Wednesday, July 18, 2012

"Looking to VENT" with J.Crew

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.

26 comments:

  1. What, pray tell, is the purpose of the stiff, bulky, and NONFUNCTIONAL vent pockets on the back of the cotton No. 2 pencil skirt?

    These non-functional shallow back pockets have also appeared on a lot of J.Crew pants and shorts, which is annoying, but on the skirt they actually create a fit problem for me. The interfacing and self-facing used are so unyielding and bulky that the skirt sits stiffly on my upper hips rather than falling smoothly over my derriere. The stiff pockets make the skirt so rigid that it could almost stand on its own. Vent pockets are time-consuming to sew and thus presumably expensive to manufacture, so what's the point?

    (Or is it just me?)

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    1. It's not just you, Hexicon, I was wondering about those pockets myself. And comparing the belt loops on this year's chinos to those of years past is a lesson in the law of diminishing returns.

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  2. OT: An eBay seller is using one of my blog images in her listing. I've contacted the seller and eBay to no avail. Has anyone else ever had a problem having an image removed? TIA and sorry for the OT question!!!

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  3. Miss free shipping....When they had free shipping and no final sale I easily bit on the 4th of July...cannot handle the flat $9

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  4. I want to repost this from several days ago, because I am so frustrated:

    I purchased Matchstick jeans in Classic Rinse this week. But trying them on at home, I realized they seem to feel different than my other matchstick jeans. So, I looked at the tag and saw (to my horror) that they were made of 93% cotton / 6% POLYESTER / 1% spandex, Whereas my other matchstick jeans (white and starlight) have 98% cotton and 2% spandex or elastane.

    I don't want all this polyester in my cotton jeans. Polyester doesn't wear the same and makes me sweaty and uncomfortable, and sometimes holds onto smells. Pathos (thank you for your comments) pointed out that over the past year, her matchstick jeans with the polyester have developed a 'sheen with a stiff drape that's like plasticky'. This is exacly what I am afraid of.

    Also, I see that all the matchstick jeans have the same description on the website: cotton with a hint of stretch. But they are not made up of the same material. And polyester is NOT a "hint of stretch"

    Anyway, I'm very frustrated. When did Jeans with polyester become acceptable?

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    Replies
    1. Definitely not acceptable! I am glad you vented about this, was considering ordering the ankle stretch toothpick jeans in classic wash, but checked the description. Sure enough, cotton/poly. Ick!! My money is going to a similar pair of sevens that I found. 98 pct cotton, 2pct elastine. AND made in the USA, on sale so they are cheaper than jcrew!

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  5. I strongly dislike the side zippers on dresses that don't go all the way up to the armpit. They make it so difficult to put a dress on and take it off! It also makes it harder to take a dress off 1) without help and 2) without getting makeup on it, which I obviously try to avoid. Some of my dresses have zippers that go all the way up -- please make them all like this!

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  6. Not so much a vent, but FYI: I just sent back my second pair of defective Soludos. Both were worn twice and only for quick trips to the grocery. Really.

    The stitching came out of the toe in the first pair. And the sole came away from the toe in the second.

    My PS was great and took them back. But I understand that there are quality issues with those shoes. It's a shame because they are cute and I'd heard good things.

    @rynettaPhD: years ago, Ebay ended one of my auctions when I naively used a J Crew picture. They notified me that J Crew had complained. Ebay just seems to want to optimize sales these days so they might be waiting for a J Crew complaint.

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    1. Mena: thanks SO much for your response. I wish that I could say that this is a mix up. The seller knows that she used my image; it's a picture of me. And, you're right, eBay is only concerned about maximizing profits. Thanks again!

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    2. I would be upset too. That's disconcerting and more than a little creepy. eBay should listen to your concerns the same way the respond to jcrew.

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    3. LilyBart: You're absolutely right, it's very disconcerting. Thanks for your response!

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    4. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    5. For Jcrew complaining to ebay it is considered loss prevention and they have a legitimate beef, it's treated the same as theft so ebay has to take action or they could be sued and/or risk damage to their reputation. You on the other hand, don't have as much clout.

      Did you try the ebay chat feature or did you just send an email? I'd chat with them if you can and see if they can offer a better response. Try putting watermarks on your blog photos from now on. See 1 More Shopping Blog for a good example.

