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 ordered the Collection silk moto top in dusty quartz on Final Sale against my better judgment because it was a good price with 50% off and I thought it would be nice to wear to dinner with my husband on Valentine's Day.
ReplyDeleteWell, when it arrived it was a wrinkled mess. (And this one actually shipped from the warehouse) I was so disappointed, so I emailed CS - attaching a photo of the wrinkled top - and received a very condescending and accusatory response telling me that I would need to ship the item back and they would inspect it to determine if it was "actually defective". If it was determined to be defective, they would go ahead and issue me a refund, but otherwise they would send it back to me. No apology for the condition in which the blouse arrived, no suggestions on how I could remove the wrinkles at home or professionally.
I was pretty shocked, so I replied that whether intentional or not, the tone of the initial response was very condescending and that as a longtime loyal customer, I expected better from J.Crew customer service. I received an extremely placating response letting me know I could return the blouse with no questions, or they would reimburse me the cost to have it professionally cleaned. I unfortunately do not live close to a J.Crew store anymore so I can't bring it in to be steamed.
I know that the initial response I received was not indicative of J.Crew customer service (in fact, in my experience they have been very pleasant), but still, I wish companies would invest more in their front line associates. All it took was that one bad experience with a CS rep to convince me that no matter what, I will absolutely not, under any circumstances, purchase anything that is Final Sale again. (I kind of already had that mindset, but every once in a while my judgment slips and I do it anyway - never again!)
How awful. So sorry to read that. And it's a collection piece, too.
DeleteI'm confused. Was it damaged/defective or just wrinkled? From my perspective, wrinkling from
Deleteshipment is not a defect. If the wrinkles occurred during the manufacting (let's say wrinkled fabric is used to make a pleated skirt which results in fabric bunching up improperly) I totally get that would be a defect. I usually dry clean or wash my new items prior to wearing them to remove chemicals on the fabric during manufacturing so the wrinkles don't bother me. I expect items to arrive with crease marks from the packaging and shipment across the US so I'm not too bothered by that. Obviously, I would expect brittle items like china and glass to receive more care to prevent shattering. I have been able to score some amazing deals on Collection items that were probably returned by the previous purchaser or found lurking somewhere in the warehouse. However, if there is a rip, stain, snag, etc, those are deal breakers. On at least 3 occasions in the last 5 years, I received pop back items that were missing a tag and a little wrinkled. That led me to believe they had been used and returned. On two occasions, I kept the items after close inspection to verify they were in great condition because honestly they were sold out and the likelihood of finding a replacement was zilch. As long as it's inside a plastic bag or tissue to keep it from getting soiled inside the box, I'm pretty "chill" with that as they say. I have noticed Net a Porter does not include all the bells and whistles in packing a sale item versus full price. I can live with that for the discount. I just try to keep things in perspective.
agree cmg....items are bound to get wrinkled sitting in a box folded and being shipped from god knows where...That is not a defect and if wrinkling is something a customer isn't comfortable with then they probably shouldn't order things online.
DeleteWhile I don't think wrinkling is a defect, I do think there is a level of wrinkling that is unacceptable for an item to arrive in, especially when it is shipped in a box. It pretty much implies the item was wrinkled before it was packaged. It is one thing to run a steamer over folds before you wear something, but it is quite another to not even be able to access if an item is damaged because it is so wrinkled. I have had a JCrew piece arrive that wrinkled before. Luckily I live close to a store and they took care of it with their professional steamer, but you shouldn't have to pay to dry clean an item before you wear it. If you choose to do that as a part of your routine, fine, but you shouldn't have to and you should be able to inspect. Most stores consider dry cleaning an item "using" it and something that would prevent return.
DeleteWhile I understand your disappointment, I agree with every point brought up by @cmg. JC is pretty good at packaging but sales items are bound to have "war marks" (tried one too many times etc..)..If the item isn't damaged or defective, I'm good. And if it is defective or damaged JC will take it back.
DeleteJust the other day I received a sweater from Everlane (not a sale piece) and was surprised to receive it on a torn envelope (shipping trials,of course) but still, sheer luck that the sweater didn't get ripped or snagged. There was no plastic bag protecting the piece ,not even tissue paper.
Hope you kept your piece .Nothing better than a great find on a collection piece:)
I'm with you, Violet, I expect items to be in near-wearable condition when they are shipped to me. I'd expect crease/fold marks, but not all-over wrinkling. Unless I wanted the item very badly and couldn't get a replacement, I'd return it. I think it's disrespectful to send something in that condition. I've ordered a lot from J. Crew, and in my experience, nothing arrives that way. It had to have been a hot mess before it was put in the box to look like that, or possibly not wrapped in plastic or tissue. If that item had been in a J. Crew store, I don't think any sales associate would hang it up to sell in that condition (or maybe my store is just really careful about things like that?).
DeleteTo cmg and RN - the shirt looked like it had been balled up for several weeks and then folded, put into a plastic package and mailed out.
DeleteI am perfectly "comfortable" with normal creases or light wrinkling. That obviously comes with the territory of online shopping, but this was excessive, and there is no way that it should ever be acceptable to send merchandise to a customer in that condition.
