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.
off topic:
ReplyDeleteMichele Obama's j.crew pumps. I don't care which party you are, those shoes are sweet:
http://www.stylebistro.com/Daily+Dish/articles/6Q2IfqeaR_2/Michelle+Obama+Wears+Tracy+Reese+J+Crew+Democratic
I was eyeing her outfit head to toe. She looked very chic..especially wearing J.Crew pumps. Love FLOTUS!
DeleteThey are absolutely beautiful 'car' shoes. They are nowhere near the comfort level of the Valentina's but I will def consider on a super-sale.
DeleteAgreed, she looks amazing, and her speech made me tear up. Love the FLOTUS!
DeleteI love her. I hate politics in general, and avoid pretty much everything related, but I love Mrs. Obama. She always looks awesome, not like a frumpy frump. And of course I love that she wears J.Crew. Those everly pumps are TDF. But I saw an identical pair of Steve Madden pumps for $39.99 at Marshall's, so... I won't be springing for the J.Crew version anytime soon!
DeleteLove her. The speech was so genuine. Made me miss my dad.
DeleteTracey Reese has a link on the home page to see MO's dress and get notified when it can be purchased. J. Crew - nothing on website touting shoes as of 10:30 EST Thurs.
DeleteIIRC crew missed out when the girls wore those adorable coats to the inauguration. I wanted one! Really who does J Crew's marketing.
Prices, prices, prices. I was so happy to pick up the garment dyed toothpick's in the poppy color on sale in store. I was then sad when two days later they were additional 30% off. I comforted myself with the fact that they no longer had my size. I was then very sad when they went on the same promo online today. I really wish J. Crew had a reasonable price adjustment policy! All they accomplish is making me feel stupid for buying anything without getting an additional % off.
ReplyDeleteBack in mid July, I found a great deal on the cece ballet flats. It was on sale with an additional 40% off and an additional 15% for being a student. At around $30, it was a steal! The sales person located my size at a store out of state and then the nightmare begins. When the shoes arrived, one was a size 8 and the other was a size 6. Seriously? I brought it back to my local store and they were able to locate another pair in my size at a different store. Second pair arrived in a size 8 box, but the pair inside was a size 9. People! Just look at the bottom of the shoe for the correct size! More than a month later, I finally received the size I ordered. Should I have gotten a discount coupon for so many screw ups on their part?
ReplyDeleteUgh, that must have been so frustrating!
DeleteWhen I worked at a shoe boutique as a student in the 80s, selling a mismatch (letting a customer leave the store with two different sizes) was a firing offense, and putting shoes back into stock in the wrong size box would be a "first strike." Nordstrom was on the other end of the mall and the store held the staff to Nordstrom's then-fearsome standards of customer service.
My vent is that I'm sad -sad that J.Crew couldn't excite me with their fall line. I have always loved and looked forward to their fall collection, but this year is blah. I haven't found anything that I have to have. I can't trust their sweaters and will not order anything with that dream stuff. I just cleaned closets and was reminded of how far j.crew has fallen when I looked at the chunky cambridge turleneck I wore 2 times last year. Pills everywhere and the bottom hem has fallen out. It looks like I'm wearing a tunic. I'm so mad! I wore it exactly twice!!!!! I just placed an order with lands end. I was pleasantly surprised and they had a nice promo going so I ordered. They have a terrific return policy so I could order with confidence. Garnet Hill is also getting my tee shirt $$$. Cute stuff by Velvet, expensive but it lasts. J.Crew has some work to do to win me back.
ReplyDeleteAllyson, I totally agree on the Velvet line at Garnet Hill lovely knits) AND Land's End this fall. If anyone has not checked out LE for their shoes and ponte knit dresses in particular, do it. There is an adorable tipped blazer in khaki/navy for $75 on promo. Great promos/returns and almost always free shipping ove $50.
DeleteThe LE styles may be a little more classic and less "on trend," but I'm okay with that because the garments are made so well that they will last many seasons. Honestly my JC purchases the past two seasons have practically been disposable after a couple wearing/washing cycles.
I bought and returned a couple of the chunky cambridge turtleneck sweaters last year. They were a pill-y mess after one or two wearings. On top of that, they shed like crazy. I am not very excited about their fall offerings either.
