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.
i just chatted with an online specialist who let me know that new items will be online tomorrow at midnight as well as their being a new catalogue due out saturday. really excited!
ReplyDeletei
ReplyDeletedon't
like
final
sale
I think that was a hai-crew.
ReplyDelete(slaps knee)
Subscribing. :)
ReplyDeleteA sales associate took forever to look up a price for some chinos. I realized that she was just too lazy to go get another pair herself to check the price tag so I had to offer to look for it and get the pants myself. :-/
ReplyDeleteNice Gigi!
ReplyDeleteI hate that my DH got me a GC for Xmas for new work clothes as I will be starting a new ob in Jan and final sale is on! Totally screws anyone that received a gift card for Christmas and retail prices are not justified for the quality. Almost thinking of asking him to see if he can return it....
LOL Gigi, you're on a roll today!
ReplyDeleteIt just seems odd that retail has a larger percentage off and those shoppers can use the redphone to access online stock, but online shoppers can't access retail stock.
ReplyDeleteMakes it really frustrating when stock dwindles and you are forced to stalk the website for your size. I end up paying more than retail all. the. time. grrr.
LOL Gigi!
ReplyDeleteLOL Gigi that made my morning!
ReplyDeleteI placed an order on the 22nd and haven't heard a peep so I just asked CS online and found out that of course one of the items was out of stock. Why does it take so long to send the "sorry we wish we had more" email and to just ship the rest!?
Carolyn From Vancouver here...
ReplyDeleteI have yet to receive my online order...I have hit Anthropogie's sale and Joe fresh (extremely good mark downs) You snooze you lose...as many a Crew item will probably go back now.
I got the shoes another JCA blogged about for $29(Joe's patent black pumps) and Joe's work out apparel (yoga pants are hard wearing.)Most of the sweaters are on sale and many are very similiar to the cheaper content blends J crew had( snowflake pattern, cables, a few sparkely ones and turtlenecks. The Joe jewellery is 50% and the bracelets are more than fair quality and $5 each now.Canadian shoppers check out Joe at Superstore.. Thanks Carolyn
Holey cashmere!!! In the past two days I've looked down at what I'm wearing to discover holes--a split seam on the wrist of this season's cashmere hoodie, and two holes at what were evidently weak spots in the yarn of my cashmere wrap (also this season). DH's response? The definition of insanity . . . I agree it may be time to take a break!
ReplyDeleteAnyone try to do an exchange in-store for online orders? I ordered lady day and plaza coats and they didn't fit, so I went to return it in store. The Las Vegas store was going to order the correct size for me via Red Phone. I got the coats for a steal ($56 last week when they were marked down to $70 less the 30% off promo). The manager said they would charge me shipping because it's free shipping on $175 in the website. I told her I'd rather call CS because they usually don't charge shipping on exchanges - and she told me, "Well, for the price you paid, $8.95 is really nothing." She was helpful and "nice", yet I got that generally bitter vibe from her, like I was doing something shady. She was saying going from petite to regular sizing isn't really an even exchange (I'm petite but the petite size coats I ordered had too-short sleeves on me), and that I couldn't order a different color of the same coat (well what if my size isn't available in the same color?), and asked the SA "How did she get that for so low?" It was Christmas eve and CS was closed, so she wanted me to call or come back the day after Christmas so she could do the exchange for me.
ReplyDeleteWell, I called CS myself as soon as they opened and they processed my return with no hassle, FREE shipping, and let me pick my preferred coat color. DONE! Of course the manager calls me Monday morning and leaves me a message. Sorry, woman, I don't feel like dealing with you anymore.
My vent: That I'm sitting here sipping a cup of Christmas blend wondering if I would be throwing caution to the wind to keep the cashmere sweater I got last week? Such a pretty color, but who cares if I can't wear it for more than one season because of the quality? Even with the HOHOHO sale, or whatever it was, I paid $140 -- should it stay or should it go now? If it stays will I be venting more?
ReplyDeleteHmm. I think I already have the answer.
