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.
I'll say this only because I'm currently browsing the Factory site, but I detest it. Every item that I click to because the price is so good show up as the sale items to be sold out. Yet this is the case for every single item, all of the cheaper/sale versions are conveniently sold out so I end up looking at items that are 2-3x the price. Makes me all kinds of mad.
ReplyDeleteYes. I noticed that this weekend. After clicking on a few items I just gave up looking and closed the site. Don't have time to mess with it!!!!!!!
Deletethere a quite a few new hidden items on the site that i've found, a few charleys, some cute tees, new cardigans. some discounted. some not.
DeleteThe Factory web site has been annoying ever since the day they separated it from the retail web site. Dumb idea, J. Crew. I have probably only checked it three times since then, when I used to look at it all the time. This has me going into the Factory store less too, since returns don't take me out of my way to go there any more (and for any item I returned, I'd buy a few more).
DeleteThere hasn't been a special promo for customers outside the US in ages. The last time I bought something was in december. For international orders they offered free shipping until december 31st, which was great. Now with shipping, some items are definitely no worth it. Hope there's a nice surprise for us soon.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree agree with you. I've resorted to buying from the US site and using a parcel forwarding company. Adds extra $$ and time, but is still heaps cheaper than the international prices.
DeleteIt seriously astounds me that almost every other US retailer now ships internationally and uses an official exchange rate, and yet J Crew mark up prices (at least on the Australian site) by 30%. I've written to ask them why and got some spurious waffle back about 'the costs of doing business in an International setting'
I do appreciate their flat rate shipping, but again, other US retailers usually offer free shipping, eg Nordstrom, Revolve, Shopbop.
I would buy so much more from J Crew if they used the official Forex exchange rate instead of their fake 30% higher one.
End of rant
I have a small vent to share. When I was shopping in the store over the weekend, a salesperson asked if he could start a fitting room for me and kindly took a few items out of my hands. I was shopping with my mother and he "assumed" that the clothes she had picked up too were all for me and thus put everything in one fitting room. It was a small thing, but it made my mom feel like the salesperson thought she was "too old" to be shopping there. (Luckily, a bit later the VPS that often helps me came in and the rest of our experience was the usual stellar service.)
ReplyDeleteSmall vent about three quarter sleeves on cashmere sweaters: could they make the cashmere sweaters (at least the WINTER ones) with full-length sleeves? I am talking specifically of the striped boatneck and the herringbone one, both very plush and thick (especially the herringbone) but my lower arms are freezing. Not to mention that if you layer a shirt under (so as not to freeze) it looks weird. I get it that they look nice under blazer and jacket (because all the jackets have bracelet sleeves) but there are some styles that are not meant to be worn under jackets. Otherwise, I love them.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. I returned the herringbone sweater for this reason. It's winter, I want long sleeves!
DeleteI'm still annoyed that I was given the "one time courtesy" line when I asked them to give me a price adjustment on my 30% off order (to 40%). If you don't want people asking for an adjustment, don't change the deal one day later! I spend thousands of dollars a year at J.Crew and do not appreciate this "oh, we'll do you a favor this one time" attitude when it comes to perfectly reasonable requests. Really gets my goat (I sound like my grandmother.)
ReplyDeleteTotally, me too. Except they didnt even give me the one time courtesy! They should be embaressed when people call them out on their little games, not give them attitude.
DeleteI'm annoyed that I never received one of my rewards card, but points were deducted from my account! Called customer service, but the lady on the phone was super unhelpful. Oh well...
ReplyDeleteDid you call the JCrew customer service line that they have just for cardholders. I did not get mine and the lady was nice and helpful. She is a VPS too.
DeleteCall back and try and see if you get a different rep and/or response too might work.
I love the customer service that I receive in the store. I live in Charlotte and I am a frequent shopper at the SouthPark Mall location, Sean and Cathy are amazing associates. The main two issues that I have with J. Crew is that cardholders don't get free shipping and they play games with their pricing and size availability with sale items, when there is an additional percentage off. Starting with the shipping, I spend a lot of money at J. Crew, sometimes $500 at once (in which shipping is waived) and sometimes $50 at once (shipping is not waived). Regardless, cardholder shipping should be waived all of the time. My BIGGEST issue with JC is that when sale items become an additional off they take my size down and it shows that all colors that are on sale are sold out. But once the additional goes away....what do you know....all sizes and colors are there. I don't agree with them doing that. It takes too much time to keep checking and waiting for items to be an addition for them to only play games when it's time for you to purchase that item that you have been waiting for. Not to mention that it causes an even bigger issue when it is time for you to return the item to the store bc they sent you the wrong color. The associate in the store returned the neon yellow Janey pump as I ordered Apricot online for $103 including take but charged me $178 which is the regular price. It took time for me to realized that my receipt was wrong and go back to the store so that the correction would be made. It's confusing and as a customer it is EXTREMELY frustrating to me.
ReplyDeleteArgh...my beef is with the small quantities available for certain things- like the scroll print pencil skirt that sold out instantly. I keep seeing lovely advertisements for it, which is really irritating!
ReplyDeleteI concur with the popback/availability game too. It's so obviously a strategy of theirs to keep up demand (and it sorta works) but sometimes there are items I would have purchased at full price but were never available while I really wanted them, and then somehow snagged one on sale later. What's the point of that? And I still never got a chambray dot shirt...would have paid full price last spring but couldn`t get one, and then wasn't willing to wait 6 months to backorder it at full price!
I've seen this mentioned several times before on this blog - please go back to making tops longer! I always loved j crew b/c of this and now this and last year all of the cute tops were so short they appear cropped on me!!
