There used to be a Frederick's of Hollywood store in the mall near me several years ago and I always enjoyed shopping there and treating myself to sexy pieces. Always contributed to fun nights with the hubby! I hadn't shopped Frederick's in many years and the store that used to be in the mall has long since closed. Looks like Frederick's only operates online now.
Well, based on my previous experiences with Frederick's products I recently decided to treat myself to one of their sexy little items. I purchased a corset with matching thong and thigh high stockings. The product online looked super sexy and based on the price and my previous experiences with Frederick's, I expected a quality product.
When my order arrived I tried on the corset. The quality of the material was considerably cheaper than I'd expected and the bra portion fit NOTHING like the advertised picture. It was not at all sexy or classy. In fact it was rather trashy. I tried the thong on over my underwear (I do not try on underwear that I have not personally washed) and tried on the thigh highs as well so that I could get the effect of the entire outfit. I was underwhelmed. Not only did the corset fit poorly but the stockings also did not fit well. I also had a great deal of difficulty fastening the garter.
I placed the products back in the original packaging and made a request for an RMA number per the instructions on the website. I got an email response pretty quickly thanking me for my request. A day or so later I got another email thanking me for my inquiry about returns and giving me instructions on how to request an RMA. Geez! I called customer service. It is pretty obvious that this is not a call center but that you're probably reaching someone working from their home. The representative was very courteous and helpful and sent me the information I needed to make the return and get my refund (minus $5.95 for shipping).
Two weeks later I had heard nothing from Frederick's. I called and a customer service representative said the warehouse had not yet processed my return and there was nothing in the system for me yet. I called a week later and was informed that my return had been processed and disqualified for refund. WHAT? They said the products were returned damaged. How could the products be damaged when I tried it on for all of 5 minutes? According to the warehouse report the thong was "spotted" and the stockings were "without label and stretched out in the feet area". Again, WHAT?!
I have no idea why there would be "spots" on the thong but the implication is disgusting. I think "stretched out" would probably be an over exaggeration of the condition of a pair of stockings that had been tried on once, and as for the missing tag - it wasn't missing because there never was one!
I told the customer service rep that the warehouse report was ludicrous and that I would contact my bank immediately to dispute the credit card transaction, which I have done. Again, she was very patient and professional and sent me an email documenting our conversation. We'll see what happens from here.
I feel like I've been duped by Frederick's and that they've become a disreputable company bilking customers out of their money based on their prior reputation as a legitimate lingerie company. DON'T BE DUPED! This is not the Frederick's it used to be. While they were never high end, you at least got what you paid for and dealt with a legitimate company. I will NEVER do business with them again and I plan to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. What a scam!