Had DH buy the Wildcat Cardigan that was originally listed in November as a Jenna Cardigan (in wildcat/savannah print). Later in December the listing was changed from Jenna Cardigan to just Wildcat Cardigan. It still had and has the description for the Jenna Crewneck Cardigan but is NOT a Jenna Cardigan. Does not have the high ribbed waist and sleeves... Was at the B&M and saw the Wildcat Cardigan there – same as mine – not a Jenna. Am I missing something? Are there two Wildcat Cardigans out there? Or did JC screw up the description? No response from CS – they are “looking into it”.
ReplyDeleteJen,
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you got such a great deal on those coats. I wish I had seen that since I can barely button my size 6 Lady Day Coat. I bought it a few years ago and loved the slim fit...until I realized that it was too tight if I tried to sit down (ie, wear it in the car!). Most of my crew tops range from size zero UP to a 4yet I can barely button my size 6 Lady Day coat.
I bought my daughter a size 2p JCrew wool pea coat last year. Out of curiousity, I tried it on. Yep, the 2p fit the same as my 6 across the waist. Oh well.
Brilliant, Gigi!
ReplyDeleteMy vent: there doesn't seem to be a single policy among all of the stores in NY regarding calling around for an item. Know that a New Yorker can WALK from Rock Ctr (50th St) to 45th St in minutes and get from 45th St to 17th St in a few more minutes. So if 45th St is out of something and I am rushed I will happily dash to another store if I know they have my item. Same for other locations - look at a map! So why tell me (1) there is a special service that will call you back within 2 hours; or (2) we are only allowed to call one other store, pick one; or (3) oh, you'll probably find it on the web; or (4) we can only use Red Phone. Grr. Why not just say "when I asked if I could help you I didn't mean me personally!"
I ordered a cashmere cardi during one of the "30% off" days, only to receive a pair of men's slippers in size 12! No sweater. Never mind that the packing slip showed a sweater...this is the second time this has happened in a year, that I've received TOTALLY wrong merch. And of course, the sweater I originally wanted is now sold out.
ReplyDeleteTwo holes in my side snap tee from the summer....
ReplyDeletemore holde this year in so many tees...just unbelievable.
Dear JCrew,
ReplyDeleteThank you from the bottom of my icy cold little heart for putting me on a waitlist for my order and not letting me know. Especially now that its almost a week that I've ordered that one blazer that you still have as available online. I really want to stamp my foot about this. I waited and waited and waited -_-.
OK...not a vent but if you want to see some images from the January catalog and what "may" show up online tomorrow I've posted some.
ReplyDeletehttp://audreybella.blogspot.com/2011/12/j-crew-january-2012-catalog-images.html
GIGI - You are too funny!
I don't usually post here but I am sad that they have changed the cashmere hat and gloves (and likely the scarves) from past years. I have 2 cashmere hats from 1 and 2 years ago, a pair of cashmere gloves from 2 years ago and 2 scarves from 1 year ago. All of the items are great quality. The hats are what I wear all winter and have kept me warm in a Canadian winter. The scarves are absolutely beautiful, long thick, warm and the gloves have a long cuff and are my day to day gloves in winter when I don't want to wear my Coach cashmere lined leather gloves. I feel the cold and these gloves keep my hands warm. One of the hats is marked as a Collection item (2009), the other from last year is not but is identical. Both hats are ribbed knit and they look like new still even though I have worn one of them (grey) almost daily for 2-3 months in winter for 2 years. The gloves also have been worn to death and although they have pilling they have no holes and I have been able to 'de-pill'. The scarves are like new. So - on the weekend I bought 2 cashmere hats and a pair of gloves. The hat, while cute, is SO thin, in comparison with my previous ones. I don't know why they would make this flimsy hat. It didn't keep my head warm outside. I am really disappointed. The mens cashmere hat is ribbed, I wish they would return to the prior style!! And the gloves also feel a bit thinner. So - sorry for long post but I really wish they would return to the prior good quality of these cashmere accessories - they photographed them in the holiday catalog in the snow, but frankly I don't think I can wear the new style in the snow and am not sure I'll buy any more colors which makes me sad - I usually pick up these on sale each year. Why would they make the mens better quality and warmer than the womens - the hat definitely felt that way in the store..
