Frances B.

I ordered bulbs and plants online from about half a dozen companies this fall. This company stood head and shoulders above the rest, for both quality and shipping practices. All of my bulbs were perfectly fresh, plump, healthy, mold free, and of good size. They were shipped in a well ventilated plastic crate, which is a genius idea. Most companies ship in taped-up cardboard cartons, and almost always there will be some mushy, blackened bulbs in there because bulbs don't like to be handled that way. I would order from Dutchgrown.com again in a heartbeat. Highly recommended.

I have purchased plants online for as long as that was an option. Before that I bought them over the phone. I have been gardening seriously for 40 years. The trees I have received from Trees of Antiquity are among the best bare root specimens I have ever purchased. The send out large-caliper, well branched trees with well developed roots. I have approximately 20 TOA fruit trees in the ground at the moment. Most of those trees produced fruit their second year. I recommend this business without reservation.

I've ordered from this company just once, but the transaction went smoothly and I am pleased with my purchase. My Isabel Marant coat was shipped from Germany to the US. It shipped quickly and arrived promptly, and was beautifully presented in a pretty yellow box nice enough to keep for storing clothing. The DHL courier did something truly stupid when my box was delivered, but that is a problem with DHL, not this company. I will order from them again.

(This portal website is is now Rakutan.com.) I've shopped through this portal for years. I was so disappointed when Nordstrom stopped their association with Ebates (criminals were abusing the system, so it's understandable, but still), but there are enough businesses that I use included on Ebates that I still get nice Big Fat Checks. Just not as fat as they used to be, alas. They have improved the website so that it is now really easy to track your "shopping trips" and your cash pending or cash back records. Once in a while a cash back has not been noted, and I have notified Ebates of this. A few years ago this notification would require some time emailing back and forth, but now it is all very quick. And I always get my money! In fact, Ebates has gone ahead and credited my account for cash back that the business has not yet credited to Ebates. This is a great business. Yes, by going through a portal you are selling your information for marketing purposes, but you are sharing all that already by galloping through the Internet. So get some cash for it.

I have shopped on Farfetch for years. They are a safe site to purchase items internationally, since they handle all the customs forms and courier scheduling. Sometimes designer goods will even be a bit less expensive obtained overseas because of a good exchange rate and no sales tax or VAT. They also require that their vendors to meet a standard of quality, so your items will almost always arrive nicely wrapped and presented. I recently received something that was not up to that standard, and Farfetch arranged for a return even though it was past the return window by the time they got my communication on the problem. I recommend Farfetch without hesitation.

I have many R&B pieces in my home. I can count off thirteen at the moment, and may have more than that. Over many years I have purchased case goods, benches (one custom), tables (one custom), and bookshelves from them, and all have been excellent quality. Their delivery service could not be better. I have a long, winding driveway that is not accessible for the huge delivery trucks furniture companies use. I always request a step-down service to deliver with a small truck. The last time I got a R&B table delivered (with a heavy stone top), the dispatcher or someone else messed up and sent out the full-size truck. The delivery guys parked down on the main road and carried the table and the stone top up to my house. It's about a quarter mile walk uphill! They could have passed on delivering and rescheduled for a smaller vehicle, but they went to all that trouble to keep the delivery appointment. That is great service. The few times I have had a problem with the quality of a R&B piece, the company has swapped out a replacement without fighting me on the issue. Highly recommended for quality merchandise and top-notch customer service!

I have used this service for numerous orders, over many years. All of the outdoor cushions they make for me last for ages. Every custom cushion I have ordered had been precise on size and shape no mistakes. The cording is done beautifully. The fabrics are high quality and so is the padding. They can be expensive, especially when you do custom shapes, but they produce a high quality product. Very dependable, ethical company.

TheRealReal offers a good service, for a price. I used to sell my closet castoffs on Poshmark, but grew uncomfortable over shipping parcels with my home address on them. Also, even though no one ever returned anything I sold, I have read too many accounts of disputes over Poshmark buyer returns. I don't have time for that kind of hassle. So I switched to TRR for selling my designer items. They handle everything — soup to nuts — from authenticating, to photos, to listing, to shipping and taking back returns. The seller does pay a chunk of the profits for all that work, as TRR offers lower commissions than some resale sites, but it is worth it to me to not have to deal with buyers.