DeleteJust a PSA for those that are unaware: the cambridge cables are made out of dream yarn. Ick!
DeleteI was also duped by the chunky Cambridge turtleneck. Wore it twice and threw it out!! Hands down the worst thing I've ever purchased from jcrew.
DeleteMy cambridge chunky mess just went into the goodwill bag. 98 bucks for a disposable sweater is shameful. Does anyone at J.Crew test the material before they send it to production? I know why J.Crew doesn't have customer reviews.they all would be negative and nothing would sell! Thank goodness I can check JCA for reviews..I'm with SilverLiving NO MORE DREAM!
DeleteIf you have this problem in the future, don't throw it out. If you live by a store, you should be able to take it back and show them that it is defective. Even out of the 30/60 day window, they should take it back and give you merchandise credit. If you don't live by a store, call Customer Service and explain your problem. I would hope they would make arrangements for you to mail it back on their dime and give you a credit. It's worth a try. If they get enough of these calls and returns, maybe they will reconsider making their sweaters out of poor materials. And I think they do keep track of metrics for the stores, hopefully this is one of them.
DeleteAgree with Cate. I just returned a cashmere sweater last month that I bought in December of 2011 that had developed holes. I refused to throw it out and instead called customer service (because I bought it online). I was able to return it without any issue (I actually exchanged for other items) but I had zero problems.......maybe due to complaints about the cashmere, perhaps?
Delete@ruffles - thank you for your suggestion about the LE shoes - just ordered a gorgeous pair of leather and suede wine colored loafers for $23 (Incl. shipping!)
DeleteSo excited as the Lexington loafers I originally ordered arrived damaged so I had to return them and they no longer have my size.
@Kelly, good luck with the LE loafers! I returned the JC calf hair Ettas and ordered the LE calf hair leopard heels instead, and love them. The quality and construction are just stunning for the price.
DeleteIf anyone is looking for some good solid t shirts, look at the Gap Bleeker T. It is a thicker slub cotton and I like the fit. There are a lot of colors to choose from. (The one thing that they did to maybe make it stand out was to put a line of contrast stitching down the back, but that doesn't bother me.)
Deletekarend-
Deletehow do the bleeker tees fit? I'm normally an xs in jc tees.
I would say true to size and mine didn't shrink in the wash. I wear a medium in both. The nice thing with the gap Ts is that you can see other reviews on their website. It looks like most say true to size also.
DeleteI'm a newbie to JC. What is this Dream yarn that JC is using? I was contemplating getting the Dream cardigan pictured on p.40 of the August catalogue.
DeleteHi Liza - I would avoid Dream yarn at all costs. It's a wool/nylon/cashmere blend that doesn't hold its shape and pills upon contact with anything. If you go to a store a lot of times the Dream sweaters will pill just from being on a rack with other Dream sweaters! Most pieces don't last a few wearings, never mind a whole season. Big waste of money, IMO.
DeleteBoth good and bad to report - I'm back loving J. Crew after taking several years off. However, when I went to place an order over the phone the other day (b/c for some strange reason the shirt I wanted wouldn't load on my browser) the CS rep tried to upsell me. Seriously? I thought only Chilis and Ruby Tuesdays did that. Maybe it was b/c she was kind enough to give me free shipping if I ordered one other item even though my total didn't reach $175. But it was REALLY annoying.
ReplyDeleteUgh blatant retail upselling is such a turnoff! The worst I ever experienced was at a Theory where the saleswoman would not leave me alone! I couldn't get out of the store fast enough!!
DeleteIt makes me feel like whatever Im spending isn't good enough. To me, a retailer should be happy to make any sale. But if there is too much pressure to buy more, I will definitely walk away empty handed.
I agree with Allyson....not really interested in anything in this last rollout. The only thing I was hoping would be in the sale today is the Sterling skirt...but they only did retro jade on sale and I don't want that. So no order. I also woke up this morning and cancelled my WWFIFY order with Madewell. Two reasons.....the last three pairs of shoes I ordered from J. Crew in my size we're too tight and the CS rep was so rude to me last night about finding my request, that I woke up this morning and cancelled. I'm getting tired of being jerked around just to buy clothes. Enough said. Also agree with you about Land's End and I got the catalog to Eddie Bauer and I'm going to be checking out a couple things with them too. J. Crew like offerings are everywhere, don't have to shop J. Crew to get the look.