ReplyDeletegigi, you are too funny!
ReplyDeleteaudreybella-thanks for a bright spot! I'm looking forward to the pencil skirt in basket weave ^..^
ReplyDeleteWhat? Collection Cafe Capris for $228 this spring? Oh no!
ReplyDeleteI placed a WWFI search for a coat at my local store. They verified that there were many out there and so I was confident that one would find it's way to me. The next morning I get the dreaded email stating they couldn't locate one. I replied asking them to check again because at the time I put in the WWFI there were many in various stores and it just didn't seem right that they couldn't locate 1. They replied that they would be glad to place another ticket for me (no thank you, you didn't find one the first time)
ReplyDeleteI went back to my store because it just didn't seem right and sure enough, there was still MANY coats in various stores. The manager called one of the many stores with this coat (this store had 4 of this item in my size!) and made my purchase.
Kudosto the manager of my store for taking care of it.
As for the WWFI team, did you even try to find the item? Obviously not because there was an abundance of this item.
Even more, they charged me shipping. Really? You had to charge me shipping for my $200 coat on a day where it was free shipping online and WWFI (but they didn't do their job) wouldn't have charged shipping?
This is the second time this has happened to me and at this point I will never do a WWFI. I will always have my store locate the item and then call the store.
Even more I would love it if my store would carry more inventory!
Thanks for the Vent time!
@gigi: agreed! FS stinks! Love your hai-crew! LOL
ReplyDelete@Audreybella: thanks for posting the images! The fresh colours are exciting, and the styling is old school crew with a modern twist. Me likey.
On topic: I had to toss out my 2010 suckered gingham shirts. The construction held unlike the silk/cotton lawn (mostly, I'm starting to see holes at the sleeves/shoulder yoke)...with these shirts, it was the fabric...it PILLED. Who has ever heard of cotton shirts PILLING? The shirts were in my regular rotation for less than a year and I wash them like all my other shirts, regular cycle in lingerie bags, hang dry, warm iron... The fabric pilled like knits! Towards the end they looked like dish rags. Toss!
Speaking of construction, my Selvedge Denim Tuxedo shirt from 2010 has a hole in the back along one of the darts. Same problem with my Tangerine Plaid Boyshirt. Out comes the sewing kit...
Thank goodness I didn't pay full price (or even first markdown) for any of these shirts. IMO none of JC's shirts are worth paying more than $40 for if all I'm getting is about a year's wear out of them.
Carolyn from Vncouver here...
ReplyDeleteMy online order just arrived.
It was supposed to come tommorow glad I was home.
-the camel resin block neclace going back... heavy chain but for $56 US plus tax (15 % tax on top of prices ) not enough bang for my buck.The colour was okay...maybe I have been swayed now that I have seen the bubble in person.
-the triple strand and the drop locket neclace kind of lacking not worth the price of about $30 US-the tissue turtlenecks ordered too large ( now that I have one from the factory at least I know my size)
-the vintage t-shirts ordered two sizes both two big - the thermal henley again too big and I could have purchased in the store two days ago for less.
-the cashmere henley again too big. the sleeves seemed very stretched at the wrists...very wide not even close to being on with how the rest of the item fitted.
- this had to have been the biggest error on my part the Jardin skirts...I just cannot believe anyone would pay the $60 US per skirt...and be happy.Its just a cotton skirt plain and simple and ...did not feel anything special. The colour purple was okay... the poppy was nicer.
- the boy shirt in stripe just didn't feel like it was worth the cost ...It was a little tight across the bust, I like that it was longer and the three button detail on the cuffs...but just plain white plastic ones...even the thermal henleys buttons were nicer.
