Monday, June 30, 2008

Coupon Codes & Sale Merchandise

It seems as though promotion codes are not restricted to regular priced items only. {YEY!}

First, the line of "Coupons are not valid for clearance merchandise" has been removed this morning from their website here. {Yey!}

Second, Caroline let us know (in the "Dear J.Crew: What are you doing?" post) her response from customer service:
We apologize for any confusion regarding coupon usage. The promotions and coupons that are offered to our customers are generally a $-off or %-off a specific threshold (ex: $20.00 off a purchase of $200 or more). Unless a coupon or promotion specifically states that it applies to full price merchandise only, you may still apply the coupon to an order that includes sale merchandise. If you have trouble applying a coupon which meets the threshold on jcrew.com, please contact us for assistance.

Third, Blumre let us know (in the "Check your orders!" post) her response from customer service:
We wanted to follow-up to our previous reply regarding the difficulty you encountered when trying to use a coupon to purchase sale merchandise.

The verbiage displayed on the website regarding coupon use on sale items is an error that we are now aware of and are working diligently to correct. J.Crew has always accepted coupons for sale purchases (provided the total amount meets the coupon requirements) and will continue to do so.

We kindly suggest trying to place your order again with the coupon, once the website is available. If you encounter any problems again, please do not hesitate to email us at contactus@jcrew.com. We truly appreciate you choosing J.Crew and hope you will continue shopping with us in the future.

13 comments:

  1. I got the same response verbatim from CS as both Caroline and Blumre did...it's apparently a generic email they are sending to everyone who voiced concern...glad to see, though, that our objections DID make a difference. I don't believe it was an "error" that the statement was on the new site...I believe they removed it due to all the disgruntled and upset customers who contacted them.

    Now for my CS and order update: I was able to actually check my order ONLINE this morning...YAY...my 15% discount is not showing as applied, and there is still no tracking number...BOO...however, when I called CS to inquire (only on hold about 2 minutes) Nicole was SUPER HELPFUL and told me that my discount HAS been applied and that I should see the credit onto my card within a day or two. I continued to give my feedback to her regarding Free Shipping/No Minimum, Final Sale, Website Changes, how I tend to purchase more if I have free shipping and the option to return, etc. I also just read an article this morning about Mickey Drexler and how he values customer feedback and often answers emails personally, so I also commented to her about that. She said that in many cases Mickey or his assistant will call or email customers back for more of their opinions, or to dicuss their concerns...so I told her I would be MORE than happy to speak with either of them if they wish to contact me...we'll see...

    With all of that I forgot to ask for my tracking #, but sent an email to CS for it...hope they respond soon...my CC has been billed, which usually means my order has been shipped...YAY!!!

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  2. I think we should applaud J Crew for their responsiveness and interest in needs of JCrew customers -- in direct response to feedback from the new website.

    Rather than disparaging JCrew, I think we should celebrate the quick action they've taken.

    My guess is that they reversed a website plan which has been in place for months, on very short notice, in response to customer requests.

    That is excellent customer service, and is highly regarded in my book!

    Let's move on from the negatives and focus on all the great things we love about JCrew!

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  3. This is a big relief! I still don't like the lay out of their new website though :(

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  4. The article I referenced in my first post about Mickey Drexler is Here . Note that the lawyer he speaks with buys "on sale", and that he wants to make stylish clothing for women who can't afford designer labels: "“Do you shop at J. Crew?” he asks. Actually, she says, she doesn’t — “the fit is too boxy.” He seems taken aback — making the fit better has been one of his obsessions since he took over J. Crew. “Really?” he replies. “How long has it been since you’ve been in a J. Crew?”

    His grilling continues. He finds out she’s a lawyer, she likes to buy designer labels (but only when they’re on sale) and she’s part of a women’s lawyers group in Brooklyn that numbers around 300. You can practically see the gears turning. Mr. Drexler recently relaunched J. Crew’s line of women’s suits, with much higher quality fabrics and a price that never hits $300, and if they became a hit, they could make the chain a lot of money. There are lots of young women, he believes, who want stylish, affordable clothing to wear to the office but who can’t afford designer labels. If this woman were to try a J. Crew suit and like it — if she were to become a repeat customer — she could become a J. Crew proselytizer."


    "Most of all, though, Mr. Drexler has re-established his almost visceral connection to his customer. And this time, he’s not letting go. He spends part of almost every day visiting stores. He reads — and often acts on — e-mail messages that come from customers who have a complaint. He solicits comments and feedback from customers. When I asked him at one point whether it really made sense for him to spend so much time in stores and communicating with customers, he looked at me as though I’d lost my mind."

    “People want to be listened to and they want to be respected,” he replied. “Besides, this is how you learn what’s on their mind. What can be more important than that?”

    So...keep those emails and calls going...maybe there is hope! :)

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  5. FabulousFloridaMommy: Unfortunately I didn't get that response from J.Crew when I emailed them about the code/retail price situation. I got an email that just said that they were going to do their best to get the website up and running soon.

    But I am thrilled that they are not changing their policy on codes working for sale price items as well. :)

    Also, thanks for the article about Mickey. I think it would be great if he did called you about J.Crew! :)

    Pixel Girl: I agree that we should move on. :)

    Stephanie: There are some features I like (which I mentioned in another post, like the zoom). But I definitely don't like the layout of the "sale section." I actually preferred the older version. :o)

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  6. FFM : I remember reading that article about Drexler visting J Crew stores, meeting with the staff and asking various customers how they feel about the merchandise. It's one thing to hire an research group to gather all this feedback, but to have the CEO actually asking customers directly and not only hearing their responses, but to see the person and getting the whole picture what consumers are looking for and willing to spend. Like I mentioned before, one of the reasons I like J Crew is that appeals customers on many income levels with beautiful clothing.

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  7. Alexis: I would have SO much to say if I DID get that call! I know it is HIGHLY unlikey...but you just never know...one can always hope! :)

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  8. Webbysuzy: I also think it's impressive that the CEO of J.Crew would spend time with his actual customers (especially considering how busy he must be.) :)

    FabulousFloridaMommy: Too funny! I hope Mr. Drexler does call you. ;)

    Also, I just checked my email account and noticed a second email was sent from J.Crew and it had the same message verbatim as Blumre's email (and FabulousFloridaMommy's email). Although it was a canned message, I am happy they sent it to me. :)

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  9. does anyone know if the kate dress runs big? it's only $19.99 online.

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  10. FYI...I went back on JCrew.com to check and see if the Straw Bag and Necklace that I am entering to win every day are still on Final Sale, and it shows J.Crew down again with the "be back soon" sign.

    BTW...have you still been entering the giveaways Alexis?

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  11. FabulousFloridaMommy: I can't believe their website is down again- I wonder how much money they are losing because of this. Unfortunately, I haven't been entering lately. I guess the old saying "out of sight, out of mind" is true in my case. ;)

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  12. First time in a year that I haven't been on the JCrew website...just the thought of all those sale categories overwhelms me and all the clicking..ughh!! I am going to be saving a lot of money....I have really lost my JCrew desire...but maybe that is good. I think we could all do something better with our few free moments of the day anyway....

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  13. Anonymous at 12:16 PM: Too funny about the many, many sale categories now. I really did like the more simple design of the old sale section as well. :)

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