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.
JC CUTTING CORNERS...
ReplyDeleteIs it just me or is JC no longer sending Factory jewelery in the silver gift boxes? I always received them with previous orders, now its just bubble wrap in a zip locked bag PFFT, not exactly something I can give as a gift.
Its a cheap shot IMO
I've got a couple silver gift boxes I don't need. Let me know if you want them. brooklinian at gmail.
Deleteoff topic... was anyone's B&M still doing 30% off on Tuesday?
DeleteI've noticed that too! Even the retail jewelry on sale comes in those zip-lock bags now. So much for "making people feel special." :[
DeleteBoth pieces of jewelry I ordered arrived broken yesterday. They were final sale items but still technically garbage now. Resin bracelet cracked and necklace chain twisted & unwearable. Both items were wrapped only in plastic bags. I'm so disappointed in J Crew right now!
DeleteI ordered four sale necklaces and they all arrived in silver boxes, but one of them was hopelessly tangled... not packaged correctly at all! IT was basically just thrown in the box. WTF? I'd rather receive it in bubble wrap, wrapped in a way that it doesn't tangle, than in a box. I have about 5,000 of those silver jewelry boxes laying around, LOL. But yeah, the inconsistency is annoying!
DeleteThanks for offering Rosie, I ended up going to my BH and asked a SA who gave me 3 boxes (Phew, Mothers day gifts will go as planned)!
DeleteP.S. When I called CS about the absence of jewelry boxes with my order she said she could send me 3 shirt boxes, but not the little silver boxes (Duh??)
My B&m is still doing extra 30 off today on Wednesday Sp. said he expects it still to go on through weekend but not sure.
Deleteshopalot, please call CS and tell them the jewelry arrived damaged! I have received damaged merchandise too many times to remember, and CS has always been great about it. Either you can send it back, or they will enter a note on your order which the SA at a B&M will see, authorizing the return of a final sale item.
DeleteI'll keep it brief. On a recent international trip I packed a sweater I'd never worn before. The day I decided to wear it, I found a nice gaping HOLE along the side seam. Apparently they didn't bother to sew it completely. -_- I was entirely over it at that point!!
ReplyDeleteWell it finally happened. I have read it here time and time again, and I can now relate. Ordered Factory Exhibitor Tote, there was a short wait list. It shipped. It arrived. The box was a flat shirt box. Hmmm. Opend the box and what was there instead? A tiny little woven bag - I guess for a child? It's in a plain plastic bag and I don't even know what it is!? Probably slim chance my A.mazing personal shopper will be able to locate one? To be continued...
ReplyDeleteHow lame! They had several at my local factory store as of Sunday... e-mail me for details if you want! jca 837 at gmail
DeleteOh no! I'm wait listed for that same item. Nothing yet. Can't wait to see what they really send me!
DeleteI hope you ladies receive your totes and I hope they are in great shape! I ordered the same tote a few months ago and ended up returning it. The gold hardware was tarnished and greenish! I hope it was just a defect on the one I received!
DeleteStarting from this week, if you call in after they send a wrong item, the regular CS will refer you to a certain "specialist" who asks you to ship it back with no prospects that you'll get the refund soon. No it's no longer OK to just drop off the item at your local store."Send back your item and we'll proceed from there". What kind of CS is that???!!! It's your mistake, J.Crew!
ReplyDeleteI got the same response when I called about the snap breaking off my matinee trench on it's first wear! CS told me to ship it back and they'd "review it." When I asked what that meant, she said they "review" my claim and would either return my jacket to me or refund my money. When I asked how long, she told me it could take several weeks. I felt like she was accusing me of lying! I just hung up. I am wearing it with a broken snap as a reminder of how cheap J.Crew has become. I am assuming that's what they want you to do. Just give up. For contrast, the strap on my son's Land's end back pack fell apart after a few weeks. Called CS, new backpack shipped immediately with envelope to return old one with no charge.
ReplyDelete@ allyson
ReplyDeleteHow about filing a claim with your credit card company on that?
