I were at another JC and made another purchase. I happened to mention to the SA (who has worked with us many times) that I had forgotten to ask for the college student discount when shopping earlier in the week. She then offered to look up my transaction, using my MasterCard, and basically re-rang the whole transaction giving us the college student discount (after my daughter produced her ID), thus giving us a $60+ credit. They may not advertise it, but they CAN do it. Not all retailers can. I work for another retailer and we do not store, nor can we call up prior transactions and the customer MUST have the receipt to get back what they paid for an item.....but they have 60 days to do so!
ReplyDeletelolita.lee.love,
ReplyDeleteJCrew's new return policy states no returns (or store credit even) after 30 days for in store purchases.
Not a vent - but is anyone else getting two confirmation emails for orders? I am, but the same order number is listed. I hope I'm not getting charged twice!
ReplyDeleteCompletely OT for this post, but that gorgeous schoolboy madras perfect shirt is down to $49.99 -- which is almost half off. One please! :D
ReplyDeleteKristen, yes, that just happened to me. Hoping for just one charge!
ReplyDeleteKristin: YES! That happened to me yesterday on an order I placed thru my online PS. I was worried about that as well...
ReplyDeleteTwo gripes for me.
ReplyDelete1.) Final sale on in-store sale purchases. Booo!
2.) I had been waiting on the Navy Blue Eyelet pencil skirt. I have been checking in on it daily to make sure my size(s) are still available. If stock was getting low I was going to pull the trigger. Today it goes on sale in white only and the navy is no where to be found! No way it could have sold out when there was full stock in all sizes yesterday. If anyone sees one or knows how to find it I would be grateful.
I am really disappointed with the Rainy Day Utility jacket. This was one of my favorites at first and I still love the concept - cozy sherpa lining under a water-resistant nylon shell with a cute and functional hood.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that after I washed it twice the zipper has puckered badly and it no longer works, I can't even get it started. I can use the snaps but they aren't set close together and the wind can really get in if it's not zipped up. I tried using graphite and it didn't help, the problem is at the pull, the male side doesn't go all the way in to the female side so the pull won't budge. Cheap, cheap, cheap. :^(
JenLyn, try this link. Looks to still be available in all sizes.
ReplyDeleteKristin - the double confirmation emails just happened to me too.
ReplyDeleteI also got double messages for my "We will find it" shipping confirmation order yesterday.
Even more odd - I also received someone else's "We will find it" confirmation order! So, Roberto in Cinnaminson NJ, if you are reading this, your Secret Wash lightweight button-down shirt in Madison check is coming your way.
JC- fix your email glitches please....
xoxo-- thanks for the link. Mine must have been old.
ReplyDeleteSub!
ReplyDeleteLOL Pansy!
ReplyDeleteMy complaint is about the neck sizes on the collared shirts. For the largest sizes (14/XL) the collar is 20" around! This completely prevents me from being able to wear the shirt buttoned up and it doesn't look right unbuttoned either. My neck is at most 14", a 15-16" collar would be great. Are the collars so huge on the smaller sizes? This has absolutely stopped me from buying J Crew collared shirts now. There are several I'd love to buy but I can't deal with the collar.
Kristin, that happened to me too. I also got two "Your J.Crew order has shipped" e-mails the other day.
ReplyDeletetamara, that is one of my gripes as well. I need to SU to fit my bust so the shirts are huge in the neck and the collar hangs low in front. It can look really odd, even if the collar is worn open but especially if buttoned to the top. I often wear a scarf to fill in the gap but sometimes I just send the shirts back.
ReplyDeleteI wrote to them about the receipts and got answer this morning:
ReplyDeleteHi xxxxxx
Thank you for taking the time to offer the suggestion to put our return policy on our receipts. I will be sharing your email with my team.
If there is anything else I can help you with, please feel free to contact me directly. I've provided my contact information below for your convenience.
Best,
xxxxxx1-800-591-3802 ext. xxxx
Original Message Follows:
------------------------
Please put the return policy on the receipt, the current format directing the customer to the web is no help when one may be out shopping or away from the internet.
Many other stores have various other methods to show this, return
policies
are spelled out in detail ( many inches long) or the last date to
return is
printed.
Thank you
Thanks for the heads up about the double confirmation emails. Weird. Glad I have not ordered anything this week! Yikes. Hope all works out for everyone:)
ReplyDeleteMy vent is about the Sun-Drenched Sweatshirt, which I bought when the free shipping code was in effect. It is on backorder and doesn't ship until May 30, but now it is on sale!