I don't give them full marks because their website has some avoidable glitches, and their customer service is not quick to act when there are issues. Also, you end up waiting about a month for your commission check, too, which is annoying. But overall I think TRR is efficient and easy. I will continue to send them consignments.

I have many Patagonia fleece and knit jackets, and very few other items of their women's clothing. This is because their sizing can be a bit crazy. Their fit model must have the hips and chest of an adolescent boy, so if you have a womanly or muscular body you may have to order a couple sizes up from your usual especially for things like trousers and then you may experience other fit problems. I gave up on trying to get a good fit on their shorts and trousers, but I do okay on jackets (I am a very tall size 8, and a medium in Patagonia S/M/L clothing). Even then, sometimes a medium Patagonia jacket can be a little snug. Men's clothing seems to fit the same as other clothing lines: my husband takes the same sizes in Patagonia as he does elsewhere. So I dock Patagonia a star for expecting women to be built like teenage boys. But the clothing lasts for years and years, so they get a thumbs up for quality.

Order fulfillment can be iffy, especially when you're ordering sale items. However, if you place an order and they find they are out of stock in an item, they will send you an apology and a good discount code for future purchases. They don't fight customers on returns, either. Overall, I'd say they stand behind their products, even if they have an unrealistic image of an adult woman's body.

I have several DWR pieces in my home. I have had good and bad experiences with ordering from this company. The good thing I can say about them is that they do correct any problems that arise, and they don't leave the customer taking a loss. The bad thing is that you might have to fight for your rights. For example, I received an upholstered DWR chair that had been damaged in shipping (cracked wood frame). The damage was slight, but the piece was pricey and I had paid for perfect! So I demanded a return and full refund. They tried to discourage me from returning it, but they gave I when I pushed back. So if you stand up for yourself you are fine with DWR. Their delivery fees are high, it sometimes they offer deals on that.

I've purchased luxury linens from this company for many years, mostly buying items during white sales or things on close-out. It used to be an actual brick and mortar business, with stock on hand, and most orders were filled promptly. Sometimes if you purchased a brand that was offered on a manufacturer's promotion, or a retired pattern, an item would not be available or would have to be procured from the manufacturer, and that sometimes resulted in a long delay. But the contact person I dealt with, in past years, was always nice and very personable. I liked the fact that I was buying from an independent business, with a real store. I don't know what happened whether the business was sold, or something but now FLandB seems to have morphed into a purely procurement-on-order service. Everything is on a shipping delay. I see that they are now marketing themselves as an "in-store shopping experience online." But a store has stock on hand, so that characterization is not quite correct. I'm not sure this company is right for me, now. I don't need to go through a middleman, when I can buy most linens directly through the company websites. I don't need the fabric swatches they offer. I think FLandB may be courting a different kind of customer now (they have a banner on their home page saying, "Supporting estate, house and yacht managers worldwide"). I don't have an estate or a yacht, or a property manager. I am not a designer (they have always offered a designer to-the-trade program). I just like luxury linens, and I splurge once or twice a year. I hope FLandB doesn't forget their "smaller" customers, like me, while aiming for the custom of the super wealthy.

Downgrading this review for two reasons. First, a dog bath that I purchased a little more than a year ago failed exactly one week past the one-year limited warranty Chewy offers. They told me they could not do anything and to contact the manufacturer with "questions or concerns." You'd think that for an item that gets used maybe a couple times a month, at most, an extra week of warranty coverage might be logical. But no.

Second, I have submitted reviews on Chewy for that bath twice, and neither review has posted. The first review was mildly negative, pointing out some dog-safety concerns. The second was a one-star review because part of the product broke, with normal use. The product has almost all positive reviews on Chewy's website, so I suspect some cherry picking of feedback is going on here. I am so disappointed. I used to love this company.

