Frances B.

(Update: Recently had a dispute with a company that sent me the wrong item. Company demanded that I return the item at my expense, but shipping would have been $100 MORE than the cost of the item. Paypal would not help me on this. They claimed they had to go with the requirements of the seller. Seller knows I won't pay to return this thing I did not order. So now I am out almost $400. The vendor who did this to me (Wayfair) is a US company. But Chinese and other overseas (but mostly Chinese) companies know about this PayPal policy, and they exploit it constantly. That is their business model. They ship out worthless rubbish to customers and then demand that it be returned in order for the customer to get a refund in a PayPal "wrong item received" dispute. My husband fell for one of these scams. The vendor posted photos pulled right off of Google images — a foldable kayak that runs for more than $1k retail in the US, and a full sized sky telescope — both items listed for around $50 total (I know it's too cheap and is an obvious scam, but my husband can be really naive). What items did Husband receive from the vendor? A super cheap swimming pool kick board and a child's toy monoscope that you would find at a dollar store. Both items might fetch three dollars total at a flea market or a dollar store. Obviously, Husband was not going to pay to send that trash back to China. So the company nets about $45, or more, free money on this transaction (allowing a bit for their shipping cost). PayPal could not care less that these companies are (cynically, blatantly) scamming PayPal customers. They claim it has nothing to do with them because they are just a payment service. They tell you to go through your credit card or bank, for any fraud complaints.

DO NOT USE PAYPAL! They offer zero consumer protection. Scammers enabling scammers!

Original review: Package theft is a huge problem in the US. It's so bad that Amazon has worked with the police in some cities to run sting operations using bait packages. Yet PayPal offers no protection for buyers when a package is reported as delivered but is subsequently stolen. I had a merchant (SkinStore) refuse to reship a $600 package that went missing from my front gate. Fed Ex did an investigation and determined that the package was lost or stolen. The vendor kept putting me off when I requested that it be reshipped, saying they were doing their own "investigation." I had paid with PayPal, so I filed a dispute with the merchant. The merchant, knowing that PayPal will ignore and then decline any dispute or claim when a merchant has proof of delivery, ignored me. I escalated to a claim, which was denied. So I am now stuck. If I had paid with a credit card the matter would have been found in my favor, and the merchant would have been forced to either replace my goods or face the negation of my payment. Dodgy merchants know that PayPal provides no consumer protection against package theft, so they play this delay game. I have requested a new shipment innumerable times, and was at first repeatedly put off. Now they just ignore me. I will never see my shipment. An outrageously rude PayPal customer service rep essentially told me to get lost when I complained about this catch 22 in the system. They don't care what I've been using PayPal since the early days of its existence. Loyalty and consistent, documented honesty count for nothing with PayPal.

I have dealt with some remarkably dishonest businesses in my long life, but SkinStore is by far the worst ecommerce store I have ever encountered. That is saying a lot! Proceed at your own risk, with this business. They are purposely designed to be hard to pin down. Why would you want to hand over your money to a company that was set up to avoid accountability?

PayPal screwed me over and ignored my Claim against SkinStore. So I am left high and dry. SkinStore never intended to reship my order. They just played the game until my dispute and claim expired. Do NOT buy from this company! If you make the mistake of ignoring that advice and your shipment goes missing, do NOT fill out the bogus legal document they will demand of you. Decline that form, document your attempt at resolving the issue, and then directly with your credit card bank. You did pay with a credit card, right? Because PayPal offers zero protection for lost or stolen shipments. Zero.

I have reported SkinStore to the FTC.

I ordered a pair of trousers— a new item, listed as in stock — a month ago. I am still waiting for delivery. I did get a notice that the item shipped — TWENTY days ago — but every time I track the package the projected delivery date is further out. At this point, I no longer want what I purchased. I'm over it. If this parcel ever arrives it is getting shipped right back to Everlane.

(Addendum: I just had two more items canceled, and that was on an order for which I had used a $25 off coupon. So that coupon is negated, and I have no merchandise to show for it. Oh... and the cancellation email included another "look for a 10 percent off coupon" promise. Amazing.)

This is a story about how frustrating and inept LC can be. When they canceled my last order (the in-stock, teaser item was item not in stock), they sent me an automated email apology telling me to "look for" a 10 percent off coupon code in my email within 24 hours. I never got the code. I did a Chat on the LC website with "Roberto" to ask for the code I was promised. Roberto denied that such codes were sent out by email. He then asked for the date of the order (I had given him the order number, so... yep). Then he tried asking what order I wanted to apply the code to (I had a couple items in my cart because I guess I never learn). He tried everything he could come up with to avoid giving me the code, or even directly addressing the questions I asked. Finally, he looks up my cart and tells me that the code (which I do not have, remember) can't be used on the items in my cart because they are already discounted. Really? If you are familiar with LC, you know that everything is sold as X percent off. But remember that I never told him I was trying to apply the code (which I did not have) to an order. I simply wanted what I was promised.

