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 are some new arrivals online tonight.
ReplyDeleteThanks JulieStyles! :)
ReplyDeleteI just took a quick look at the new arrivals and there are a couple of things I would like to see in person, but nothing that is a 'must-have' for me this time around.
I ordered the chambray tuxedo cami - it looked cute in the catalog. I have only worn it 2 times because the fit is like a maternity top. You can't belt it because it has pocket flaps on each side - yes it has side pockets so you can put your hands in to poof it out more and increase the maternity look. And, to top it off,I got it out to try again, and 2 of the buttons are loose. I regret this purchase. However, because it is J.Crew I am going to try a few more styling options - maybe skinny jeans with the cami over a tee. I'll see, but if you are thinking of ordering it from the sale area, you might want to reconsider - unless you ARE pregnant.
ReplyDeleteBoo...I thought there were going to be some new polka dot tops in this rollout! Guess they are in-store only? Can anyone who has seen them describe them for me a little bit?
ReplyDeleteVenting on how they push items to Final Sale.
ReplyDeleteI bought a bikini on their last 30% off swim event, and by the time I got the box, and decided to swap out sizes, the suit had gone to final sale. Which means, I now have a final sale suit coming my way with no idea if this one will fit either.
Really annoying.
No vents for me this week, but loving the new floral flair skirt and the blackwatch blazer!
ReplyDeleteSo much is backordered. What is the point of releasing items if they don't even have them in stock???
ReplyDeleteAlso, I am appalled at how cheap looking the new loafers are, with those awful Target-lookin' rubber soles. And they have the nerve to charge $298! I have been trolling Nordstrom's website for shoes, specifically calf hair flats/loafers, and let me tell you, you can get much better quality and cute styles for 1/2 to even 1/3 of what J.Crew wants!
JC please stop making disposable shoes and clothing charging us $100+ for them. I have some serious issue I will report back after I contact JC...so embarrassed it happened to me in public and it's not even replaceable.
ReplyDelete'Haven't been shopping much but recently wandered into a B&M and fell in love with the Casbah perfect shirt on an associate. I took advantage of last week's cardholder promo and ordered one for myself.
ReplyDeleteWishing I had gotten ahold of this earlier this year. I love the way it looks on me, but I can't decide if it's too late in the season to start wearing this. I wear perfect shirts year round... wondering if these colors could transition into fall and winter under the right cardi.
Any thoughts?
pathos: If you made an exchange on your original swimsuit order, then your new one should not be considered final sale, since your original purchase was not. If the new suit doesn't fit I would definitely return it.
ReplyDeletenot sure what is up with the people who answer the emails. i had some questions about the cdn site...of course, they only answer one of the series of questions. do they not read the emails? it's kind of irritiating.
ReplyDeleteFFM- that what I thought too. Thanks for chiming in, and if my new order doesn't fit, I will pursue a return. I know being "fair" isn't part of retail, but it does seem unfair when you have every intention of keeping the item but just need to exchange it b/c the fit is uncertain. As with swim suits. I only buy FS swim if I have tried them on the 1st time. And i wasn't given a chance to try them on 1 time as it went to FS so fast.
ReplyDeleteJCK, I definitely think the Casbah print will transition well to Fall. At least, I hope so, because I plan to wear it well into the cold weather months! I like it with navy, camel, or the bright violet color. If you wear it under a blazer or cardi in that color with dark pants/skirt, or even jeans, I don't think it will look summery.
ReplyDeleteThe French made:
ReplyDeleteHa! Same here. When they posted their fall lookbook, I emailed them for more info on the looks. They replied saying the items weren't on the site yet and they referred me back to the lookbook!
JCrewJD---everything I put in my cart is not shipping until mid Sept. or October. Shoes as late as November 15. What happened?