ReplyDeleteJust spent an hour on the phone with CS trying to get my 25% offer retroactively applied to an in store purchase as the SA did not apply it. The CS kept trying to get rid of me and transfer me to credit services who would verify the purchase before transferring me back to CS to get the issue dealt with...I explained haven't you just validated the purchased by looking it up yourself? This was a light bulb moment for her; that or she realized I caught her on trying to get rid of me. She then said well you have to go back to the store. I said no. She put me on hold for 20 minutes, and came back to say that she put in a credit request, and gave me a confirmation number...I guess we'll see what happens. Not much else I could do at that point. I then told her I needed a price adjustment on the floral brocade collection skirt that I purchased online for full price as it is on sale in stores as of 9/3 for $70 off. She said she couldn't do anything until my card was charged...I said it was charged you can see it clearly, I can see it clearly online. Her answer was that she could not, and that it would not be dealt with until it shipped out. Then she went on a monologue about how the credit team can credit it if it hasn't shipped if they catch it...I was thinking, isn't it your job to tell them...like, NOW? This didn't register. I got another credit request confirmation code. I am seriously thinking of canceling my card. Ugh, especially if these credits do not get applied and I have to call back AGAIN.
ReplyDeleteHeatherInSearchOf - I'm sorry you had such a miserable experience. Can you tell me which store you got the floral brocade skirt? I'm dying for this skirt but not at FP. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteMS - I saw a few of the brocade skirts at the North Michigan Avenue (Chicago) location yesterday afternoon. 312-751-2739.
ReplyDeleteI read that it was on sale in stores on JCA. It must be if they are agreeing to credit me. Not sure which stores though :)
ReplyDeleteI have figured out what triggers a promotion or markdown of any substance. All I have to do is place an order that contains more than one thing at full price. Fortunately I am able to do instore returns. if the time difference is really outrageous, like the stuff was just delivered this morning, or only shipped yesterday, I have had a sympathetic reception from phone reps, who look up my account. I do think every "new class" of employees has its duds, like the new cab drivers who don't know what "uptown" means. Let's hope the new grads at JC get a grip before holiday promos!
ReplyDeleteRhetorical questions:
ReplyDeleteWhy can't SAs consistently offer a red phone order (or iPad equivalent) when an item is not available in my size?
Why am I greeted with blank stares when I inquire about skirts that are not stocked at that particular B&M? Shouldn't SAs and Very Personal Stylists be familiar with their own products?
I got two of the light featherweight cashmere cardigans that was on sale a while back. Have to say I should've learned my lesson the first time when I got the festival green one. Pilled right away (actually more like shedding) and I got a hole in the back within a few days. I thought I'd try again because I love slinky light cardigan. I got the heather grey and the same issue, wool pilling off and the stitch by the wrist started to come apart on the first day of wearing it Good grief.
ReplyDeletePrice adjustment gripe: I purchased a skirt full price on the 24th of August, then came to find it was available online for about $40 less. I requested an adjustment via the live chat option on J. Crew's website the same day, and have yet to see the adjustment. Can anyone help me out with this issue? Does it take longer than 3-5 business days (which is what the CS chat person told me)? Should I re-request an adjustment? Thanks in advance!
ReplyDeleteJoanie, many times adjustment does not appear untill the next billing cycle. It's not an instant thing . I have had it done many times over past 6 years and they have been appearing faithfully albeit with a delay. I wish it was more processed more expediently, but alas. If you call to investigate CS would tell you the same thing .
DeleteThank you kindly for your response!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSorry to be OT but there is an interesting post on Angie's youlookfab blog (love her analysis of trends) on "Animal Novelty Knitwear," and the HEN SWEATER is smack in the middle of the post!
ReplyDeleteAngie says she "doesn't dislike" the trend, but calls it "fringe," and says "I do think this type of knitwear has a very juvenile integrity and short fashion shelf life."
Sorry to my beloved JCAs who are hen lovers, but I'm with Angie on this one :)
I give up on the herringbone in Romance Pink. I tried it in the Cafe Capris, they didn't look good. I tried 2 sizes in the pencil skirt, neither fit me right. The smaller size showed every lump and bump and the larger size was falling off. I'd probably like it in the Schoolboy, but I don't need a jacket.