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    6. Thanks, Captain Crew! I've contacted both eBay customer and their VeRO department. And, you're right about using watermarks. I guess I'm too naive and I believe that people will always do the right thing. I was proven wrong this time. Thanks again!

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  7. This weekend I went to the brick and mortar and the Maritime blazer was on sale for $79.99, but was out of stock. The PS offered to do the WWFIFU, and I found one! Plus they agreed to honor the 30% off and an addition 15% (educator discount) AND free shipping! So, that took the price to about $47 + tax. I checked my credit card, and they charged me $79! Called and customer service said they would issue me a refund! I am watching my credit card for it!

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  8. This is just a suggestion really. I've been enjoying the service of a FANTASTIC VPS and he has found me some HTF items. The only thing...when he confirms he has found the item, I never know what the price is. And with some many sales going on I want to make sure the item is a the correct price. So I have to email him back and ask. I don't want him to think I'll only do business with him if the item is on sale....cause I've gotten FP things too....but I feel weird asking him to confirm price for me. I'd like to see the VPS include the price of the item in their confirmation email to me.

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  9. Rynetta....Sadly there are creeps out there who are too lazy to take their own pics for Ebay. The only thing you can do (and this won't stop them for still stealing your pic) is to "copyright" your pics by writing your name or a username right on the photo. It's a pain, but at least it alerts anyone seeing the listing that the seller lifted a pic from somewhere else. Alot of sellers do this. And Ebay doesn't give diddly squat about complains about this matter. Sorry I couldn't tell you something more helpful.

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    Replies
    1. straycat: I really appreciate your response. I've started watermarking my pictures. This is just so frustrating. Thanks again!!!

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  10. Not really a vent, but I keep reading about the steller (or not) Personal Shoppers that many seem to have a relationship with. How did you start?

    I had one good encounter with one of the Personal Shoppers at my b&m and I keep going back hoping I'll see her, but I haven't. Do I really need to make an appointment? How long did it take before they were willing to check on sale items for you? I do buy FP items (mainly pants and suiting), but not nearly as often as sale.

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  11. I LOVE. J crew! My biggest and only complaint is, NOT CARRYING PETITE IN STORES! It's just not fair!!!!!!! We don't have the opportunity to try on before we buy & if we want free shipping we have to go to store & use red phone. Not to mention if it's final sale on line, and it doesn't fit ( because cuts are always changing ) we're stuck with something we can't wear!!!!
    Plz j crew cath up with your competitors who all carry petite in store!

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    Replies
    1. I agree. How am I supposed to know whether it will fit? Sometimes I'm P0, sometimes P00. Or, if you're not going to stock in stores make shipping free for petites and no final sale for petites.

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  12. I feel like the customer service is not conistent at all. And, yesterday, I contacted CS to see if the Downtown Field Jacket in navy was available for order and they told me no, that I would have to check my local stores. Then, low and behold, today, I see it is online to purchase. SMH.

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  13. Hi everyone!
    I'm fairly new to J. Crew (having made the switch since becoming disenchanted with Anthropologie's offerings lately) so I was just wondering.... Do J. Crew's t-shirts just kind of suck? I bought about 5 recently and after only about a month of wear, two have already developed holes -- both at the seams and also in the fabric itself. I am *very* careful with my clothes (cold gentle machine wash and dry flat). One shirt was a painter bateau (darn you, slub knit of doom!) and the other was a perfect fit ballet neck. I love J. Crew's color selection and their many t-shirt styles but if they're going to self destruct on me at this rate (and at those prices), I'm going back to Old Navy!
    Thanks, JCA, for the space to vent!

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    Replies
    1. The holey tee issue has been discussed a TON on this blog for over a year or more now. I no longer buy their tees.

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  14. Anyone else annoyed when you get an email saying
    "You're JCrew Order Has Shipped!!!" and you click on the tracking number to find that it has *not* shipped, that only the shipping label has been created and then your order continues to sit and languish at the JCrew warehouse for days before truly shipping. It truly makes it hard to know when a certain item will arrive. 3-5 days shipping sure, but a week of sitting around after the shipping label is created? That's unnecessary.

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    Replies
    1. I agree, ordered on Tuesday, got your order has shipped email on Wednesday and only this morning, Monday was able to actually link to the UPS Tracing Number and it is due to be delivered tomorrow.

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