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.
Not a single promo for the UK J Crew? Oh come on! We are like little starving urchins pressing our nose up against a Christmas feast.
ReplyDeleteSubscribing. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's always odd when items go off a longtime promo and don't get marked down further - IMO, the stuff in the sale section should've gotten cut further. Who'd pay the price it is today knowing it was 30% off yesterday?
ReplyDeleteAlso have to throw in my weekly vent about quality shortcuts - I saw the velvet crush top (50268) in the B&M the other day and thought that the grosgrain ribbon at the cuffs just looked so cheap - it seemed like an odd trim on an otherwise cute looking top. It wasn't even sewn on straight! Geez, JC - I'm interested (but also scared) to see what 2012 will bring!
silver_lining- I'm also leery of 2012. Winter 2011 has been a fail in my book with these horrible sweaters.
ReplyDeleteMy vents has to do with inconsistent sizing. The blue elements coat I got is a perfect size 2, but the grey size 2 they sent actually is the exact same size as the 4. Poor quality control.
My major issue with JCrew is raising prices on the items that I think sell well.
ReplyDeleteCase in point, Merino V-neck was just $59.99 yesterday. Today is $72.00!!! To me that's outrageous.
I've been shopping at JCrew for over 10 years, and overall have always been a happy client.
Practices like this one make me want to cancel my card and never shop there again
I snagged the Shimmer Bow Sweater thinking it would be nice for festive wear, and its quality would make the Gap look great. It's oversized everywhere but the chest; the material is thin and has a cheap sort of glitter to it; and the ribbon at the back is tacked on and is thinner and flimsier than any ribbon I've seen in my life - thinner than gift package ribbons and even the ribbons they put around tea cakes at my local bakery. I wouldn't pay $20 for this, let along $50. Going right back.
ReplyDeleteGaaaaah I HATE it when things go on a HUGE markdown the day after a sale. I know they have their reasons, but it is so annoying.
ReplyDeleteTabitha, they need to get rid of the ridiculously unrealistic flat rate shipping to Europe.
ReplyDeleteThey probably figured that it was a brilliant idea, but that meant a big increase of the starting prices to make up for it and, of course, no promos!
I am not ordering a single thing until they will keep this policy.
First, sizing is unpredictable, which requires multiple orders of the same item for on line shoppers. Second, the pricing game they play is SO irritating: J crew puts items on sale, and then abruptly yanks them back, on and on it goes. So you NEVER know if you're getting a good enough deal or not. It makes me feel disrespected as a customer. Once an item goes on sale, it should STAY on sale, not counting blanket promos. I really like the Anthro sale model MUCH better, it is SO much more respectful of customers' time and money. I also dealt with bs from a personal shopper this week, that he couldn't do a store search for an item b/c it had already gone on sale (nevermind that the item was still twice as expensive on line as in store)! Add all that to the quality issues, I'm really sick of this store, and I JUST got back on the bandwagon this fall! I think Jcrew treats customers VERY poorly.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Amaryllis about the store searches for sale items. Both Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus have done store searches on sale items for me in the past week. Plus they both give price adjustments on SALE items...no need to return and re-buy. J.Crew really needs to take a long, hard look at the way they handle these areas and stop making it so difficult for their customers to shop with them.
ReplyDeleteSo the one item I have been wanting to buy has miraculously shown up back on the website this morning, not only in my size, but in ALL sizes.
ReplyDeleteAmaryllis, speaking of Anthro, I agree about Anthro being more respectful to the customer.
ReplyDeleteI was in the store yesterday, and even though the sale items are 50% off right now, they are still NOT final sale. I overheard the SA tell a customer who was on the fence about an item that she could return it, no problem.
Rose- why do they do that? I hate when that happens. I agree with the complaints. It's such a game.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree on having to buy multiples of the same item in the same size to see which is truly your size. Redic.
I also agree with everyone about Anthro. Plus they are another retailer that gives PA on sale items.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know if a promo will show up again online? Are there promos in the store that I could use the red phone to make a suiting purchase?
ReplyDeleteI recently(yesterday) was told by my husband that I need a new suit for an upcoming opportunity. I should have jumped on the 30% promo yesterday!
ok ladies, this is a vent which has transformed into a rave!
ReplyDeletei missed out on the incredible lady day coat for $56 yesterday so i placed a find it request which was unsuccessful.well lo and behold the coat in all sale colors is on the website in all sizes. i called cs and they did honor the sale price but did not give me 30% off stating that it was over, i reminded them that the whole basis of my order is yesterdays pricing but i was so desparate i placed an order for $80. but then i did a live chat and after 10 mins of going back and forth and confirming my find it request i was issued a refund of 30%!
sneaky of jcrew to have the coat available today but kudos to them for their excellent cs for me.