Possibly this is an attempt on JC's part to gather information on flaws in distribution, packing and shipping. One would think this data would be available from analysis of order number, item number, bar codes and tracking number - that bar-coded sticker on the cellophane wrap tells a lot and is always clicked on during in-store returns. After all, if you want to fix a problem and can tie it to a particular shift at a particular warehouse, then you know where to start fixing. On the other hand, if all you want to do is reduce the number of claims, then you inconvenience the customer as much as you can, so that she'll give up on all but the most desperate of misfortunes.
ReplyDelete"On the other hand, if all you want to do is reduce the number of claims, then you inconvenience the customer as much as you can, so that she'll give up on all but the most desperate of misfortunes."
DeleteAbsolutely, *this*! wellfedfred hit the nail on the head. If this becomes standard, this is a completely bone-headed move on J Crew's part. Now I would have to go to the post office or find a UPS drop site to get a refund/correct item?!
Has anyone tried to do an incorrect order return in-store yet? I feel sorry for the SAs who will have to deal with this new policy...
I placed an order last week with 30 off. Got an email yesterday saying they had sold out of the classic merino cardigan in Byzantine blue and cancelled the order. Today of course there is a Byzantine blue cardigan back in stock in my size, but $20 more without the promo. Boo on your crummy inventory management and pricing games jcrew.... Not even bothering to call cs. You've lost the sale.
ReplyDeleteJust so you know, if you change your mind, I am nearly certain CS would order it for you at the price you originally had and waive shipping if you explain and give them your original order number. This has happened to me several times.
DeleteKate, thank you, but I'm stuck. It's on my j.crew card. :(((
ReplyDeleteI'm going to take it to my seamstress and see if she can work her magic on it. I really do love the jacket, it's just sad that JC standards have sunk so low- and that they have poor customer service.
I agree with wellfedfred, they may be trying to condition us to live with their poor quality.
Allison, I would take it to the nearest store and return it there. Let them get on the phone with catalog and "confirm" or whatever they call it that the item is defective. It's worth a try.
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DeleteI bought a black Jackie cardigan about a month ago at my local j.crew. I have worn it several times and last night I washed it for the second time. When I pulled it out of the dryer, I noticed one of the buttons had broken off. I started looking at the other buttons and noticed they are all chipped??!! I would exchange it but am afraid I will get the same cheap buttons. I was going to call CS but after reading some of the comments here, not sure if I will get anywhere. I may just buy replacement buttons and sew them on myself. Something I should NOT have to do considering what I paid for the sweater.
ReplyDeleteI contacted CS to ask for replacement buttons and this was their response: We are truly sorry for the quality issues you've experienced with our Jackie Cardigans. We stand behind our merchandise, so we'll be happy to review the items for defects.
DeleteAs others have mentioned, they wanted me to mail the item back for them to review. I plan on buying buttons and replacing them myself and will have to find another source for Jackie-like cardigans in the future.
I'm beginning to think Dear Leader is taking his business strategies from the Original Dear Leader. "Wrong item specialist" sounds suspiciously like a department from which no news will ever emerge.
ReplyDeleteI agree - because the prepaid shipping label and personal email contact that were promised to me on the phone by the "specialist" never showed up. This is def a trick Dear Leader thinks he can use to deter returns and cut costs, oh well.
DeleteI recently wore the Dove tee and a blue Jackie sweater for the first time. Each one started to pill after a single wearing. I can't believe it, especially for a tee!
ReplyDeleteI used to buy the Jackies all the time but I'm over them now. I haven't had issues with the buttons but I've seen that vent here more than once so I assume it's only a matter of time.
I am very upset with J. Crew after a ridiculous mix up with an order I placed. I bought a pair of Britten Tall Flat Boots on Final Sale at a fantastic price, was thrilled when I got the shipping confirmation because they were actually in stock. Sure enough, it was too good to be true, I get the package yesterday and was immediately disheartened because the size of the box was WAY too small to fit these boots. Sure enough, I open it up and discover they had sent a pair of J. Crew Factory ballet flats, not even my size and certainly nothing like what I had ordered - at all. The box was labeled correctly, its like someone just grabbed a box with their eyes closed and slapped my shipping label on it. Of course these boots are long gone and there is no hope of getting any at the price I would have. I've been a customer of theirs for over 15 years and I don't think this was handled well, they did credit my account but I feel I should be compensated with a discount on a future order, there is no excuse for those kinds of mistakes and apparently it happens often. Maybe if J. Crew starts losing money on these mistakes they will actually pay attention to what they ship!
