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.
This is sort of a vent -- I went to "visit" the Booker boots I'd been coveting but had only seen on line when was at my local J. Crew. I was so disappointed in person! They were a very smooth leather that was already scratched up just from sitting out at the floor sample and I could tell that the color I wanted (the chai) was not going to hold up at all. What a bummer. The good part of the story is that I made my way over to Banana Republic where they have an extremely similar boot called the Wilcon or something like that (http://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=29096&vid=1&pid=858214&scid=858214012) in a cinnamon color but a MUCH sturdier leather. They were $198 as opposed to the Booker $298, plus 30% off in the store AND I used my $30 off coupon, for a total of $108. Ever since rediscovering J. Crew a few years ago I have stayed away from Banana Republic but spending $108 on a sturdy boot vs. $298 on something that appears to wear terribly makes me want to reconsider.
ReplyDeleteI do not like the $175 free ship minimum.
ReplyDeleteNo no no no no no no no no no no no.
I wish they'd lower it for addtl % promos!
No no no no no no no no no no likey!
After a couple of years of not finding much at JC, I purchased several items in August with the 20% off. When the weather turned colder this month I was so excited to start wearing them. Even when I was most down on JC, I always had great luck with the wool jackets, double-serge pencil skirts, and printed wool scarves.
ReplyDeleteSo far this month:
1. Double-serge pencil skirt: back seam fit on first wearing. (No, it's not too tight.) I've worn the earlier versions of this skirt for years without a problem.
2. Herringbone hacking jacket: lost two cuff buttons on second wearing. OK, maybe I strained the buttons by rolling the cuffs, but sheesh, I've been wearing my Bella that way for FOUR years, and the buttons aren't even loose. When I e-mailed customer service to request an additional button (since only one extra was included with the jacket) I received a non-committal "we'll research that and get back to you" response.
3. Watercolor wool scarf: two holes in the first wearing.
I don't like the fact that most of the sale items are final sale. I recently bought a skirt that was too small and was not even able to exchange it! The rep told me I had to repurchase online without the promo code I used and additional shipping fees.
ReplyDeleteA day later I noticed JC had free shipping on all knits. I had a knit in my order and I was still being charged for shipping. The rep said that everything in my order had to be knits for it to qualify for free shipping. Bogus!
I don't like promos not being carried over to the UK site when they are already charging us almost twice as much as the US!
ReplyDeleteSubscribing. :)
ReplyDeletetaoruns - I felt the same way about the leather for the invitation clutch. The leather is a matte leather that was already scratched on the floor model at my B&M.
ReplyDeleteI loved the purse online, but for $138, I'd rather spent a few more bucks and get a Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAC.
Quality's terrible. I've gone from "buy, wear, love" to "buy, wait for a better price, return, rebuy, wear, love" to "buy, try to get up the courage to wear (but am too scared what the item's going to look like after a wear/wash), can't do it, return".
ReplyDeletesilver-lining
ReplyDeleteRead my post about pricing games yesterday, I dont think any other store I shop in does this as much.
Will be careful in the future
I'd be okay with final sale if sizing was consistent across the brand.
ReplyDeleteBut, I have FOUR different sizes of clothes in my closet from J. Crew. Just when I think I'm a consistent size 2, I find that I need a size 0 in one particular chino. There is no way I'm a 0...I can't imagine what truly petite girls are doing...probably spending a fortune on tailoring!
Final sale + inconsistent sizing = no sale
Hexicon, I am just appalled. I didn't purchase the new hacking jacket because there were enough comments about it that questioned the quality: the spreading back vent, the fraying herringbone label inside the jacket, the odd fit on the double-serge version, etc. Same for the scarves this year, so easily snagged and holes developing.
ReplyDeleteI have been buying the new colors of the wool pencil skirt because I had a feeling the quality would tank on these eventually as well and it appears I may have missed the tipping point. I checked the seams on the ones I have and they stood up to a good tugging but who knows what else could go wrong? The zipper may fail or the hem unravel or the fabric might pill. I guess I'll keep what I have and have worn now since I have no reason to return at this point. I'm really down to buying very rarely from J.Crew now. Seems like everything is a gamble. I had my eye on a new coat but that is off my list now.
