Rue La La shopping experience?
- Thread starter adoptastray
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I don't like those shopping sites. What they do, is inflate the orig price anyway. The vendor only gets half of the sale price. I wish the vendor would just blow out the merch directly to consumers and we'd all be happy. Most of the stuff can be found for far less if you know how to shop.
It's a trap. That's just what they want..to lure us into buying more to get the most out of the $9.95. Grr..I hardly ever find anything else within the 30 days to buy anyway. So now I avoid it altogether even though I have a $10 credit.
Excellent point! I've noticed that as well, these sample sale sites never have the accurate MSRP prices, instead they claim "80 - 90% off" and inflate the prices so you think you're getting a bargain...it's really sad.
Sometimes the deals are good but mostly not. Like I'm on the waiting list for a Lilly dress(was in my cart but I didn't buy it in time and it sold out) that was $30 and I saw it on one of the lilly via sites for $60 during the annual summer sale.
I am so livid with Rue la la. I made a purchase of about $2k in mid November. They sent me the wrong size and I called right away to let them know. CS said they would get back to me in 3-5 business days regarding the return!!! They couldn't even tell me if they had the correct size. I couldn't believe it. I said that I wanted it resolved way faster considering the value and I asked to be contacted via phone. No one ever called me, so I called a few days later and was given a return label. In the meantime, I found the item somewhere else and cheaper of course. I returned the item on Nov 27 and they have since received the item, yet they have not processed my return and refuse to expedite the return. They claim that I have to wait 7 business days even though they have the item in their possession and the return was due to THEIR mistake! They have afforded me no courtesy except their "free return shipping label." I am so livid with their CS. Never shopping there again.
I used to love RueLaLa but have had such a bad experience with these sites. They post designer item sales at prices higher than what you would find in a store. I bought a Proenza Schouler from Bergdorf Goodman for $1,295; Ideeli.com was offering it at around $1,400. Same thing for RueLaLa. They had a Prada sale, you can find cheaper prices in the store itself. I used to work in retail and it does not cost $9.95 to ship, the shipping cost includes a profit for the retailer. And my company charged around $5!!! As do companies like Banana Republic, etc., they charge $6. So why do these sites charge $9.95? Also their free shipping for 30 days is useless. By the time you receive the item 30 days is almost over, and if you don't like the item it is unlikely you will buy from them again.
You cannot return designer items to them; all handbags are final sale and non-returnable. What if something is wrong? Their customer service cannot do anything, at the most they will offer free shipping. Once I ordered several items on their site. I waited and waited, the delivery date passed by. I contacted their customer service, they gave me a parrot reply. I contacted them back and asked to cancel the order since it was not shipped yet. They said sorry we can't cancel. Next thing you know, exactly 25 days later I receive an email saying sorry, we apologize, the items are not available. So they have no clue themselves of what is going on, and all customer service will do is offer free shipping for 30 days. So there is a chance that you order an item and will not receive it, something they won't even tell you till you follow up with many emails. They will just send an apology.
Same thing with Gilt. They made a mistake that cost me $750, and all they offered is store credit for such a huge amount. I complained to Better Business Bureau and threatened to dispute with my credit card company. In fact, I was able to work things out with the merchant directly even though I bought via Gilt, but Gilt did nothing. So no more buying on these sites. Their customer service is AWFUL, and designer bags are not returnable. Their shipping charges have profit built into it. They don't care about the customer. So I don't recommend buying such an expensive item through these sites. Nowadays Bergdorf, Saks, NM, Barney's, and the brand sites themselves (eg. Gucci, Ferragamo) have sale prices that are LOWER than other places, so best to buy through them where customer service is better and authenticity guaranteed.
Ferragamo had a sale on ALL these shopping sites online, but I found the lowest prices in their store and on their site.
You cannot return designer items to them; all handbags are final sale and non-returnable. What if something is wrong? Their customer service cannot do anything, at the most they will offer free shipping. Once I ordered several items on their site. I waited and waited, the delivery date passed by. I contacted their customer service, they gave me a parrot reply. I contacted them back and asked to cancel the order since it was not shipped yet. They said sorry we can't cancel. Next thing you know, exactly 25 days later I receive an email saying sorry, we apologize, the items are not available. So they have no clue themselves of what is going on, and all customer service will do is offer free shipping for 30 days. So there is a chance that you order an item and will not receive it, something they won't even tell you till you follow up with many emails. They will just send an apology.
Same thing with Gilt. They made a mistake that cost me $750, and all they offered is store credit for such a huge amount. I complained to Better Business Bureau and threatened to dispute with my credit card company. In fact, I was able to work things out with the merchant directly even though I bought via Gilt, but Gilt did nothing. So no more buying on these sites. Their customer service is AWFUL, and designer bags are not returnable. Their shipping charges have profit built into it. They don't care about the customer. So I don't recommend buying such an expensive item through these sites. Nowadays Bergdorf, Saks, NM, Barney's, and the brand sites themselves (eg. Gucci, Ferragamo) have sale prices that are LOWER than other places, so best to buy through them where customer service is better and authenticity guaranteed.
Ferragamo had a sale on ALL these shopping sites online, but I found the lowest prices in their store and on their site.
+1 I agree with you 100%. A few years ago, the prices were at least competitive with stores/boutiques, but now I find prices on sample sites to be higher (or the original price is inflated so the discount seems high but it's really not).
I've had not so good experiences with designer bags/shoes...bought a pair of clearly defective Zanotti flats and had to argue to send back because they were final sale...
It's just not worth the hassle; and I totally agree about the $9.95 shipping- that's crazy! Every site offers free shipping these days (or at least free shipping promotions).
Gilt used to have amazing customer service, then they got a little bigger, and it's completely gone down the drain. I don't shop on these sites much anymore, either.