ReplyDeleteAnother fail for me was the Western Denim Shirt. First, white snaps, but I could have forgiven it that if the shirt had fit. I buy a size 10 in J. Crew's shirts and this size 10 fit me as if it were a size 4 or 6. I couldn't close it (average size bust). I couldn't move in the sleeves. This was nowhere close to a size 10.
This is a nervous pre-vent. I ordered my exchange of the double serge wool pencils last week, UPS said it was delivered on Friday, as I was out of town an the deliveries are left inside my locked building (and there has never been an issue) I looked forward to getting it on my Tuesday return. Alas, it is no where to be found. I called CS and they have a team that invesitgates to find it (I really hope they do, this is stressful!). They said I should hear in 24-48 hours. I am stressed because it was an exchange and I have to return the too-small sizes, and I don't want to be out $160 for the missing ones (which I really want, but won't order again if I loose that money). Does anyone have any experience with how JCrew handles these situations? My stomach is all in knots worrying.
ReplyDeleteI've had a lost package before, UPS and Jcrew get in contact and if they still cant find it after like a week they will refund you.
DeleteI don't know about you guys, but I'm taking a rest. A summer full of hype, talking about the hyped items, reading reviews, debating about whether to order it FP or risk waiting for sale, finally ordering FP only to have it go on sale the very next day, calling CS and asking for a price adjustment or reordering and returning......ACK! I'm really tired. There is really nothing in the current offering that I want put myself through all that nonsense for. Maybe I've kicked the kool-aid?
ReplyDeleteme too! Just cleaned out closets and filled a goodwill bag with J.Crew items. Sweaters with pills, holey tees, etc.The poor quality is breaking my heart. I'm focusing on buying only items that will last. no more disposable clothes.
DeleteOT-----Just read that WWD has broke the news that Katie Holmes is the future official face of Bobbi Brown. So...JC didn't act fast enough...didn't offer her enough money to be their celeb face....will Katie be wearing JC in Bobbi's ads? Will Bobbi be the next guest cosmetic creator for JC? Maybe Katie will be painting little Suri's toes with speacial Bobbi Brown for J. Crew nail varnish in an upcoming style guide. Maybe I should have gone into advertising.
ReplyDeleteNot much sense in paying Katie Holmes for something she's already doing for free.
ReplyDeleteI kind of like that J.Crew doesn't rely heavily on celebs in paid advertising campaigns. Keeps a more timeless feel to it.
Lots of vents to be made...First, why are some swimsuits STILL full price?? I ordered my husband some of the seersucker trunks last month at a discount but they were too big, so we returned them to a B&M that did not have a men's selection. Now, I keep looking but they are back at $59.99, which I find to be a ridiculous price for a pair of men's trunks, particularly after Labor Day. I guess I somehow missed the 30% off sale through yesterday but they used to do things like this on the weekends. Anyway, I continue to resent the free shipping for $175 and have been shopping a lot more with other catalogs like PURE, from England.
ReplyDeleteI wish the pop art polka dot cafe capri and the wool cafe capri didn't have cuffs. They just don't look as nice on as my regular non cuffed ones. I may hem them but that's a last resort.
ReplyDeleteI have a gripe about the Rewards card. I think it's stupid they have an expiration date that you have to redeem within the month the card was sent out. By the time I get it in the mail, a week already has went by. Besides, I can't be shopping everyday, as I travel a lot for my job.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I had a $75 rewards card that I only used 1/4 of it, but was told by one of the SAs that if I don't use it by the expiration date, I could call in customer service to have it reactivated. I did this before, so figured JCREW was lenient with the expiration policy. I called them today and was told they couldn't do it and that the reward points are gone. I told her I wanted to talk to the manager, as I have done this before and they honored it. She placed me on hold for 20 minutes which infuriated in even more. I decided to hang up and call back. Another lady picked up and I explained the situation. She told me they couldn't do that--not sure if rules/policy changed. Instead of having to go through this frustration again, I decided to close the card all together. I have been a longstanding customer with them for a long time, but I can honestly say that I'm not a big fan of JCREW now....one less customer in their book.