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.
There seems to be a lot of new stuff in the sale section that has been marked down with the extra percent off, that's why I will never pay full price for anything.
ReplyDeleteBorderfree Canadian prices. enough said
ReplyDeleteI'm a longtime shopper but this is my first time to look at the site since the CDN shipping switched over to Borderfree. I know the shipping rate has gone up to $12 (which is why today's free shipping code is appealing), but what happened to the "Just for you Canada" part of the checkout process?
DeleteNever mind, I just searched JCA and saw the many posts regarding Borderfree. What a shame, I can't see myself doing much online shopping with them from here on in. I was always so impressed with the way J.Crew treated their Canadian online customers, but not anymore.
DeleteIt is so nice to hear from other Canadians about this! I really hope Jcrew gets the message and does something. I used to order so much from Jcrew. I have ordered nothing since the switch to Borderfree. The price differences between on line and in store are insulting. It makes me feel like I am being taken advantage of. When I feel taken advantage of, I am not going to spend my money with you JCrew. I'm funny that way :)!
DeleteJcrew used to be my go to place to shop but now I am casting my eye to other on line retailers. I am wondering if any Canadian JCA's have tried anything from Everlane and what they thought of the experience?
I will report back on Everlane once I have received my first order. I am impressed with how they post the price in USD and then the taxes and the duties, and the calculations are accurate. My order shipped the same day I placed the order,which was Saturday, so again, much better than J Crew.
DeleteAs for the changes for Canadians shopping JCrew and Madewell online, I am quite frustrated and baffled. And I think the problems lie with Borderfree. When I contacted Madewell about their Cdn prices (which are at a 1.39 rate - official rate is 1.32), I first didn't get an answer, just some nonsense cut and paste text. I insisted to be passed on to a manager, who was more informative, and he essentially said that Madewell doesn't set the exchange rate. Which means it is Borderfree. I looked at other retailers who use Borderfree, and found the same inflated exchange rate happening. Does Borderfree build in the extra amount to cover their costs?
I did some more checking and noticed that the Madewell tax and duties calculations do not make sense. Two items with the same price have different taxes and different duties. In most cases the taxes did not even come close to the 13% I should be paying. Which makes me wonder if part of the tax amount is included in the exchange rate?
If I have time I might contact Borderfree and ask how they do their calculations. It is unfair that we don't see the duties amount for the JCrew site. All this brings me back around to Everlane... Where I know I will get the official exchange rate and the duties and taxes are shown with each item, before I even put it in my cart. That is fair and I feel much more respect as their customer.
@shopgrrl I do remember that "just for you Canada" rebate of the duties. However, I also recall that the prices (in USD) were about 20% higher on most items. When the Cdn dollar was close to par, some items were priced the same in USD and CDN, but since last year we have all seen the higher Cdn prices.
DeleteI wonder if the lower prices we are seeing in store just happen to be leftovers from a higher Cdn dollar? Maybe we will soon see the same higher prices in store as the ones online? Just our luck, the way things have been going!
Thanks Kitkat-cda. I will be interested to hear about your Everlane experience. So far it sounds good. I appreciate their apparent commitment to transparency. I am hopeful that the quality and fit of the clothing is good as well. I agree that the Borderfree service must build in a fee to cover its costs and that is likely reflected in the on line price differences. I view it as an extra layer between the consumer and the retailer, Jcrew with Borderfree as, in my view, a middleman that I am forced to pay for rather than Jcrew. One curious thing that I have noticed is that some on line prices have been adjusted down since the switch to Borderfree. The one item in particular that I noticed is teh tippi polka dot sweater which was released at about the same time as the switch to Borderfree. It was originally priced at (approx) $170 CDN. I saw it in store the other day for approx $117 CDN. I then noticed that the on line price was adjusted down to $143 CDN. I am curious to know why the price was reduced on line and on what basis it was initially set and then on what basis it was set at the reduced price. Again, I just feel totally taken advantage of!