Hi isabella - I saw your post. Like Gigi has said, JC's prices have rubber in them. I think we've all been burned at one point or another. You're right, it's really gotten to the point where FP/even 1st markdown isn't worth it. If I miss out, there's always another rollout of new arrivals less than 2 weeks away. I personally despise how an item will be on promo and then get marked down a few bucks to FS - like the lady lace popover for $158.00, then $149.99. That's like, <8% marked down. FS just says to me that JC doesn't care about anything but unloading their stuff.
ReplyDeletexoxo - what coat were you looking at? Just curious. My store tried to give me the whole "we're going to sell out of coats immediately this year" because they're going to receive less inventory. That's okay, 'cause I wouldn't purchase one from the B&M anyway - especially knowing that it would probably be marked down significantly right after the 30-day return limit!
I completely agree about the declining quality and have been purchasing significantly less from J.Crew over the past couple of years because of it. I refuse to spend money on disposable clothing that is way overpriced, and J.Crew makes a lot of disposable clothing, unfortunately. Now I am extremely careful about my purchases at J.Crew and don't even bother to buy on sale if the quality wasn't there to begin with.
ReplyDeleteI am never one to defend J. Crew and I 100% agree that their quality has gone way down, but one of the things I keep hearing about is the thinness of the leather on the Booker Boot. I have to first say that I have not seen this boot in person. But, I wonder if part of the reason that the leather is thin is by design - it is not really a true riding boot. A riding boot should be sturdy and have thick leather, but this boot seems intentionally not like a riding boot.
ReplyDeleteAgain, have not seen in person and don't know just how thin they are, but its something to consider.
Can anyone comment on whether the Billie Boot is thicker/sturdier?
Hi silver_lining, I was considering the Double-cloth Metro coat. I love the blue color on this coat but I do have a dc Marie coat in a similar blue and a dc Lady Day in a very pretty purple so I'm not really in need. I've seen a number of these coats on ebay reseller listings so I wonder if there are a lot with defects. Have you seen the coat IRL? I'd love to hear what you think.
ReplyDeleteHoles in the sleeve of my Pipe Dream hoodie. I posted last week of the holes in my Ultra knit zip hoodie. What's worse is I paid FP for the Pipe Dream r...I was going on vacation and it was perfect.
ReplyDeleteCompletely disgusted JC having cotton that tears and rips when washed is NOT acceptable.
*sigh*
Ha...word verification is "really" lol...
This is a general rant about some customer service issues.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I think it's ridiculous that J Crew won't extend the "We Will Find It" service for sale items. They mark down their pieces quickly and pretty much across the board, so it stinks that once something is marked down there isn't a CS person who can take a second to look up inventory at stores and give you the names of a few stores that have it. This is one thing Anthropologie does really well, and there's no reason why J Crew can't mimic them on this front. If they don't want to open up this perk to everyone, then they could even make it just for card members. But little things like this really encourage loyalty to the store and frankly, I'd buy more from J Crew overall if they offered this extended service.
Finally, I know this is an old complaint, but I'm sooooo tired of on-line and store prices not matching up. It's unfair to people who live far away from a store, and again, it'd be one thing if J Crew would do "WWFI" searches for sale items, but they don't, so basically, if you don't live near a store, you often have to either pay much more for an item than you would if you bought it from a B&M, or you simply miss it.
These are two areas where I think J Crew could treat their customers better and frankly, probably save their CS people from having to field a lot of griping and negative comments.
The new Fashion Place store in SLC is really "meh". Yes, it has Crewcuts, which is nice, but no shoes, no cashmere, and it has odd lighting. It seems smaller than the old store, and maybe it was just the two times I was there, but there was nothing. NOTHING.
ReplyDeleteSo...the salesperson gives me some grief for returning a TON of stuff I bought online. I wouldn't have to return stuff if the store had ANY inventory, so that I could try stuff on. Reading all of the comments about fabulous sales sections this past weekend made me sad/mad, cause FP had nothing except tees and tanks in their sale section. I would kill for a silk boy shirt, and won't pay online FP. LAME.
I have bought so much less this year because of bad quality. I almost feel bad for the store manager at my local B&M. So friendly, so eager to help, but how can I buy a sweater jacket that is literally dripping pills on the hanger?!
ReplyDeleteI used to buy so many of their shoes, because, frankly, they were good at copying designer styles for less. Now the quality is down but the price is up. Martina Patent Wedge = Vera Wang Lavender Monique. Those adorable jewelry box shoes of yesteryear aren't coming back.
Now I have a few things I watch like the Waverly chinos, the occasional jacket - and that's it. And I've spent thousands every fall for almost seven years.