ReplyDeleteMy only vent is that IT'S NOT FALL yet and I want to wear my sweaters, scarves, wool skirts with boots and tights, Jeans with pretty fall tops and blazers..... can't wait!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletethe wool paisley scarf is on the website, comes up only on a word search, but without a picture. Have tried on 2 different browsers, have looked at all 4 colorways, and just get a blue square with a ? This conveys even less information about the design than a braid or knotted ball does. Oh, and 3 of the 4 colorways are on backorder til Nov.7. There's no problem showing the price, but I need more information than that to place an order. Is anyone in charge here?
ReplyDeleteTotally off topic but was just taking my lunch break..at Jcrew and saw a few new sale items: Jardin skirt in rich purple for $59 and the origami mini in toile jacquard, and the marching mini in the khaki color - cant remember prices for those two, also noticed the commodore coat in the green color for $89. That was pretty much all that caught my eye. Again, sorry for off topic!
ReplyDeleteI am appalled at the vanity sizing rampant at j crew. I asked for the measurements for the Petite silk Lucinda blouse in size 00p:
ReplyDeleteThe size Petite 00 for item 51702 is 35.5 inches in the chest, 35.125 inches in the waist and the length of this blouse is 23.75 inches in this size.
Unbelievable! I get that the blouse is supposed to be slouchy but these measurements seem riddiculously large for a 00p!! sad face...
Yowza: WOW, that is ridiculous. Those should be the measurements on a size 2 or 4 blouse, and then only if it is truly a "slouchy" fit. That's just absurd. Vanity sizing blows.
ReplyDeleteSorry, OT -- has anyone heard when the next roll-out is expected in stores?
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing I'll sound like a broken record here, but the last order I received of 'Final Sale' items had me pretty irritated. I've read other posts of users who received used/returned merchandise but felt pretty fortunate to have never experienced that until now. One of the dresses I received had clearly been worn/used (the inside tags were cut off). Also, the white sweater came with a giant foundation stain on the front of it. Luckily with a little Shout and a couple of washings, I was able to get it out. But come on J.Crew! I'm still a fan and probably always will be, but I'll be hard pressed to make any more purchases from the final sale section.
ReplyDeleteOn the flip side, I've been loving the fall roll out by Lands End Canvas. They have great customer service and there's never any final sales. I had a couple of items that I purchased earlier this year that I wasn't crazy about. Brought the items back with my ordering info and they took everything, no questions asked. J.Crew could learn a thing or two from this company!
I posted on yesterday's thread about my disappointment that their wool pants are unlined. As several commenters recommended, I want to let J.Crew know that I am returning the pants -- not because I didn't like the fit or style -- but because they are unlined.
ReplyDeleteI emailed "contactus" with this feedback and just got a pretty generic response about how I am free to return the pants. Gee, thanks.
Anyone know of a better way to get feedback to them? I don't have a personal shopper.
I've just been frustrated with how few sales J.Crew has been having. And I really don't like buying *final sale* online because of issues others have noted (and I'm a tall and don't fit much in-store). I've been turning to Banana more because they've been having great 40% off events.
ReplyDeleteNoticed the following shirts were marked down already to $49.99 in store today:
ReplyDeletepuff sleeve popover (red & blue)
indigo floral perfect shirt
herringbone plaid popover
Quite a few other things marked down, too but was in a hurry & had no time to look.
AppGal, I did see a polka dot top in store today. The one I saw was navy, short-sleeved. A shiny-type material (I didn't feel it, but it's a nice looking material.) I'm normally a navy and white person but the top looked a little boxy and short to me.
ReplyDeleteLaura: Thank you!! ahh...that top sounds like just what I'm looking for. Hope it comes online soon, or that I'm able to get to a store soon! Do you remember the price, by chance?
ReplyDeleteI received my vintage tweed blazer today. It has cheap plastic buttons, but that wasn't the deal breaker for me. Nope, the "fabulous fringed edge" isn't so fabulous when it's missing bits here and there. Upon closer inspection, a small clump of edging came right off. WTH?!! Talk about my excitement being deflated. Quality, you say Mr. Drexler? Hmmpf!