DeleteI have a rewards cards that I have to use before the end of September, and I wish I didn't, because it's forcing me to place an on-line order. I live nowhere near a B & M store, on the East coast, so on-line has always been my go-to shopping method unless I'm travelling. In addition to the exorbitant pricing, now I can't even use my J Crew credit card on-line! Well, according to CS, I can still use it, but would have to have my package sent to a "friend or family member" in the U.S.! I'm sorry, but that's pretty inconvenient and it's not going to happen. So, if I can't use my credit card for on-line shopping, I don't earn rewards! Which is probably good, because I apparently can't use my rewards cards on-line anymore unless I call in my order. Which I will have to do with the one I currently have. Aargh! I'm so offended with the way they keep on trying to appease us by saying that they're making things better for Canadians with every change. They must think we are pretty stupid. On-line shopping with J Crew has just gotten worse and worse ever since they opened the first store in Canada. Why can't they get it right like other retailers seem to be able to? Have any other Canadian JCAs written to J Crew about this issue?
DeleteIt will be interesting to see how this develops going forward. I wonder if the Canadian website will even be around a year from now, given the idiocy that appears to have set in. Those of us who live near b&ms can get better deals there - for now. If the in store prices increase too much, it will affect the survival prospects of JC in Canada. Our wages can't increase in line with exchange-rate price hikes! Oh well, I have enough clothes to last me until I die anyway...
DeleteI think it is ridiculous, and I am not even Canadian. Indeed, Borderfree has some sort of set formulas to calculate shipping costs. An article I read a few months ago:
Deletehttp://www.smartceo.com/how-borderfrees-retail-technology-platform-is-breaking-ecommerce-barriers/
Earlier this year they were acquired by another, bigger ecommerce global shipper, so one would think they would offer better rates, but I guess, as always, the deal benefits owners not the clients...
I too noticed that a price decreased (the structured flutter tee) online from $80 when Borderfree started to $63 which I found weird. It's the only one I noticed til Shima Maceo mentioned the Tippi. The items I'm interested in all have around 50% markups vs US online. The buffalo check shirt is $89.50 US but $130 online that's crazy. I'm pretty sure it's cheaper in store.
DeleteI did email JCrew when Borderfree started with my concerns etc. as a loyal customer. I received a nice email but don't feel the explanations make sense. Basically they talked about the cost of doing business internationally etc. We don't see such high markups at other retailers (nordstrom, coach, BR, sephora, pottery barn to name a few) in Canada.
Somehow I feel like I have slipped down a rabbit hole...
DeleteI was reading the Borderfree terms and conditions and found their customer service address, so sent them an email with questions on how they calculate the Canadian prices, taxes and duties. I looked at my recent orders and found that on my Jcrew orders the taxes were higher than the 13% I should pay while the Madewell taxes were lower. Things get curioser and curioser...
Will report back if I hear from Borderfree
while I would be sad if JCrew didn't do well in Canada, frankly I wouldn't be surprised because everything has gone downhill. I go into the store and get very angry because of the poor quality, yet high prices, and overall lack of beautiful items. I used to want to buy everything at JCrew but not more. The crewlade has definitely lost its power.
@IslandGirl... if you're not ready to use your rewards card on a purchase, you can use it to buy a gift card instead. I've done that before when there wasn't anything i wanted to buy.
DeleteI vented quite a bit last week about Borderfree (esp. as it pertains to Madewell), so I'll just echo my support, and commiserate with my fellow Canadians. I wonder if there's somewhere on-line we can band together and start a petition!?
DeleteWith regard to Everlane, please feel free to ask if you have any questions re. fit or quality. I used to purchase a ton from there (last year I received an email saying I was one of their top 1000 customers...), but IMO I find a lot of their quality just okay, even though I love their aesthetic, and I like the fit of a lot of their things. The $15 t-shirts are fine, though, lol. I do think they are constantly trying to improve, but I wish during the growing pains, they would be more consistent with regard to customer service and standing behind their items. I once bought 3 of the same sweater, loved it, but they became holey and pilly within the first few weeks of wear. They refunded me for 1 of them only, and no, I wasn't allowed to return them. I had a whole bunch of the Ryan tees and they all shrunk up in length to crop tops (I'm 5'3), and they just said "sorry". And yet, I do read a lot of comments where people rave about their service.
That said, I like that they never have sales, and price things pretty fairly and transparently. My beef is the "traditional retail pricing" they often compare themselves to is extremely inflated. For example, they sold a shawl collar cardigan last year for about $135, and said the traditional retail pricing was upwards of $350 (can't remember exactly now), and this year, J. Crew is selling nearly the exact same sweater (item e1919) for $168 less whatever perpetual discount can be applied. They taut themselves as a luxury brand, but absolutely nothing I've ever purchased from them comes close to that sphere (and the highest end I ever buy is Vince, Rag & Bone, James Perse, etc). I think they're worth trying, and I hope they "get there", because I do appreciate their ambitions.
cagliari67, your comment "Oh well, I have enough clothes to last me until I die anyway..."made me lol.