Adding insult to injury, I have gotten several LC emails today reminding me that I have "left something in (my) cart." What are the items? The out-of-stock items that LC canceled more than a week ago.

I hate this company.

Artful Home is a middleman business. It's sort of online gallery, for the most part, although they do carry some mainstream retail items that are (I assume) drop shipped from the manufacturers. So when you buy something it is shipped by the maker, artist or manufacturer, not from a warehouse. I have made a few good purchases from the site, but only for items that are on hand and ready to ship.

The business falls apart when something is made to order or backordered, because AH takes no responsibility for the transaction. I purchased a $600 article of clothing made from a hand-dyed textile, and was told it would ship "on or before X date." The item was paid for, in full, up front. The maximum fulfillment date was six weeks out. I heard nothing from AH for six and a half weeks, and when I contacted them I was told that the textile artist had been "inundated" with orders and was trying to catch up. The customer service agent said that AH considers orders to be "commissions" and that's why customers are always charged up front for all items. So? I was not complaining about the way they take orders, but about not being informed about the delay in fulfillment. This woman made a lot of excuses, but pointed; y avoided the fact that AH had not bothered to inform this customer there was no way in hell the $600 item was going to get to me within the fulfillment deadline, and that AH had no idea when it would be shipped. I repeat: she said that they could not commit to a shipping date!

The truly obnoxious part of this is that she was placing the blame entirely on the artist, not on AH. It's a dishonest take on how these galleries work, too. They take the full payment and do not pay the maker or artist for their portion (minus a hefty commission for AH, of course) until after the "commissioned" items ship and are accepted by the buyer. That's a long ride they take on a customer's funds. I would love to hear what the makers and artists think of AH. I don't think AH is doing their producers any favors. I canceled my order and requested a refund of my money. Why would I let AH sit on my $600 indefinitely, with no firm fulfillment date? That's nuts.

For an interesting read on Yelp's dodgy practices go here:

https://blogs.findlaw.com/strategist/2013/08/yelp-shakedown-complaints-lawsuits-over-review-sites-practices.html

I've suspected for a long time that Yelp was a shakedown operation, and I have been told as much by business owners, but now I have proof that it is true. This is based on what happened with two low-star reviews I wrote, a few years apart.

The first review (a one-star, with a long, detail, explanation as to why) was killed by the business owner (Yelp said it was "managed") because he claimed it did not speak to the personal experience of the reviewer. That business had all full-star reviews on its page at that time. A couple years later, my one-star review was reinstated on that page, and not at my request. It just suddenly appeared in my account, so I clicked over and looked at the business page. I noticed that the page now showed several one-star and low-star reviews, with various dates! The only explanation that makes sense is that the business owner stopped paying the monthly "page management" fee to Yelp, so the archived negative reviews were posted again. Kind of funny, but really unethical. Devious.

The second instance was infuriating because it endangered me, and it was so blatantly in violation of Yelp's rules. I wrote a low-star review of a business that I had used for years and no longer supported. My review was detailed and honest. The business owner harassed me (violating Yelp's rules). She then posted a long reply revealing my personal information (sick and twisted, and also in violation of Yelp's rules). I flagged the reply and was ignored by Yelp. I deleted that detailed review and wrote a short, terse review with a low rating. The business owner pasted in the same, long, vindictive, identity-revealing reply. Again Yelp ignored my flag. I contacted a Yelp through another channel and was told that they deemed that hateful, vindictive reply not to be in violation of the Yelp rules (no mention of the harassment, of course, because they cannot explain that away). And here is where things become absolutely clear, when it comes to Yelp's shakedown business model. The business in question used to have several negative reviews on their Yelp page, along with some positives. They now have 100 percent positives, and the business owner managed to "manage" two negative reviews away, by breaking Yelp rules.

So what is Yelp if not a blackmail operation? If a business owner gets a negative review and contacts Yelp for advice on what to do about it, Yelp will tell said owner that they can pay a monthly fee to have their page "managed." I know a business owner who got this sales pitch. This is about as dirty as advertising gets!

Update: Super slow return processing! I contacted the company to ask about my return, which tracking showed had been delivered five days before. The response was this: "Please allow 2-3 weeks from the return shipped date for your account to be credited. Depending on your bank, it may take 1-2 billing cycles for the credit to appear on your statement." Two to three weeks to process a return? Never buying from these people again!

Johnny Was is one of those companies that makes you pay for return postage. They sent me an item of clothing that was defective a quilted piece with broken threads in a prominent place. So I emailed them and asked for a return label. Usually when a customer receives a damaged or defective item, a business will send out a prepaid return label when that is requested. But what does JohnnyWas.com do? They demand photos to prove that the customer isn't lying:

"Please attach photos of the damaged item to this email. Once we receive your photos of the damaged item, a prepaid shipping label will be sent to the email address we have on file."