ReplyDeleteTwo weeks ago I received a perfect shirt that was anything but perfect with seams down both arms sewn outside so the fabric ends were visible. This year I have also received used or defective items. I'm taking pics from now on and creating a collage titled J Crap. This work of art can then grace your home in the Hamptons DL.
AppGal, the polka dot top is navy with white dots. It's 100% silk and $98. I was able to size down from my perfect shirt size. It does have an exposed zipper in the back and it kind of bubbled at the bottom. Not bad enough to not like it, but I don't know if I'd pay full price. I didn't try a size up to see if that fixed the bubble. I liked it, just not at fp.
ReplyDeleteThe past few orders I have placed online have arrived with incorrect items.
ReplyDeleteI understand that a wrong orders happens now and again, but the past 3--How frustrating!
The pants I ordered came with the button missing, wait not missing, just scotch taped on to the waistband. pathetic.
ReplyDeleteFrom my online PS: "as of November, the J. Crew Credit Card will no longer be available for use in international transactions of any kind, including retail transactions in Canada and online orders shipped to Canada. The card will still be valid for use in all U.S. retail store locations as well as on jcrew.com orders shipped to the U.S."
ReplyDeleteDoesn't really affect me since I don't have a card (though not for lack of trying - I've requested an application four separate times and never received one), but I imagine that this news won't please Canadian J. Crew Credit Card Holders.
@cmg: I also received the vintage tweed jacket in mustard and it's going back. Few deal breakers: plastic buttons looked so cheap and when buttoned the bottom one the jacket didn't lay flat but flared open. Fit rather boxy and the fabric is too thick for our warmer weather. Also, along the sleeves it was itchy even though it was lined. And as you said I had bits of tweed coming off from the "fringe." Definitely not FP purchase for me. Instead I'm going to wear my tweed Dauphine jacket I picked up for under $100 last year.
ReplyDeleteErin, I made the unlined pants comment to the online CSR on chat when she was trying to come up with lined suit pants options for me (there were none), and I got no response, just "is there anything else i can help you with?" I make my online returns at the store and have mentioned to the SAs that the reason for return was that the pants were unlined. When SAs get comments from customers enough they pass them on to managers, who then pass them up the chain. I think this is finally how DL figured out the skirts were too short--women coming into the store and remarking to the SA about how "mini" they were and inquiring about how they were supposed to wear them. You can also email Jenna or Mickey directly. They might have an assistant write back but it shouldn't be a form response.
ReplyDeleteOn a positive note, several items i had backordered to mid sept and early oct have shipped out to me early.
ReplyDeleteJust received my September catalog and yep...Canadian prices in USD listed. $80 USD for a Jackie Cardigan. Next thing you know, I'll hear about how much less it costs in stores vs. in catalog/online.
ReplyDelete$80 for a Jackie? That's insane. They're not worth the $62 they're going for here!
ReplyDeleteI wonder what kind of feedback they've been getting since changing the shipping to flat rate and taking away free shipping codes for orders under $175. I know that, over the past few weeks, I've filled my cart several times and not made a purchase because of it.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly enough, Nordstrom just changed their policy to free shipping and free returns everyday. This is the direction in which retailers are moving! Clearly it's what shoppers want, and JC needs to follow suit.
cmg,
ReplyDeleteI wish I had taken photos of all my J.Crew final sale crap over the years so I could add it to your album. We could have filled it up very quickly. LOL! Even some full priced crap/mistakes I have had on many occasion. I even had a pink sweater come with a bright blue mark. A friend of mine had the nerve to say she did not think that was too bad!!! Really. Like I should have to accept a brand new sweater with blue on it?