I didn't get a catalog this month. First time ever, and I didn't panic. But I spent about $1000. during Ralph Lauren's 25% off sale that just ended.
Have to agree with the shipping issues... I cannot think of any other store with a minimum that high. ESPECIALLY for final sale! There are some items I would be willing to take a chance on, but not when my options are to potentially throw away $10 or add more items to my sale that also may not fit. It's just insulting. I am surrounded by malls: two decent sized JCrews on my commute from work, at least four more drivable, and a Crewlet near by... so if I am buying something online it is just not available in stores. Why punish me with this shipping nonsense?
ReplyDeleteI guess I am also used to the luxury of BR/Gap free ship on $50 in a combined cart total... it's a much more pleasant experience with them considering I ALWAYS have a coupon available, NO final sale, and FREE shipping. How has JCrew not done at least one of these things? Even Nordstrom converted to free ship on everything.
Sigh.
I'm so over the quality issues and the inconsistency in so many areas: sizing, pricing, regularity of catalog delivery, etc. Boden, Talbots and BR are getting more of my money these days.
ReplyDeleteKelley, interesting you should say that. When I was there in July they were trying to sell the new store like it would be bigger and better. It appears it isn't.
ReplyDeleteI recall the winter of 2007-08 when I entered the old store there and wanted to buy almost every graphic tee they had on display, they were so pretty. That hasn't happened since.
Boden is where I spend my money now. There is nothing like their quality. I don't mind paying full price for them especially since I know their apparel lasts for several years. I now only resort to buying from J Crew if it's on super sale (not final) or through ebay or the weekly exchange. Sad, I used to spend my whole clothing budget exclusively on J Crew, but I don't even get a catalog now. And, I don't miss it. I like reading these blogs, and buy only when I feel the price fits the quality (translation:cheap).
ReplyDeleteI totally agree about the pricing issues. I really want to get the silk striped boy shirt, which is full price online but $69.99 plus 30% off in the store...half price, and no ridiculous shipping! However, I now have to haul my butt 30 minutes to the store to get it. Can't they just be consistent or at least honor each other's prices? And if I hear one more "well, I can honor it, but it is a ONE-TIME courtesy," I might scream.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone else noticed that a lot of items that seem like they should be machine washable (like linen/cotton blend casual shorts) say 'hand wash only' or 'dry clean only'?
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that this is J.Crew's way of transferring the fault of premature garment deterioration to the customer. (To be fair, I have noticed other retailers doing this as well recently). That way, if a garment is so poorly constructed that it falls apart after a wash or two, the company can always say, "Well, we TOLD you to get it dry cleaned." Frustrating. I can't afford to dry clean half my wardrobe. That's my theory, anyway.
It REALLY bothers me that the Toronto J. Crew has no sale section and keeps items on the floor at full price even when they are on sale online and/or in U.S. stores.
ReplyDeleteI just bought a Silk Stripe Boy Shirt and Silk Polka-Dot Tee for $80 total (U.S. in-store sale price plus 30% off plus 15% off student discount), those same two items are still being sold in the Toronto store and would cost me $206.83 with tax using my student discount (for someone without a student discount it would cost $273.46). That is NOT COOL.
I think I am over the credit card. What does it get you, really? No reduction on shipping, no real perks. I was keeping it for the $25 on every $500 you spend, but I just found out my husband gets 3 points for every dollar spent on his new Amex, and that is a far better deal.
ReplyDeleteKelley-I know, I'm not sure whey they even bothered with a new store. It seems narrow and cramped to me, and the inventory is awful. Seems like all they have are cords and fisherman sweaters. Fine, but I don't need them in every color and I'd like to see something else.
ReplyDeleteI still hate the "hidden" items. The Tall esla jacket has been hidden for weeks. I mean, it's been a tall 2 the whole time but if my size ever showed up I'd want to know! Instead I have to remember to specifically search for it. What a backwards way to sell things!
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ReplyDeleteI have also visited the FP store and am SO disappointed. It is is smaller. Has to be. The lighting sucks, I feel cramped when I walk in there and the choice of items is less to be desired. I was also told from SA in summer that the new store would be amazing with cashmere, shoes, etc. Nadda....less than before in my opinion. Sale items are cramped in a corner and I too miss JCREW's wonderful T's they used to have...now it's just plain (that will get a hole if you don't hand wash) t's that are boring. They spend more money and time on their CREWCUTS line then ever before....not happy! I also feel they have sizing issues galore. I too have up to 3 different sizes in my closet now.