- the one single solitary item I kept were the Quorra sandals. The were about US$ 45 made in Italy and quite comfortable and fit tts The whole order came packed well...all jewellery in silver boxes...shoes in a box and tissue
I am off to the post to return...since I was charged no shipping lets see how much those sandals really cost me. Thanks for listening. CAROLYN
Audrey- Thanks for the catalog pics. Can't wait to see the Jackie pullover as I think I've hit my twinset thresh hold :)
ReplyDeleteaudreybella, thanks for posting the pics. We haven't even had our "cold" weather here and already I'm longing for spring. :) I have the warm jade cafe capris and they are a beautiful shade of green, so the skirt will be hard to resist. I do like grass green tweed, too. Hopefully my b&m will get both so I can decide in person. Can't wait to get my own catalog now, and of course see items IRL! Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteaudrebella, Thank you for posting and writing out the details!
ReplyDeleteI am super excited about the jackie pullover!
My main gripe-- this lousy -20% post-Christmas promo. Ordinarily wouldn't be such a bummer, but 1) I held off on all the pre-holiday promos b/c I was *sure* they meant there would be something am-A-zing come the 25th, and 2) I've been totally spoiled by Anthro's -50% (not to mention their liberal return policy).
ReplyDeleteYou ladies think there's any chance we'll see a better promo once this stingy -20% ends tonight? Mama needs a hacking jacket...
Lizzy- I'm wondering about a better markdown too for coats. the online stock is DWINDL-ING. Makes me want to jump on one now, but also don't have a real need as it is supposed to be 50 degrees here on Saturday. Hurumph. I just am afraid the stock is so low this year that a size 2 will be out of luck come a real sale time.
ReplyDeleteAny thoughts and guess-timations?
OT - Went to B/M today and picked up the January catalog. SA said that this will be a "quick" rollout/transition into Spring.
ReplyDeleteCouple of things caught my eye... peep-toes in navy patent, new blue silk blouse, orange skinny jeans, red matinee trench (saw in store, if my climate permitted.. it would have been mine) - Enjoy Northern gals!
I did purchase a necklace, frog on a double strand of tortoise shell. Really cute! Also, picked up Hutton wool trousers for $29.00!!!
Sorry for being off topic....
Minnie: I totally agree about the cashmere accessories! I have a red hat from last year, and received a new grey hat this year for Christmas and was extremely disappointed in the weight and the quality. It literally weighs about 1/4 of last year's version, and is already stretching out too far. They euphemized (?) the description this year so that it sounds like you're getting a much softer cashmere, but really it's just lighter and more flimsy. I feel guilty even receiving this as a gift, at the price. No more for me.
ReplyDeletewell, it's official: J.Crew doesn't care about the business of Tall or Petite people.
ReplyDeleteI sent an e-mail asking if any retailers anywhere (or more specifically, the NYC area) carry "specialty" sizes. I was met with a firm no.
I told them they could say goodbye to my money- why should I pay s&h and then wait in line at the post office (hello Brooklyn) for an item which may or may not fit?
I know this has been a frequently lamented topic on here, but seriously. I'm not going to massively inconvenience myself just for the sake of giving them my money. Until they change their policies, I'm not shopping there anymore.
Hi, I am kind of a new customer to J.Crew and a recent follower of this blog. Today, I hit the Final Sale online looking for the cashmere blend leopard scarf that I saw at one of the stores before Christmas. I searched the website a few times looking for it, but I couldn't find it at all so I figured I was out of luck. However, I decided to give the online chat specialist a try...I described the item and within a minute she gave me a link to the item. I was able to click the link and put it in my cart..it was on sale! I haven't had any reason so far to vent about J. Crew, but I thought I'd give this opportunity to rave about my scarf purchase today...just thought I'd share! :) Also, after I bought the scarf, I wasn't able to locate it on the website afterward - weird!
ReplyDeleteTotally bizarre, two nights ago I received a phone call from customer service letting me know that one of my items from the 22nd wouldn't be shipping because of an "inventory glitch". Last night I got an email indicating that the order had finally shipped and miraculously the item that was supposedly out of stock showed up in my order as being shipped. I am curious to see what actually shows up in the box!
ReplyDeleteI don't purchase from FS, but it's got to be annoying to see a 1100+ increase in their inventory the day after a % off ends. Typical.
ReplyDeleteOk, so why the massive update of sale items the day AFTER a promo ends?