Thanks, Miss JR. I hadn't thought of buying a gift card with my rewards card!
DeleteI have said so much about how we Canadians have been screwed by the switch to Borderfree. I still love the clothing from J.Crew but feel it's prices are way out of line.
DeleteIt's made me bcome one of those shoppers always looking for a deal and a sale, never playing full pop as it's over inflated and not worth it.
I like J.Crew as it lets me look great, decent quality and the style is spot on. But not at these prices. I'm off to troll for sale items and free shipping. ;)
I just got off the phone with a Sales Associate at one of the Vancouver stores. It was a very discouraging discussion. I was looking to see whether the store had a particular item in stock. I was told that it was not available in store but could be ordered online. I then mentioned that I was reluctant to order anything on line now that there was a switch to Border free. I told her i was disappointed that there was such a difference in prices from in store to on line. She then said that the in store prices would soon be adjusted to match the on line prices. So we can now look forward to increased prices in stores too. I told her I thought that was a mistake as the on line prices were already too inflated and are not justified in many cases based on the quality of the item. The only good thing that came out of my call with her is that now apparently if you order something online you can now return it to a Brick and Mortar store. If the in store prices do increase to match the new Border free pricing, to my mind, that is nothing but a price grab by Jcrew given that the in store pricing does not involve the third party service provided by Borderfree. In other words, they really have no excuse for the in store price increases.
DeleteHi Shima,
DeleteThanks for sharing your experience -- I'm confused about what the SA told you -- how can the B&M prices match the Borderfree prices if *apparently* the BF prices are calculated based on the exchange rate, which fluctuates daily? Something is off. I truly hope prices don't increase. I did order a pair of loafers a few weeks ago from the Calgary store (were not yet in stock in Vancouver), and the price was $314, which I thought was an odd number, but it was the same price as the CDN website, and it was also reasonable as the US price was $249.
I agree that it's good news we can return on-line purchases to the stores. An on-line CS told me in July that return rates were set by DHL and were $18. That was a killer for me.
Shima and R from what I understand the prices will slowly change; meaning that as new items arrive in stores in the future they will be priced inline with the online prices.
DeleteI guess the Canadian dollar's nose dive is a large part of the problem. Maybe the price tags are added in the factory when the garment is made and possibly this was done long before the dollar took a plunge.
But I still feel we in Canada are getting screwed price wise.
This is an everywhere vent, but can dropped shoulders just go away already? Look at this pic of Joan Smalls from JC's Insta... they don't even flatter her!
ReplyDeleteMadewell is a particularly bad offender - the majority of their sweater section has dropped shoulders. Ugh! I get that some people don't look bad in them... but does anybody look fantastic in them?
Amen!
DeleteI hear this a lot. I must be the only one who doesn't have an issue with drop shoulders...I quite like them on more casual sweaters.
DeleteI had such a weird customer service experience on Monday. I called in to the customer service phone line asking to do a store search for the Ruffle Hem Dress in Italian Wool Crepe (c9468) which on Monday was sold out in my size 6 online.
ReplyDeleteThe rep I spoke with did a quick search and told me that she couldn't find any inventory in any stores near me, in NYC. And then, for whatever reason, she proceeded to launch into a lecture of sorts to me about how the website was always up-to-date with the latest inventory including stores so I was wasting my time calling in.
I had a thought to let her know that I've called in many times and with the help of amazing reps located items that were older, or long sold-out online, but I wasn't sure if she was having a bad day or what so I just said "OK." But the whole experience left me feeling very icky. I had other items I wanted to ask about but instead I ended the call. She clearly felt like I was a waste of time.
During my lunch break I decided to stop in to the Rockefeller Center J.Crew. And what did I find there? THE DRESS. In every size, including four size 6s!! What a crock. I usually have super helpful reps on the phone line but that lady turned me off, majorly.
I have had the same experience numerous, multiple times. Have called and found the item myself within minutes through having someone look it up at a store. Sometimes they just show 1, but 1 is all I need and you would be surprised at how many times I can find it.