ReplyDeleteWe need more discounts!!
ReplyDeleteJCrew most of items price is too high though...
Kelley, thanks for the heads-up on the Fashion Place store. I keep thinking I need to go check it out over fall break, but if there's hardly any sale stuff, that saves me the trip!
ReplyDeleteAll my vintage cotton T's have holes or seams falling apart after less than 2 months wear. I know they're supposed to be thin, but I don't even wear them that often! Ts from 3 years ago (also thin) were MUCH better. No more JC tees for me. Or sweaters.
ReplyDeleteI want to love their stuff so badly! I do find pieces here and there...but I am surprised at pricing and hide aways as well. I also notice there aren't any good promotions like there used to be.
ReplyDeleteI am now ordering my items to be delivered to the US border and then having them shipped to me. It ends up being cheaper than getting it delivered to Canada.
Not a vent, but a big sale alert...
ReplyDeleteThe lady lace popover in vintage champagne was marked down to $50 in store. After the 30% off it was $35.
Anyone know if I can return something if it's falling apart after a few wears? I bought a crewcuts white buttoned shirt, and I know kids' stuff is cheaper in part because it's probably not the same quality as the adult version. But I've only worn it three times and a seam on the sleeve is unraveling. If I bring it in without a receipt or tags, will they let me return it?
ReplyDeleteI love the classic shapes in the handbag shop, but really, the prices are just TOO high. They're priced higher than many contemporary designers like Michael Kors, Coach, D&B, etc. which I find kind of excessive. The J. Crew bags I have bought are all nice quality but the leathers scratch super easily. If they priced everything $50-$75 lower it would make much more sense.
ReplyDeleteliz2838, that's insane. I wonder if somebody mismarked them as $49.99 instead of $149.99.
ReplyDeleteSilver Lining- I completely agree! I flipped when I saw it and even said to the SA that I couldn't believe the price. She said it was the only one in store and I replied, "not for long" ;)
ReplyDeleteHa! Can you post in the Review thread if it is sheer or not? I know that there were a few JCA's asking about the lady lace in the vintage champagne color specifically. :)
ReplyDeleteI just started buying JCrew again after some years away. I am a huge ballet flats fan and bought the CeCe studded ballet flats in Clay. They are beautiful and so comfortable. Then, I wore them outside the house and I must have stepped on some wet pavement and the toe of the shoe got wet. I found that even after they dried, there was still a stain from water. When I was next in my local store, I asked the manager how she suggested I get rid of it and her response was that the shoes really weren't meant for any moisture which to me means that you can never wear them outside your house. I've purchased plenty of high quality leather shoes in the past that don't discolor from a little water.
ReplyDeleteOT but since tomorrow is the last day of the 30% off sale I wanted to share some reviews and IRL photos on my blog
ReplyDeleteof these three dresses: chambray shirtdress, shutterbug dress and sightseer dress, which is an online only item. Hope it helps someone if they are considering these dresses since they are final sale.
Shutterbug and sightseer are in stock and on sale in a single color and the chambray shirtdress is currently sold out but has been popping back. Product links are on the blog.
Hi xoxo - thanks for the reviews. It's nice to see some decent quality items!
ReplyDeleteI have not seen the metro coat IRL - just noticed it's .com only, gah! - but I do think it's odd that there are quite a few of them on eBay already. It's hard not to be suspicious of JC sometimes.
Just purchased the deck stripe boater tee (on final sale), and I'm really disappointed in the fit. It looked only slightly oversized on the model (and I assumed she was wearing the XX-Small, so I ordered my normal X-Small since I think I can safely bet that I'm not the same size as the models), but on me, it fits like a long tunic. It will look good tucked in, but it's just too slouchy otherwise. I guess I should have taken the presence of XX-Small as a size option to mean that the item was cut larger than normal, but I've made that assumption in the past and the XX-Small was TOO small for me. Inconsistent sizing is a big complaint. :\
ReplyDeleteAlso, no fault of J. Crew's, but I've been waiting forever for the Camden brogues to go on sale, and as soon as they're marked down during an additional promo period, they instantly sold out in my size! Just had to rant somewhere...
silver_lining, I almost bought one of the metro coats from Paisley Petunia but after reading the negative comments about resellers in the post on the warehouse sale I had second thoughts. I don't really need it so I should wise up. It's not the same J.Crew it once was and I need to remember that. I found a few good things this fall, that's enough J.Crew for now.