ReplyDeleteHas anyone else had problems with J.Crew buttons breaking/cracking at the dry cleaners? I've had several sweaters returned with more than one button broken or smashed (sometimes almost all of them) and the buttons are usually made of the shell like material. I thought it could be my cleaner, but my husband's sweaters never have that happen. I looked at the last three merino cardigans I sent to be cleaned and it happened to ALL three.
ReplyDeleteRemember post-Christmas sales of years past? Why did they curtail sales before New Year's? ?I have a couple things in my cart that don't amount to $175 and I do not want to pay for shipping, especially this time of year. Come on, JC! The least you could have done was left the sales up through 1/1! (which happens to be my b-day)...
ReplyDeleteBought the Jackie cardigan in vibrant flame a few weeks ago and washed it according to the care label's instructions. After one wash, it's no longer vibrant...it faded to a dingy reddish-orange. Lost much of its color and the cotton looks brushed and worn. Very frustrating - I've been a loyal J.Crew shopper for 15 years and I can't recall having quality issues in the past.
ReplyDeleteI have been shopping J.Crew for many years. My job requires me to move around a lot and I currently live overseas. It has been such a frustration to get Jcrew to ship to Micronesia. The FSM is affiliated with the U.S. (it's like a pseudo territory). They even use the U.S. postal service and shipping system. Sometimes the Jcrew website will allow me to ship directly here, sometimes I have to have my family forward my purchases stateside. I have e-mailed their staff about it and once (and only once) they allowed me to place an order through e-mail and had my order shipped directly. I have e-mailed their staff about this issue several times, but nothing ever gets fixed.
ReplyDeleteIt has been such a frustration to be able to get new clothes shipped. If only we had a Jcrew on my small island.
I'm on the same page as silver_lining and Tiffany....Why did JC hold back all that sale inventory until the day after the 20% final sale promo ended. Is the grinch their new promo manager? I even went into the store and there wasn't much anything on sale I wanted.
ReplyDeleteAnd whats more frustration is that they were doing 50% off sale items in the store so I bought a sweater (final sale) and later that evening I saw it on the website for LESS that I paid even after 50% off and I could have gotten the 20% off of that! Even after paying for shipping it would have been cheaper to order it >:(
um whoa I think they need an "It's still winter at jcrew.com" link.
ReplyDeleteUm whoa I think they need an "It's still winter at jcrew.com" link.
ReplyDeleteI don't post much, but I've been reading or following this blog for years. Is it just me??? or do the rest of you find yourselves going to Anthropologie or Free People for the new and trendy styles. In the past year, I've ordered from J.Crew maybe 6 times, I used to order from them 6 times in a month. Just wondering, is Jenna gone? Sick? What in the world is the deal with their line this year? Even VS has them beat in the dress category, and that's a terrible comparison, but it's true. I'm just generally very disappointed, I'm hard pressed to find anything I really even want on the final sale, let alone the store. Hope they make a comeback soon...
ReplyDeleteDisappointed in my vintage cotton stripe shoulder-zip tee (navy/pumpkin, item 48407). The seams on the sleeve cuffs are already fraying and coming undone after only 2 washings.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm worried about the other one I bought a few weeks ago (navy/white combo) that I have worn yet.
I don't want to lose confidence in J.Crew's clothing, but this is not helping :(
My Vent: Had an incident a year back or so when they had scarves for 30% off. When I took it up to the sales associate, she charged me the full amount. I'm usually shy and don't speak up, but I really didn't want to pay the full amount for the scarf, and it upset me, so I spoke to another SA about how I was charged full amount (I know..pathetic perhaps). While the other SA was helping me, the original SA from behind came up saying 'Oh they were on sale? I didn't know' and walked away. The whole store had signs full of 30% off scarves; It was the first sign I saw walking in. I don't understand. Did she have a grudge against me? But maybe I'm overthinking it. I personally am not a fan of J.Crew SAs and think they could learn a few from other SAs like Anthropologie or Madewell. And yes I suppose it differs per person, but overall, I never thought J.Crew SAs were as friendly as other SAs.
ReplyDeleteI know it's been years, but I had to vent it out to somebody. It made me wonder if I looked like someone that could easily be duped to pay more than needed.