Regarding the top being defective, that is how the first CS rep described it but the second email I received walked that back and said the first rep made a mistake by stating that. So who knows.
Sounds like the item was likely crushed under others for awhile... and then sent on to you with no further thought. Not right if it was noticeably bad.
DeleteCS can get a little uppity sometimes. I got a lecture on calling for a price adjustment ("we have done this twice for you before and can no longer extend this courtesy.."). After that I simply switched to Discover Price protection for J Crew purchases.
Wait....do you mean that you were asking for a price adjustment after the 7-day window, is that why they were considering it a courtesy? Because I thought price adjustments were permissible, within the allotted time period?
DeleteYou R a lucky one. Similar thing happens to me. I received a shirt with smell and no tag. It is. FS. I emailed JC customer service. I didn't get any reply. I guess a 15 dollar shirt is nothing to them so they can just ignore me. I decided to not shop at JC for the next 6 months. I agree with u, sending an item in such a condition is disrespectful. Even if I decide to donate an item I will make sure it is in good condition and looks nice, not mention sell something to somebody.
DeleteI'll vent...I am wearing my featherweight cashmere shell for maybe the second time (I've had it several years) and it is riddled with holes. So I guess it's going in the garbage now. I am honestly just done with J.Crew.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious as to how an item could have so many holes if only worn twice. It sounds like it could be a moth issue? Obviously I do not know how you stored the sweater.
DeleteYeah, that does sound odd. I'd understand if it were pilling, but holes sound like a moth got to it. I have a cashmere featherweight tee I bought on sale I know won't last forever and I've worn it a handful of times and it has no holes. I'm not how it would get holes. Pulls maybe.
DeleteDefinitely moths...
DeleteDefinitely not moths. Not in Calgary. Not the way my clothes are kept. :-(
DeleteI suspect that mysterious cashmere holes are attributable to varying thicknesses in the yarn (a flaw in the spinning process). It takes very little to make the yarn snap at a thin point, and then the stitches just run.
DeleteI wish people who said they were "done" with J.Crew would put it in writing, get it notarized, and stick to it!
DeleteJust noticed the new "cottage purple" shade of Elsie's. Beautiful color but what the heck that its a spring release? Very odd. I would have bought those for fall.
ReplyDelete@cousy I hadn't noticed those purple heels - they're so pretty, but I agree, much more of a fall color! I really wish they would make more of the Elsies in leather rather than suede.
DeleteOrdered the Gemma flats in metallic on FS - I have three other pair that fit perfectly out of the box so took the risk. This pair is tight :(. Not the same as others.
ReplyDeleteThis shouldn't even be a vent because I don't need anything, but several items I've been interested popped back in my size. I'd consider purchasing but —last week they were less expensive when 50% off was offered, they're old items, final sale. If they were in the 60% off section I could deal, maybe, or free shipping, but not now.
ReplyDeleteIf you see something you love online...buy it! You have 60 days to exchange or return if your size comes back (which often happens). If you're just exchanging for size I'm sure they would honor the sale price that you paid with your receipt!
DeleteUnfortunately so much is final sale. I admit, I'm a sale shopper. My store is great about taking returns back but I never want to take advantage. With so many items I feel like I need to try more than one size for best fit and that gets tricky with final sale stuff. I wish they'd do away with that, but I understand having to pay for return shipping. (I always bring back to my store because I enjoy going in and seeing what's available there.)
DeleteFor example, right now I have about 5 items in my cart, (a few have popped back over the past few days) but they are all final sale, and this week they took off the additional percentage off. Why would I spend $120 on shoes that are final sale, especially when last week they were $70! :(
DeleteI just sent back 5 tippi sweaters all with holes in the same place. They refunded a sale price. All holes were in left arm and around the hem. I thought I had moths! I don't, just really poor quality. After 25 years I no longer buy there sweaters. Sad.
ReplyDeleteUgh, how frustrating! I bought a few Tippis this season - the ones that I was able to buy in store were fine, but I ordered one on sale at the end of the summer. A few months later when it was finally cool enough to wear, I took it out of the drawer, cut off the tag, put it on, and looked down to find one of those holes smack in the mid abdomen. Grrr. I'll try to darn it, see if that works. Frustrating, and also not a good sign about what's in store for my other Tippis!
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ReplyDeleteVenting about shoe sizing issues. My guess (?) is the shoes are manufactured in different places, so sizing is so inconsistent. Yesterday in store I tried on the Gemmas again. I loved them when they were first introduced and tried on a few sizes and left empty handed. Hearing everyone rave about them, and knowing I love the look, I tried again yesterday, I'm a 9 in the Kiki and Ava ballet flats and was always a 9 in the Ceces (the version from a few years ago). I couldn't walk in the 9 without them falling off. The 8.5 just barely fit lengthwise but was too wide. I also tried the Sloan on and don't think I could wear them either, although I only tried the 9 and that was huge.
ReplyDeleteI love a pointy toe flat and have the Harper patent in my shopping bag for the longest time but wouldn't even know what size to get anymore!