@cmg, I splurged on the lollipop ribbon jacket (item 23162) a while back and found the quality lacking. It's a similar style and construction to the vintage tweed jacket you mentioned. It pulls, it unravels, I have to use a sweater shaver on it constantly! Very disappointing piece. Proceed with caution.
ReplyDeleteI'll echo what Dara said. I really think that retailers make a smart move by offering free ship w/ free returns. I DEFINITELY spend more and order more things I'm on the fence about when there is absolutely no risk involved. Usually if I can't return an item to a store, I don't buy.
ReplyDeleteI rarely, I mean almost never order final sale from Jcrew. I think that over the years they've had it I've never placed more than 8 orders total for FS items, and all of them I had already tried on and knew I wanted. I am really sorry to see all of these comments of such shoddy quality. For a brand that is supposed to pride itself on "outstanding" craftsmanship and CS they should be ashamed of themselves. Boo!
PS. I never would have tried Boden or Martin + OSA (RIP) if they didn't offer free returns.
ReplyDeleteJC has really been kind of promo-lite lately, and the new shipping costs don't entice me. I only placed 1 order in the month of August (and 2 in the month of July) with most of the items going back because of poor quality. There are some new pieces that I'm interested in seeing IRL but I don't feel like loading up the cart to get free shipping (good thing I have the JCA's to rely on for great reviews!).
ReplyDeleteI think they really need to reconsider their sale section. Final Sale items from 2 seasons ago need to be slashed. Who is going to take a chance on an unreturnable, $300 feather vest? Same with the shoes - the prices are too high to gamble on for the materials and lack of on-site reviews. JC, your FS section needs to be smaller, and <$49.99. There's no reason for this-season items to go to FS on first markdown, unless you're trying to cover up some kind of quality or execution error, IMO.
As much as I love J. Crew's style and general quality, I feel as though it's gone down while the prices have gone up. I don't want to pay $80 for a button-up shirt!
ReplyDeleteSome examples of ridiculous prices I've seen lately:
$178 Blythe Shirt Dress
Tried it on, wouldn't even pay $100 for it. Low quality fabric and a weird fit that wouldn't look good on about 80% of women.
$79.50 Bennett Chino
Could easily see my panty-line through it and it made my hips look really bad. Not flattering at all!
$128 Merino Pleated Skirt
Vanity sizing is rampant here. It not only felt huge, it felt heavy. On top of that, a skirt should never cost over $100 unless it's cashmere or silk. What the hell, J Crew?!
$80 Puff Sleeve Popover
This $80 button-up/polo offspring is not very versatile. Either with pants and a blazer or with a waist high skirt. Sweaters look bad over it because of the puffed sleeves. I should not pay that much for something only wearable with one or two things I own!
There are plenty of other examples too, I sure you. Their cardigans get thinner every year, while their price continues to go up.
I'm disappointed in J. Crew for this.
I'm also disappointed in the way a lot of their pants don't flatter curvier women. I'm a size 2 in most places (occasionally a 0 or 4) and I'm not fat by any means, but J Crew's pants would only look good on women who are either very thin or have solid muscle legs. They make my butt look horrible!
Clothing prices seem to be getting more ridiculous all around these days.
Lady - I couldn't agree more. I have been a customer with Jcrew for 14 years, and I'm still in my mid twenties. I have seen a definite decline in quality, and needless hikes in price. Suprisingly, I went in to my local Sears, Eck, but it does carry lands end. While still somewhat for middle aged women I am suprised to see so many things worth having a look at. Like the Pleated bib chambray shirt dress, the button front cord skirt and a cute cabled v-neck cardigan. I glad to see more brands looking like my favorite did(Jcrew)years ago.
ReplyDeleteHas anybody actually seen the Teddie dress in store? I'm in NYC and most of the new arrivals don't seem to be in any of the shops, particularly the Flatiron flagship. I like to try things on, particularly dresses where the fit can be odd. I also want to use my educators discount but it seems like most items are effectively online only these days which is really annouing.