Lily Bart, congratulations on your find! However, that is so frustrating. I also placed a Find it For You for that coat, that was also 'unsuccessful.' The coat is now unavailable (again, I guess) in my size. I just sent a response e-mail to the Find it For You e-mail stating my displeasure at the inventory and pricing games they play--so annoying!!
ReplyDeleteMy jazzy purple pencil skirt backorder got canceled. Ok, it seemed like a long shot and I was prepared for that. I liked that I got a personal email from a PS telling me in advance of the dreaded "we've run out email". However, she offered her services to me and I replied asking for help on another order that seems to be stuck in the system and NADA. No response back at all. Why even bother sending me an email then? I more frustrated by that than the order getting canceled. Bah.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I agree with the statement about why would I buy something today when yesterday it was 30% off.
Anyone else have weird issues using paypal for J.Crew orders?
ReplyDeleteI placed an order for two items, one was backordered until January, one available to ship now. After a few days I get an email saying my order is on credit hold for the item that was supposed to ship right away and payment via paypal. I have funds in my paypal account thanks to ebay sales and plenty of funds available in my bank account and backup credit card on paypal.
I call CS and they said that actually the available item is now sold out and the full order is canceled due to some glitch with the order, there was no problem with paypal funds. I check and sure enough the item is now sold out in the color and size I wanted but the backorder item is still available with the same backorder date.
A couple days later the sold out item is back in stock (y'all KWIM). I place another order using paypal for the same two items, one supposedly available to ship now and one on backorder. The available item ships and the backorder item is waitlisted. A few days later the *original* backorder item that was supposedly canceled, AND the duplicate *reordered* backorder item ship on the same day.
My PS checked into it for me because I wanted to be sure I didn't get a duplicate of the available item and she said she couldn't really tell what went wrong but definitely the available item was canceled.
Well, guess what? Today the originally ordered available item has shipped. I will return the duplicate items but it's really bizarre that they can't keep their orders straight. It's more than $200 that will be tied up until the returns arrive and are processed, which took forever last with the last batch - more than two weeks after they arrived at J.Crew! It will probably be mid/late January by the time I get my credit.
What a SNAFU, literally. If you are not familiar with the term SNAFU, look it up. Fits J.Crew to a T!
xoxo, I'm dealing with the exact same issue with PayPal and backordered items. I called and they told me it was resolved but it still has the same status--credit hold. But only for one of the items in the order but both now are just sitting there.I don't want to re-order because the promo expired and my email to the PS who contacted me regarding a canceled item(see my other post) has gone unanswered. I think I need to call them AGAIN. SNAFU is right!
ReplyDeleteJust got back from the walnut creek store and they are running 30% off all purchases though the 24th - not final sale. Of course - things that are on sale online are not in the store and vice versa - and prices vary greatly. I picked up four scarfs for las minute gifts and they were 30% off promo plus the store wide 30% - good deal!
ReplyDeleteMommysShopping Again, I hope you can get it all sorted out. I'm definitely going to be monitoring my paypal transactions very closely and probably won't order using that payment method until they get it all straightened out. Seems like a total mess.
ReplyDeleteTo those having a problem with paypal payments. I too had the same problem. It has something to do with backordered items. If an item is backordered, paypal won't release the funds. I had to place two different orders in my case---one for the items in stock (which I paid with paypal funds) and another order for the backordered items (with a credit card.) If you don't do it this way, the whole order will get cancelled. Best bet is to order anything on backorder with funds other than paypal.
ReplyDeleteBonnieMc, that is good to know. Unfortunately sometimes it's important to combine items in a single order to achieve the minimum for free shipping or a discount. It would be great if J.Crew could let customers know about the idiosyncrasy, or policy or whatever. It's not a big deal for me to have $200 sitting in limbo but still, more than an inconvenience.
ReplyDeleteBTW, my backordered items both shipped and were put through paypal, even though one (and only one) of the orders were canceled. I'd say they still haven't worked out all the bugs and it's inconsistent at best.
So, I just got off the phone with customer service regarding the backorder/paypal issue. One of my boots are still waitlisted and the order is still in play via PayPal but the second item is now sold out. I re-ordered in a different color and paid with my credit card. I'm not sure I want the other color but I wanted the option with the 30% so I ordered while I had them groveling. Well, as much as J.Crew customer service grovels which isn't much.