ReplyDeleteWhy do I have a feeling that even when it ships, I will be paying full price? I would cancel my order and re-order it with the sale price, but I'd have to pay shipping, and they cancel each other out.
xoxo, so it's not just the largest sizes then, sounds like it's a problem with several if not all sizes. I do lots of alterations and I have done the collar alteration but it's a total PITA, so much has to be undone and recut and put back together, so I almost never do it any more.
ReplyDeleteJ Crew: please downsize the collar circumferences!
Double shipment confirmation for me too yesterday...Keep an eye on that credit card statement!
ReplyDeleteFaith J.: There is no need to cancel and re-order. You should be able to call CS or contact your PS(if you have one), and ask that the difference be credited to your waitlisted order. (They should make a note on the order # regarding your call and the credit.) You will be charged your initial purchase price when it ships, but will receive the credit for the pricing difference within a few days after that. If you don't, then contact CS again to follow-up and make sure it gets credited. HTH!
ReplyDeleteI have also had the double confirmation emails, not only on an order I placed, but also on a return that just went through. Hopefully they'll get the problem fixed soon.
ReplyDeleteI placed an order a couple of months ago that included the most beautiful Pearl Cobblestone Necklace, only to receive an ugly bracelet in it's place. When I called CS, they told me just to return the bracelet to my local JCrew for a refund but the necklace had since been sold out. Frustrating, but understandable I suppose.
ReplyDeleteTHEN, last week I ordered a couple of items and got an email a few days later saying one of my items sold out and wouldn't be included in my shipment. How can they sell out AFTER I've already purchased it? More importantly, who out there in the JCrew universe is getting all of my sweet stuff?
Price discrepancies. I stopped into a store today to check out the maxi check shirts that are now marked down to a reasonable $39.99 online, but they still had the blue (of course the color I want) at full price...plus they only had tiny sizes. Also, the 20% off tees isn't really marked in the store. :(
ReplyDeleteI'd love to order the shirt, but shipping is crazy. I ended up passing last week on a different gingham popback for the same reason.
I had ordered one of the Lulu Frost bracelets and got the wrong one in the shipment. Correct label on the package, wrong bracelet. I always wonder if this happens because other customers are deliberately sending back wrong items.
ReplyDeleteAs for purchasing an item and then finding out later that it's sold out, that sounds like pure inventory issues, which could be caused by innocent errors or theft.
Nicole,
ReplyDeleteYou should inform a sales associate that the shirt is marked down online. As long as the blue is included in the online markdown, they should honor the price match.
Nicole, I just bought the blue maxi check perfect shirt about an hour ago. Told the SA it was $39.99 online. He looked it up on the register/computer and charged me the online price.
ReplyDeleteI've asked about online/store pricing in this particular store before and have been told they don't adjust the price. I mentioned the price difference today, and they didn't seem like they would do anything even if they had my size. I live near two stores, but unfortunately neither had my size.
ReplyDeleteMy other peeve this week is that I still haven't received the latest catalog in the mail. Didn't that come out two weeks ago? I can easily get one at the store, but yeesh. I know I'm not the only one that has this issue. It takes forever before it appears in the mail.
My gripe with J. Crew actually came about a month ago.. I made a big online purchase (based off stuff I saw in the catalog) which inlcuded the Pointelle shorts, the Shawl Collar Cardigan and the Delaney eyelet trim shirt. I paid full price for everything aside from the Delaney shirt. When I got the order, I wasn't really feeling the Delaney shirt (i find their shirts can run really big) so I went to take it back. There's actually a J. Crew store right down the street from where I work. So I go there, come to find out they had Shawl Collar Cardigan on sale there for like $39.99!!! I was blown away! So I returned the shirt and luckily they adjusted the price for me. But what a freakin difference! 70 bucks!?!?? I almost totally got ripped off. Then i also noticed they had a lot of other things already on sale that were full price in the new catalog. Unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteI love J. Crew and I will continue to shop there but now if I have my eye on any pricey item and its not catalog/online only, I know to always check at the brick and mortar store first before I commit to spending a lot of money on one item.
This isn't a vent at all, but I don't see the "looking to love" section today, so...Just wanted to say that I got my rewards card the other day. Yay! I do like rewards. Sorry, no hate.
ReplyDeleteFirst vent re. the fact that they jaked up the price of Maritime dress (that I was hoping would go on sale soon) to $88. I hate when they do that. I was contemplating it since our spring is cold/rainy (I didn't like the long sleeves and substantial weight when I tried it at the beginning of the season bit maybe it is just what we need this year). Now even if they run a promo on dresses I am not going to get it.
ReplyDeleteMore vents later after dinner!
