N V.

I ordered two pairs of designer shoes, one in a smaller size and one in a larger size, with the intention of keeping whichever fit and sending back the other. The smaller size was too small, so I could not keep it, but the larger size I was sent was obviously defective, with several visible issues that affected both the look and the fit. I wrote to the support team and was offered either a free return or a $10 credit. I included photos of the defects and noted that the damage to the shoes was significantly more than $10 worth if I were to keep them, but was told that a $10 credit was the only thing they could offer.

I wrote back at 6:30 pm on Thursday that I would take the credit, then went back on the site to browse. I quickly saw that they still had one more pair of the same shoes available in my larger size! If someone had offered me an exchange, I would have accepted. I went ahead and ordered the other pair of the larger size at 10:20 pm, and IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER wrote back to support saying to disregard the last email, that I would like to just return the defective pair since I've gone ahead and ordered a replacement. This email was sent at 10:30 pm. Four hours had passed since I said I'd take the credit, and in that time no credit had been issued. Therefore, I expected that - like any other company - they would read my most recent communication and act accordingly.

I did not receive a response the next day, or the next. For reference, ideeli "pledges to respond to your issue or question within 24 hours." This is a lie.

THREE DAYS LATER, I receive an email from Liana (who I had been corresponding with up until this point) that they would no longer accept a return of this item as I had already been issued a credit and had already used it on an order.

What?

The time elapsed between asking for the credit and asking that the credit not be applied so that I could return the item was 4 hours. Nobody communicated anything to me in those four hours, or for three days afterward. The new pair was listed at $49.99 on the website. My order receipt says I paid $49.99. My credit card company lists a charge of $49.99. During the entire exchange, my credits were listed on the website as $0.00.

Where exactly is this mythical credit that was purportedly issued? A credit that I was not informed about, a credit that was not listed on the website, a credit that did not show up when I purchased my new order, a credit that is entirely missing from every financial record of my transaction? Where is this credit that I am supposed to have already used?

I am being told that a credit was issued when it never was, in order for the company to avoid having to accept a return of a defective item.

All emails I sent to the support address were answered by Liana, and as she has proven herself both uncommunicative and not above outright lies, I am not inclined to continue attempting to resolve the issue with her. The live chat is slow and the representatives on it seem to occasionally go MIA for long periods of time without answering a question, so that is also not a good way to resolve a problem that started out very simple but has now become downright ridiculous. Since the company does not list a phone number, I do not know how to contact someone else in order to ensure that I can speak to someone competent and willing to help - if such a person even exists in this company.

In the end, I am stuck with a pair of defective $65 shoes that I cannot return and an alleged $10 credit that I never actually received. This isn't just unacceptable, it's completely dishonest and deceitful and a clear way for the company to keep the money without having to answer for the merchandise. I've purchased items from the site before without incident, but if you ever run into a problem with your order, simply know that their customer service is not above making things up to avoid fixing the issue, even going so far as to backtrack on their own promises. I am out a significant amount of money because I made the mistake of believing this was an honest, above-ground operation. It's not. I advise you to make your purchases elsewhere.