ReplyDeleteMoral of the story for me is that I will no longer use PayPal to pay. Very annoying.
Has anyone had trouble with hearing back from a PS? I work with two different personal shoppers (one works day hours and one later evening hours), and I wrote to one on Sunday night, looking for a swimsuit. I emailed her and asked, "Are you there?" She replied that she was and asked how she could help. I then sent her a reply with the item I was trying to find and never heard back. Emailed her again the next day and still never heard back! Now the promo is done, and the swim bottoms I wanted are totally sold out! What's the point of working with a PS if he/she can't get back to you before a promo ends?
ReplyDeletexoxo, totally agree with you. The item I had to order with my credit card versus paypal was shipped next day. Go figure. Certainly they have not worked out the kinks and hopefully will soon. As another said, I will just pay with other means for now so as to avoid losing out on discounts and items that are hard to find. Ugh!!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Carolyn from Vancouver here.I don't get J crew prices ( Even with proms)
ReplyDeleteSo far with all my shopping( But never buying) checking/comparing it seems J crew is still charging alot... and we Canadians are still paying more yet. I went to anthropologie today (decent sale 50% off and no
final sale) I purchased a hat for $15 and sweater(coat/like) for $45.
Both are 100% wool and in really pretty colours.They had skirts for $ 20 that I bet will be better than the Jardin skirt I ordered. My big order from J crew is said to be arriving tommorow....wish me luck Carolyn from Vancouver
Leah: I have had the exact same problem with my online PS (my in-store PS is fabulous). There have been numerous occasions where I have emailed to place an order and she takes so long to put it through that items sell out or promos end (even after I've specifically stated that I'd like to use the promo).
ReplyDeleteOnce I emailed her at the beginning of a sweater promo to place an order, she didn't get back to me for two days and the promo was ending so I called to place the order over the phone and she told me that she couldn't do it because she was "leaving soon" (it was about 40 minutes before her shift was scheduled to end). I don't really go to her for anything anymore and mostly go through my in-store PS.
My Jazzy Purple skirt also got canceled after waiting for it since September - I am bummed bc that was the only color that I wanted.
ReplyDeleteCaitlin, thanks for sharing your experiences with me; it makes me feel less alone! LOL! I am sorry, though, that you've had to deal with it, too. I wish I could just work with an in-store PS, but I live two hours away from the closest brick and mortar. :(
ReplyDeleteFinal sale is back. Oh no.
ReplyDeleteFinal sale is back again. I guess I'm off the J.Crack for a while now.
ReplyDeleteTwo words - Final Sale :(
ReplyDeleteNot cool they stop offering 30% off promo online anymore while the sotres are still offering 30% off everything! I will not shop for a while. The current 25% sale items are on until Dec 28, so they will not have another promo for about a week, I assume. The reason why I shop online is because the stores do not carry PETITE! If it is final sale, how would I know if it fits when I cannot try thing on at the stores!!! Not nice.
ReplyDeleteLeah - I don't wait for my ps for promos. I order straight away. Things move fast in the Crewniverse and I know if I don't get my order in, some things will be gone. My online ps begins at 9a or 12 noon. The promos are already in force and items gone by the time she's in. If I think something will be around for awhile, I will get in touch with her so she'll get credit. I find the online ps to be a good source for info to help me nail sizing if I can't decide and help w/pre-orders. As you know, anyone can help w/those as well. Often times I make the drive to visit my in-store ps. I like the interaction we have and that's part of the fun of shopping there. Otherwise, I'd probably feel ignored and alienated in the store & wouldn't stick to online shopping or not even bother, to tell the truth.
ReplyDelete@ FFM
ReplyDeletemost of the chain stores have the ability to check inventory at other locations regardless of full price or not. why JC cant do this at the register is beyond me.
I recently went to J.Crew and fell in love with a coat but they didn't have my size in the store. The did a store check and I received an email that they couldn't find my size anywhere so I bought another coat from another store a few days later. Just an hour after buying that coat I walked into another J.Crew store and they had the original coat I wanted in my size. How did that happen??
ReplyDeleteThe No. 2 Pencil Skirt in Double-Serge Cotton- what kind of material is it made of? I even ordered a size down and it sits on my body like a stiff, burlap sack. When I saw it on the website I was so excited, it seemed like it would be a form-fitting skirt in cotton, but I could not have been any more wrong. I don't even know how to go about taking it in. Why is the sizing so unpredictable? Anyone have a similar problem with this skirt or am I just shaped like a rectangular piece of cardboard?
ReplyDelete