DeleteHa! I remember chasing a necklace earlier this summer, called five stores in the Chicago area and one in Indy, they all showed between 2 and 4 necklaces in stock, but couldn't find ONE when they looked in the store. Neither store could explain the discrepancy. What a frustrating afternoon that was! lol
DeleteIvanka, I had that same experience. Guess what? In my case, the necklaces were on displays. Now I always check the window before I go into the store when I'm on a search. ;)
DeleteI had a similar experience last year with an expensive Crewcuts sweater. My daughter was between sizes and I wanted to get the larger of the two. The SA said the larger size was sold out in all stores and on-line and that there was zero chance of ever getting it. So against my better judgment I purchased the smaller size, only to see the larger size pop up on the site within a few days. My daughter had already worn the sweater so I couldn't return it. I was really annoyed.
DeleteYeah, that seems like it was an unnecessarily rude customer service experience. Rather strange & off-putting! I wish J Crew's website itself offered a similar feature to Banana's, which allows one to search for their item and then 'Find it in stores'. Even Macy's offers this.
DeleteAnywho, glad you emerged victorious & found your dress! (which seems lovely, BTW -- i would try it on but i'm very short & hem everything to death so I often stay away from certain hemline styles.)
Yes. That would be great if they had that feature.
DeleteThis happened to me this summer. Saw a dress pop back and called to get final sale waived. CS rep said it's not in stock so it won't ship. I told her I'd try anyway and could she please waive final sale. She did, and it shipped. Too bad it was too tight in the waist and too loose in the hips. What is up with J.Crew dresses and skirts these days!
DeleteThanks, shopalot. That certainly explains it.
DeleteI wish JC would just have realistic starting prices and do away with "algorithmic" pricing:
ReplyDeletex = opening price
y = number of days out
z = number of days to end of quarter
z' = number of days to end of year
p = percentage of prior markdowns
This is not meant to be set forth in a linear equation or even on a graph of ranges. I believe that a Mad Math Major writes each of these components on a separate little post-it, drops them into a hat, shakes the hat, puts the hat on, and whatever sticks to his bald spot is the price du jour.
Please note that this system cost a bundle to purchase and implement and has not been fully amortized (if depreciated in the ordinary cost of business it would have been in negative numbers on Day 2).
Ah, this explains a lot. I'm cracking up over "whatever sticks to his bald spot"!
DeleteI wonder if the Mad Math Major shares an office with the Copywriter from Space?
DeleteWell, they did share. But following recent layoffs, each moved into a newly vacated space. The MMM refused to decorate his, but keeps a few rolls of tinfoil under his desk, in case space creatures beam evil thoughts at him. The CFS asked senior execs for styling ideas, but that has not gone well. Gail apparently misunderstood, and sent over several bright red lipsticks. Jenna sent over a 4-year-old with artistic leanings. Yup.
DeleteLol. I would like to nominate WFF to be the new copywriter should a position be vacated!
DeleteOT just because I don't see the promo thread yet (will repost there when it pops up) - any suggestions for what color tops to wear for the collection autumn floral skirt other than the obvious neutrals? A large chunk of my top wardrobe is blue (trying to expand out of that) and I find I have a hard time wearing printed skirts if they just won't work with any shades of blue. Can I do navy? The print mixing would be a little too casual for my office. I've had my eye on this forever and would like to grab it at this price but I'm trying to quit buying things I won't *actually* wear to the point of getting good value out of them.
ReplyDeletei think navy would be beautiful!
DeleteI agree. I think navy would really pop. Maybe also a champagne gold?
DeleteHalf vent, half not vent. I had a store send me the little cheap ombre necklace that went on sale. It had several chips in the paint around some of the stones straight out of the bag. I took it back and did get the windowpane scarf in cobalt/cream on sale with extra 40% off. I am really into that blue color for the fall. I did try on the shiny quilted field puffer vest in regal blue that went on sale but it was a big NO for me. I neck/collar comes up way to high and the arm holes pouch out in the back. No wonder it is already on sale. I did love the color though.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteLove the windowpane scarf in cobalt/cream! It is still full price online with 25% off! Good deal, @Doodle Dashshund catching it on sale with 40% off. I wonder whether my local store has it on sale or not.
DeleteI am sure it would be on sale at your store, I think that markdowns are usually company wide.
Delete