Alexis, I had the same experience with the Shawl Collar Cardigan ... only WORSE! I purchased the Navy online at full price, and when I went in to my B&M a week or so ago(before extra 30), the Cream color was in the sale section for 39.99, and the Navy was in the sale section for 19.99! Both were still FP online.
ReplyDeleteI almost had a heart attack. Fortunately the SA was nice and I went back and returned the FP one. But how is it possible to have almost a $100 difference in price on a new arrival so quickly?
Since J Crew has an existing price adjustment policy, if you've made a recent full-price purchase then it seems all you should need to do is carry your receipts with you when you go to the store, and if you see the items on sale then get the adjustments.
ReplyDelete"J.Crew gladly honors a one-time price adjustment on full-price merchandise within seven days of the retail purchase or mail order ship date if accompanied by the original receipt. Items not purchased at full price are ineligible for price adjustments."
It says "gladly". Sounds like that's not always the case.
I emailed my PS about the double order confirmation emails. She assured me that this was just a system glitch and that I would not be charged twice for my order. Good to know!
ReplyDeleteI am a J Crew customer who adores the shop and always finds the SAs so so kind and helpful!...yet I also have experienced quirky shipping mistakes. Once I ordered a beautiful top from crewcuts and when it came in, a gorgeous bikini came with. It was so tempting to take this as a 'thank-you' gift from J Crew! sigh. I called and it turned out to be an order from another customer that was mixed into my order so that they were sent together. Strange, no?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info AppGal! How strange - I wonder why this started happening?
ReplyDeleteRegarding the double order confirmation emails - I sure hope J.Crew is not doing another site upgrade. Why can't they get their IT act together?!
ReplyDeleteI'm sick of getting items with stains on them. I finally broke down and ordered the Jackie cardigan and shell in Neon Azalea. When they arrived, both items seemed to have ink or something on them. Thankfully, the sales associate was very nice and understanding and returned the items. I just wish I didn't have to go through the hassle of returning/reordering items.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice, Fabulous Florida Mommy! I will make the call! :)
ReplyDeleteSizing in general, but especially the calf sizes of the boots. Sorry, but 13-14" should not be considered extended calf, and why do some of the EC boots fit my calves and some don't? Would it be so difficult for them to settle on a standard EC circumference? (I'm sour because I've had to send back boots I would have loved to keep!)
ReplyDeleteNo returns or exchanges on final sale items ordered online -BOO!
ReplyDeleteThis is especially problematic when not all J.Crew stores carry shoes (not a single one in my state) -So no chance at all to try it on. I took a chance on a pair of shoes I loved... they turned out too small and the CS rep wouldn't even let me exchange it for another size in the same style... $120 still sitting in my closet unworn.
On another occasion the coat I received was very itchy - I mean unwearably itchy, and I'm not even those sensitive skin types. Nope, couldn't return it because it was final sale. I felt like J.Crew baited me with a low price so they could stick me with their defective merchandise... another $120 still collecting dust in my closet.
Tamara: I have exactly the opposite problem- I never buy boots from JC at all because the calf sizes on the boots are all too big for me. That's actually the case with about 80% of the boots I try on. It's really a pain. I've actually spent upwards of $70 per pair to have the calves taken in. Here's what's weird to me: On the one hand, a lot of companies show thin models and the boots they wear always seem fitted. Yet, they are not really that way when one orders them. And then lots of people need wider calves and they don't get them, either. So who is able to fit right into most boots? I'd love to know... Meanwhile, the nylon schoolboy blazer I bought is right at this minute at the tailor's. I bought it final sale in Feb and it looks nothing like it did in the photo on the model. They clearly clipped it in back in order to effect a slimmer look. I don't like how it gapes out so I'm having it worked on. It's kinda low for Crew to pull something like that.
ReplyDeleteI have bought a fair amount of items mostly Ludlow from JCrew online. I know this is a venting post but I think the online buying and return experience are pretty great. The only bad thing I can think of is the ability to cancel an order after placing it online. I placed an order for some Ludlow pants one day and then a couple hours later realized I had the same pants already. By the time I checked online it stated it was "released". I called and the CS lady was NOT able to do anything. So kind of a catch 22, where a course you want your items to be released and shipped asap but what about the times you need to modify or cancel your order? other times I have forgotten a coupon and called in and they have credited me the difference. I have returned items from online in store with no problems. The inclusion of an UPS/USPS tag is nice even if it is $5. I guess my biggest suggestion is higher the return policy to 30 days to 60. There are some items I haven't opened or tried on for a week or so and then had to rush to send it back.
ReplyDelete