Really? I understand when companies do that for things damaged or broken in shipping, since they may have a claim they need to document and they need to instruct their warehouse employees on how to pack shipments. But for defective clothing, which was packed and shipped in that condition? It's insulting. It doesn't matter whether this request for photos is based in mistrust (I assume it is) or whether they want a record of the flaws for their quality control department (they can take their own photos when the item is returned, so I'm not buying that excuse). I won't be shopping here again.

Another update: Nordstrom has begun issuing some refunds as e-gift cards, even to longtime Nordstrom card holders! They don't tell you why a particular return will not be credited back to your account. They just make that decision when they receive the item back. And you cannot apply the amount to your account: you have to use it for a purchase. This is a blatantly dishonest and non-transparent way to do business! Truly awful company!

Update: I discovered after Christmas that an item I'd purchased online never showed up. Tracking said it had been delivered. I sent an enquiry to Nordstrom and was told it was too late to look into this. No accommodation because of my long relationship with the store. Just a giant Eff you. So, right back at you, Nordstrom! You lost a loyal customer. The company has totally lost sight of what made them stand out among deportment stores. It's idiotic to throw away a reputation that was hard earned, by your daddy... or was it granddaddy? The spoiled offspring of the late Nordstrom patriarch have squandered what the founder worked so hard to build for them. Shame on them.

Another annoyance: I received a $55 lipstick that was broken (the stick of lipstick was snapped off inside the case). I arranged the return on the website, but contacted customer service through Chat for assurance that the mess of a lipstick would be accepted for return. The assistant was nice enough, but could not guarantee that I would be refunded. Really? I have never returned a cosmetic item in three decades of shopping Nordstrom. And they cannot trust me in this? I detest this store now.

Original review: I have been a Nordstrom/Nordstrom.com customer and account holder since the 1980s. I am now a Level 3 or 4 member, so you know I buy a lot of merchandise from Nordie's! I am so frustrated with them lately, though, because their once high level of service is now absolutely terrible. In the last couple years I have received too many expensive items that were simply thrown into a box with no padding (arriving damaged and scratched, or so rumpled they needed to go to the dry cleaner), and shopworn items that are soiled and smelly. When I complain about things like this I always get a boilerplate "sorry" email, but that's it. No apology credit, or immediate return credit to my account so I don't have to wait for the returned items to arrive in the warehouse (that immediate credit was the practice in the old days, for long-established customers, but no more). The most recent annoying thing was a $300 pair of earrings, which had been backordered for some time, arriving scratched up and destroyed because they had been bashing around the box in shipping (due to stupidly poor packaging). The earrings were sold out by that point, so they cannot be replaced. I shipped them back using a Nordstrom label, and ten days later they are still tracking as "in transit"! I am still waiting for my money. The customer service communication stinks these days, too. A month ago I returned a $1100 designer coat by mail, and never got an email confirmation (usually they send out a "we have received your returned items" email). They never notified me that the item had been processed. I had to follow, up on it myself.

They are falling apart, slowly, it seems. It's very sad because this used to be a family-owned company that cared about loyal customers and maintaining the highest standards of service.

The results are in. I filed a dispute with my credit card bank, and in the interim Ivan at Chairish issued me two $25 apology reimbursements. My dispute was approved by the bank. So unless Chairish comes back within X days with a viable argument to show why I wasn't cheated (not going to happen), the remaining charge (minus the reimbursed $50) is forever negated. This is precisely the reason most credit card contracts include at least some degree of consumer protection! Even PayPal has a buyer guarantee. I encourage abused consumers to fight the good fight. It may take a lot of time to present your case, but it feels good when you win.

I purchased a pair of "vintage" porcelain lamps, which arrived damaged, and a framed piece of "vintage" artwork that was not at all how it was described or shown in the listing. Zero for two. Do not recommend, at least for their "vintage" (a fancy word for used) offerings.

Bluefly has a 14-day return limit, after which their site will not generate a return label, and the customer has no other recourse because they have zero phone support. I ordered an item that took more than two weeks to get to me, so it was past the allowable window for return when I received it. Default final sale, possibly by design on Bluefly's part. And I am out almost $400 because it is too large for me. Steer clear of this company! They are extremely dodgy.

I ordered a linen-covered X-bench from Ballard, and received a bench so poorly executed that I donated it to a charity shop. I had opted for an upgraded fabric and studs on the bench, so it was one of their more expensive offerings in that line. Not a sale piece or a second, but fully custom. The fabric that covered the legs on the bench I received was buckled from being stretched unevenly, and was obviously creased and loose (it should have been taut and completely smooth). The padding on the seat was uneven higher on one side. The cording around the edge of the cushion was wonky and uneven. The entire thing was just slapped together. The company said they would take it back (no help on how I was supposed to pack up this very heavy bench, since I had to tear apart the box it was in to get it out), but only to remake the order. They refused to give me a refund. Given the poor quality of the example I had before me, I passed on the second try and just donated the thing. Even looking at it made me angry. The icing on the cake was that when I wrote a negative product review on their website, Ballard killed the review!