ReplyDeleteArgh - received the abstract diamond merino turtleneck yesterday. Love the color and design.
ReplyDeleteBUT it came with makeup marks on the neck where someone has obviously worn it or tried it on!
Hate that I have to dry clean a "new" item. And spend my time calling CS for some kind of compensation. Grr.
I don't understand why they don't send the end of season store items to the sample sales, they've obviously been tried on, likely many times and probably aren't as pristine as a truly never worn item which is what I expect when ordering online. It also just shows poor quality control when something has stains or signs of wear and is shipped out as a truly new item.
Deletei received a belt without a tag but with an extra hole punched where it clearly did not belong! Took it back, even though it was final sale.
DeleteUpdate: the sweater is currently sold out, so I can't get a replacement. CS has told me to email them a scan of my drycleaning bill and they will reimburse me, they are also sending a $20 gift card to me. So feeling a little better about it in the end.
DeleteI know I am late to the "vent-party", but I couldn't resist. I purchased the classic link bracelet in December 2012, as an early gift for myself. I was in the store and asked how to keep the bracelet from tarnishing and the SA told me she had one for over 2 years and it had not tarnished yet...keep it in the bag for storage, no water, ya-da, ya-da, ya-da... I have kept it in the bag, very careful around water, etc.
ReplyDeleteLast week, I look at the bracelet and there it is, TARNISH, almost as if it is part of the bracelet. I knew it was a gamble when I bought the bracelet, but I had to have it. COULD I AT LEAST GET A GOOD 6 MONTHS OUT OF THE BRACELET BEFORE YOU TURN??? I promptly got on the phone to complain and will be on the way to the B&M for a return/credit of some sort. When I contacted the online CSR, he didn't sound too positive about a return/refund but said that someone could examine it in the store. I am sure this will turn out just fine but just in case, I've got my boxing gloves ready!
Since when are the pixie pants $118? I think they raised the price and then put them on promo so we think we are getting a deal. Sorry, not fooling me! They did that to the sera top in the paisley print last week.
ReplyDeleteThey are synthetic stretch pants. They sell them for $15 at the clearance store. They used to be $80. Why do they insist on constantly raising the price?
At least the factory version is cheaper, and identical except for the zipper location (side vs. back on the regular version).
Ah yes. I thought that they were $98 the last time that I saw them. I don't pay much attention to stuff that I mislike though.
DeleteSome promo items are also back to full price, naturally.
DeletePurchased two items on Monday with the 40% off promo... Still have not received notice of shipment yet! Its never taken this long for them to process an order and ship it! I'm worrying I won't get what I ordered... Grumble grumble grumble. Is this a normal occurrence for any of you?
ReplyDeleteErica, whenever that has happened to me, something in my order has gotten canceled. I really hope that is not the case for you, though!
DeleteSame here. Two weeks aback, an order that I placed was delayed for 3 days until I got the dreaded "We wished we had enough" email and a call from CS confirming that one of the items in the order wasn't available. It shipped not two hours after the call.
DeleteThanks for your replies! According to jcrew.com, the two items I ordered (pave heart bracelet and black patent ballet flats) are still in stock. Maybe the shipments are behind after the big sale on Monday? Who knows! I'll keep you updated!
DeleteI called to get PA for the 40% promo on the items i ordered using 30% promo & hadnt yet been shipped & all items were still avlb online. First try i got CSA that said no. I called a lil later & got super nice CSA that gave me no hassle at all. PA finally went thru & they gave me addl 10% off the already red total & not off pre 30% promo amt. it's only a diff of $30 but still annoying & will be another hassle to call back & fight the amt :( i should have just reordered everything
ReplyDeleteThe same thing happened with me. Luckily, they were still available in my size during the 40% promo so I reordered.
DeleteTalked to a CS rep this morning via live chat, I've been looking for the perfect shirt in mini gingham in brilliant cobalt in a size 2, I asked if she could check and see if any stores had any. She asked me if I would like a local or nationwide search, and I said nationwide please because there are only two stores in my state and they usually don't carry much inventory. After verifying my email address, phone number, shipping and billing address, she told me it has since went to FS and they can't initiate a search :/.
ReplyDeleteAs a longtime J. Crew associate, I would like to clear a few things up with everyone:
ReplyDelete30% off sale to 40% off sale (or any other promotion for that matter) - the actual price of the item hasn't changed (for instance, an item marked down from $78 to $39.99 is actually still $39.99, the company is only offering the additional percentage off as a PROMOTION - the real price of the item hasn't changed, only the discount. This is why we are not supposed to "price adjust" those previous purchases for you - the PRICE hasn't changed, only the PROMOTION has, see what I mean? The item hasn't been marked down further, we're just offering a deeper discount for it.)
Free Shipping - you can always call a VPS in-store and they will give you complimentary shipping on your order.
Searching Nationwide for a SALE Item - sale items are tricky. Yes, there are searches for sale items. But if you are looking for an item that the company may only have 1 or 2 of left in the entire inventory, it is like finding a needle in a haystack. Our CSRs go above and beyond for our customers, but they also do not want to give you false hope, either.
And, finally, "not having something in the Sale section one day and then having it appear the next day after the promotion is over" - between online returns to Direct and store-to-direct transfers, new merchandise shipments coming into the online inventory, etc., our inventory is constantly changing. That is just the nature of the business. We are not trying to trick you. Our inventory is extremely malleable. I'm sad that some of you think this, but our company is transparent about what we have for sale and what we don't.
Hope this clears things up.