ReplyDeleteMay I know what method of payment you used? I started to think that they give differential treatment to customers who paid with a JC credit card/GC and got stuck.
DeleteI paid with a credit card, not a J.Crew one. The money has not shown up in my account yet but I was told it was credited and will be there in the next 48 hours. I'm still upset with J. Crew and am writing them a letter, who knows if it will accomplish anything but they need to get their act together.
DeleteHa, I know what I'm going to do now - cancel the JC card!!!
Delete@katertott: I gave up writing a letter after reading that Mickey article. Oh my, he IS rude!!!
To the people with the wrong items, I would bypass phone customer service and bring the item right into a store showing the invoice of what you ordered and what they actually sent you. I bet the store people will process the return.
ReplyDeleteMy vent this week is that I'm becoming pretty disenchanted with the increasing amount of polyester being churned out even for so-called "collection" pieces. In addition to the $350 blouson dress, the $395 pom pom jaquard dress and the $245 whitley dress are made from polyester. I have already stopped buying any dresses and blouses from AT because they are all polyester now.
**re-submitting this Vent from last week's column, since several of the vents from today's are about product quality.
ReplyDeleteStill highly annoyed at the number of items from a recent purchase developing holes within HOURS of being put on, or having a hole even prior to wear.
Still no response to the email I sent my PA about it, and the returns have still not been processed....
Oh J Crew how I used to love you; you're breaking my heart!!
****
I am so incredibly fed up with the quality of fabric J Crew is using lately on their t-shirts and tops. I recently placed a large order (over $1000) for a lot of items I needed in relation to my wedding/honeymoon/related parties. I placed the order online with my regular PS (who replaced my beloved PS who had gone to work in the international dept), and got a reply from someone else, saying that he had left the company and that she was my new PS. She then went on to say that she could no longer honor the standard 10% off my initial PS had offered me way back when (based on volume - for years, probably 80% of my wardrobe has been JCrew, and she wanted to keep it that way), but would "just this once" on this order, and also that she'd give me free shipping "once in a while" as an incentive. That kind of rankled, since I tend to order enough to qualify for free shipping anyway, which she would've known if she'd looked at my history. Anyway.
Within hours of wearing the linen dolman T, a tiny hole appeared. I emailed my PS, who said to return it & she'd ship me a new one. Great! Next day, I put on another T from the shipment - a hole develops in the middle of the back, within hours of me putting it on. I don't know this til my future MIL points it out. Great. I set it aside. New linen dolman T arrives. I put it on a few days later and nearly blow a gasket when I spot a hole in the fabric before even putting it on. I email my PS to ask what to do - and she never responds, but she is good enough to send me a canned email telling me all about the new summer items I want to be sure not to miss.
Final straw is tonight, when I go to set aside the colorblock stripe slash henley, and see a hole in the armpit.
All I can say is, I'm easy on my clothes and have had other J Crew items for years that I still wear regularly without an issue. Why on earth should I pay $45 for a top that can be worn ONCE before falling apart - it doesn't do much to make me want to continue buying their more expensive items, if they can't even get a simple T-shirt right.
Sorry if this is ranty but I am so, so annoyed.
I just noticed my colorblock stripe henley has small holes in 3 different places...I have only worn it 3 times! I should have known better...the shirt I tried on at the store had multiple holes in both armpits! How stupid I was to think it wouldn't happen to my shirt as well....