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ReplyDeleteJust tried to place an order for the Nouvelle suit jacket and wool crepe skirt. As of yesterday the price was on sale in black for 180 and 78 respectively. However, customer service wouldn't honor the 'musthave' promotion and the sale price together even though it worked yesterday. Darn I'm so mad that I didn't order yesterday! Well, I canceled the order anyway.
ReplyDeleteAnd what is up with J Crew asking for your email and name to look up your "secret file info" before responding to questions about a price discrepancy..... super suspicious to me. Seems like they gather info about your purchasing habits before they grant you another "we'll honor it this time" speech.
I'm so sick of JCrew. I've said it before that I quit them, but caved in b/c of all the sales.
Not this time, I had the bf block their website from our home computers so i'm no longer tempted.
J Crew, you will no longer take my money!!!
In-store today and the saleswoman (not the manager who had just left) would not allow me to double up and use my student i.d. for 15% off on top of the extra 30% off sale promo which irked me a bit(okay, probably more than a bit if I'm posting my rant here - right?).
ReplyDeleteI thought having read all of the fabulous posts here that J.Crew had updated their policy late this past summer whereby they again started to allow both the educator/student discount on top of another promotion.
If anyone could help clear up my confusion then that would be much appreciated!
scorpiogal93, if they changed their policy back to only allowing the student/teacher discount on regular price items, my ps hasn't notified me. You are correct that they were allowing both again this past summer.
ReplyDeletescorpiogal, I woudllcall customer service to get a definitive answer. Just ask what the policy was. Then go from there. Good luck!
ReplyDeletescorpiogal93: The policy does allow the extra % off and educator discounts to be combined, so the SA was misinformed and should have given you both of them when you purchased. I would suggest calling the store and asking to speak to the manager about it.
ReplyDeleteGrrr on the complete inability to see what stores carry which items. I called to see if they could tell me what stores might have the lady lace popover, since it is final sale, and they haven't a clue. Get with the program on being able to sell your merch to those who want to buy, JC!
ReplyDeleteI ordered a bridesmaids dress (the Louisa in silk chiffon) last week and three days later I received an email saying my order was canceled because although it was in stock when I ordered it, it was out of stock by the time they got around to it (thanks, J.Crew!). I re-ordered it the same day, but it won't be ready till December! This didn't sit well at all with the bride and groom, so now I'm on a goose chase to find a dress not sold in stores (it seems most of their bridesmaids dresses are catalog/online only). I emailed costumer service and received a response about a "wish list" used to locate items, and all I had to do was send them my billing and shipping info with my credit card number. This sounds slightly different than the "We Will Find It" service, and although I directly contacted J.Crew's costumer service, I can't help but feel uncomfortable about someone asking for my payment info before they actually find the dress. Is this legit?
ReplyDeleteI agree the quality has gone down, I'm another victim of a seam rip on the double serge pencil skirt after the first wear and it wasnt too tight either. JCrew's most frustrating thing is this final sale bogusness. I mean how do I order something that is an online/catalog exclusive and you wont even let me exchange sizes if it doesnt fit. It almost makes u wanna buy everything u like try it on and then return to the store and then wait for it to hit the sale section. For the price it shouldnt be that complicated. If they stood behind their quality they would not make things final sale and go back to the 60 day return policy
ReplyDeletesmotan3 - It's legit. I have a wish list request for a bridesmaid dress right now.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, they discontinued a color that had been popular for over a year and I wound up having to buy the dress from an ebay reseller for three times as much. :(
I would suggest calling the Wyndhurst Warehouse store in Lynchburg, VA (here's where I wrote about it). That store has a slew of the special occasion dresses and they don't show up in the factory's inventory. Their phone number is (434) 239-0575.
They are HAPPY to check for you.
Was flipping through the new catalog this weekend and almost spit out a big sip of iced tea when I came across the page that reads, "SHIP SHIP HOORAY! ($8.95 flat rate shipping is here to stay)". Well I wasn't celebrating before but I am now! Thank you for making it implausible to shop online for an odd item here and there, even while your competitors are bending over backwards to offer the incentive of free shipping and free returns. (And when you think about it, we'd barely even hurt your bottom line with free returns due to final sale!)
ReplyDeleteI've loathed this policy since day one. Feels good to vent :)