ReplyDeletesilver_lining, tell me about it. An amade sweater still at $64.99 and, in contrast, new arrivals marked down already. If they want to find more money in the company they need to begin w/their warehouse & online inventory system. Items are hidden. Things remaining at Jan 2011 prices. Doesn't make sense. And definitely promo lite. I didn't bite on the last promo, which is a rarity. I've never even been to Canada, but that whole situation perturbed me. I still love J Crew, but my eye is wandering to Zara, Nordstrom & Last Call Neiman Marcus. Pocketbook might guide me straight back to F21 & Old Navy. *lol*
ReplyDelete@silver_lining and @gigiofca I'm in total agreement that they haven't had a great promo code in a LONG time. I usually place an order when they offer a promo. But, I've had a lot of items sitting in my cart and haven't purchased because I'm waiting for J.Crew to show their loyal customers a little lovin'!
ReplyDeleteAnd the need to end final sale. JCrew's sale section exists in final sale status for most of the year.
ReplyDeleteI, for one, haven't placed an order since the flat rate shipping went into effect. For reference, I usually place several orders a month. With the decline in quality and my irritation with final sale, I probably will be moving on to other retailers.
ReplyDeleteJust happened to me I ordered size 8 summerweight chino shorts in size 8 it was a size 12 in a size 8 package. J Crew check your returns!!
ReplyDeleteI haven't ordered anything recently either--no codes, no free shipping and overpriced sale merchandise that's been there forever all put me off. And there is no way I am buying final sale shoes, jackets or pants that I haven't tried on. Way too risky.
ReplyDeleteI ordered a $1500 collection dress and it came to me stuffed in a box, folded in half lengthwise on one of those hangers they put suit pants on. This particular dress is covered in hand sewn glass rhinestones, which were smushed and pulled on that damn hanger. Granted, I paid a fraction of the original price, but that should not matter! It was packaged so horribly... I am truly appalled!
ReplyDeleteThat happened to me with a collection skirt. So poorly package and a wrinkled mess. They really need to work on packaging their items nicely liked they used to with tissue paper. I always saved and reused the tissue so not a waste for me. Would rather that than to spend an hour trying to press a skirt that was a rumpled mess!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely need to vent about J.Crew today.
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love J.crew's clothing. One of the reasons that I like buying their clothes is that they are (used to be?) great quality. As a recent college graduate, $80 for a thin top just isn't going to work on my budget.
So I decided to buy 2 sophia silk chiffon dresses on sale a few weeks ago. I wore the black one for the second time today. Great length, excellent fit for me- yay. (May I make a note, also, that I have 4 sophia silk chiffon dresses? I love them.)
This morning, I slid onto the organ bench (I'm a church organist) and somehow the chiffon ripped. Not only did it rip, but it tore about 8 inches in the front. From sliding onto the organ bench. Now, J.Crew's customer service has been fairly good prior to my experiences, especially when it comes to faulty clothing. (I've had their wool skirts split straight down the back seams once- again, during church! I'm a size 2, by the way, I'm not too big for it either.)
Here it goes. I call and speak with someone who says there's nothing that can be done- it was on sale, therefore it was final sale. Then I discuss more with her until she agrees to give me a refund. Unfortunately I cannot afford a full-price sophia dress at the moment, so I desperately wanted to get a replacement for this dress. After I insist that her manager hears the story (which I don't get to tell her, the associate does), I am forwarded to a wedding specialist. She tells me, "sure. I can match the price of a sophia dress. you have to buy it again though. I see it's available in several stores on the west coast, I'll have it shipped to you. Let me give you a call back."
She conveniently calls while I'm in mass and tells me that there are absolutely no black silk chiffon dresses left in a size 2 at any J.Crew Brick and Mortar store as well as online in the country. Even though she claimed earlier that there were.
I'm stuck at square one, left with a ripped dress and a bad taste in my mouth for J.crew.