DeleteI'm sorry to hear, Alison & krb, about the holes that appeared in your JCrew knits within hours of wearing them. That's been my experience too. But I had to laugh because I believe JCrew is now incorporating those unfortunate holes in their design... have you seen the Altuzurra for J Crew Serge Sweater? Check out the item description here:
Deletehttp://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/ingoodcompany/Altuzarra/PRDOVR~96506/96506.jsp
"...strategically placed tears that play peek-a-boo with skin. Says the now New York-based rising star: "It feels really lived in and the little imperfection just makes you love it more."
If I pay $295 for a sweater -- designer or not -- it better not look lived in and hole-ly!
Ugh, seriously, intentional holes in the design - come on!
DeleteKRB - sorry this has happened to you too! That top was one of my favorites and it makes me sick to feel I got so little use out of it before it got relegated to weekend-wear.
When I spoke to my PS about the holes in the linen dolman T, she swore that was the only instance of a complaint about the fabric for that particular top. I just don't believe it. It'll be interesting to see how the returns are handled. I'd love to return the tunic but feel like they might think I misused the tops or something, to have issues with 4 separate tops from the same package. Stinks because the hole is in the armpit & there's no way I'll wear it around anyone other than family!
I received the red Tillary tote through the "we will find it feature.". They charged me the wrong price $20 more than what my PS said it was going to be and they charged their state tax which I understand but when previously ordered through WWF they charged my state tax, same when I order from Anthro by phone. Anyway, I don't care about the tax, but how do I go about getting the price adjusted since they overcharged me on the base price?
ReplyDeleteAlso, is Final Sale still going on in stores? The purchase was rung up last night and it's marked FS.
Thank you.
A, All the items I purchased for 30% off at the b&m today are marked final sale on my receipt, and the sale sign also stated final sale.
DeleteJustvisiting - thank you!
DeleteYou should tell your PS About the price discrepancy. That happened to me once, and my PS credited the difference. They'll need info off the receipt, so keep it handy.
DeleteHad a chance to visit a B&M last week (usu order online). Couldn't believe how awful it was. Terrible selection of sale & reg items and everything seemed picked over and no one offered to help. Seemed like just another crappy mall store. Also received the coral bits necklace and not impressed at all with the plastic/coral bits. Will be listing it on the exchange page...
ReplyDeleteThis is a good/bad one: received what I hoped would be a comfylicious set of the Summerlight Terry pants, hoodie, and shorts in the heather grey from the Final Sale section. They were absolutely HUGE, but I could've altered them--if they hadn't shed huge pills of fuzz all over themselves in the wash, and then the dryer! I tried washing/drying several times, figuring SURELY this would get better, but no dice. I decided to call just to let them know that I did not love these items and why, and the CS told me to please send them all, back (she sent me a label, free of charge), and they would credit back this portion of my order immediately! So despite the disappointment and hassle, they DID make it right.
ReplyDeletenote: I did use my J.Crew card for the order, and I did call the special number on the card to let them know about the items. So for any of you who received defective/wrong/broken items, let them know! And if you used your J.Crew card, call that number :)
In view of all the comments about cancelled items... The Gap family of stores always always always sends a 10% off an online order code good for six months whenever an ordered item turns out to be unavailable. I still can't believe Jenna dissed Gap so publicly...
ReplyDeleteMy vent is the crazy pricing north of the 49th parallel. Never mind that our dollar has been at parity with the US for close to 3 years, I recently just found out that Canada Customs is no longer excising duty on clothing...since LAST YEAR. ZERO. So how do you explain that the Icon Trench costs $344 in Canada vs. $275 in the US? I visited the new B&M here in Vancouver tonight (see my POST
ReplyDelete), and just couldn't get over the pricing! Crazy!
That is crazy! At least you can now try stuff on before you order, huh?
Deletei hate that my jcrew catalog has stopped coming, once again, and now i am getting crewcuts! this seems to happen once a year or so ever since crewcuts started. wtf i've been getting the regular catalog for probably 15 years, and i don't have kids/buy crewcuts. plus, when you're logged in online, there's no crewcuts-specific catalog opt-out on the catalog preferences page. i've called in the past to stop getting crewcuts, do i need to do it every 6 months now!??
ReplyDelete