I have purchased several items on 1st Dibs textiles, framed art, and decor. I have bought items sourced both from the US and internationally. I have had mixed experiences. It is important to check of the individual seller before making an offer. Look at all of their listed items, assessing them for consistency and quality. See whether they also have a bricks and mortar shop or gallery (that is a positive sign). I made the mistake of buying an item in haste from a seller that I later learned was also selling many ridiculously priced garage-sale junk pieces (calling this junk "vintage collector's items" or something similar). I had not taken the time to look though his full listings because I was in a hurry. That kind of flea market stock list is a huge red flag. Avoid those shops.

The bid process is pretty good on the site, although I once had a seller try to deny that he had accepted my lower bid when I who had not seen his acceptance mistakenly accepted his higher counter offer. Not sure how that happened, but I won that argument. If you tag an item as a favorite and wait, the seller may send you a discount offer after a time. The website also holds sales featuring several shops at a time, and will notify you if a shop you liked is included. Be aware that some 1st Dibs shops post prices that are hugely inflated, expecting the price to be bid down. If you do your research and you know the going price of what you are buying, this is a safe place to shop.

I am torn about giving RL even three stars because I think their web platform can be misleading (the way the automatic counteroffers work can be wonky), and because when I have complained to RL about problems I've experienced, their customer service department has been rude and dismissive. However, I have purchased several high-quality pieces of jewelry from one long-term seller on RL, and I am quite pleased with them. The seller is easy to work with, the jewelry is as described and shown, and the seller even adjusted the price of something down when I had second thoughts about the purchase. I think that RL suffers from not being choosy enough about who sells on the site. I agree with the other reviewer who says it can look like a junky garage sale. But there is at least one really great jewelry seller on there, who gets repeat business from me and (if you trust the transaction reviews) other buyers. Just be careful who you deal with.

I am a fan of R&B clothing, particularly their jeans. I usually buy their goods from Nordstrom, but have recently made a few purchases directly from the R&B website. On one order, the shoes I received were made of a very different finish of leather than was shown or described online, and I thought they were ghastly. I'd purchased them as final sale because they were at deep discount. I contacted R&B and they did take the shoes back, even paying for return shipping. On the next order, my jeans arrived in a beautiful gift box, but I was charged for that gift box and had not ordered it! They did refund my money for the box, but didn't apologize, which is annoying and a bit insulting. I mean... it was their mistake. I might stick with ordering their stuff from Nordstrom instead.

The only time so buy from HauteLook.com is when they have flash sales for a couple jewelry designers I like. So I am buying merchandise I am familiar with. I have had fairly good experiences buying from them, although I really hate the way your shopping cart times out. The thing to know about these flash sales (and this is true for all outlet sites like this) is there are items that are truly on sale styles from previous seasons, or designs that have been discontinued and items that are made for specifically for outlet stores and flash sales. I have not bought fake goods from hauteLook (that I am aware of), but when you see the same items appear on each and every flash sale it's a clear sign that those are the "fake sale" click bait items. So you need to know your merchandise. I have returned items to HauteLook without any problem, and have gotten my return shipping paid for when something was damaged in shipping.

I've ordered from this company many times, over the years. When they first started, they were an absolute mess of a business, but I ordered from them anyway because they sold some things no one else did. Now, years later, they are still pretty much a mess when it comes to fulfillment. I think they are just a "drop ship" business, with no stock on hand. Does that mean they are blameless for fulfillment delays? No. A company should not accept your order and take your money unless they know they can provide the merchandise within a reasonable time (based on the customer's choice of shipping speed). If an item is back ordered, a customer should be informed of that at the time of purchase. Gracious Home does nothing of the kind. Recently, I was notified a month after I had ordered and paid for an item that the ESTIMATED shipping date is in two months. Three months to fulfill an order? This is not the first time this has happened to me. GH is no longer a unique business, or sole supplier of any product, as they were in the early days. They need to clean up their act and catch up with the (superior) competition.

(Update: I did, finally, receive the replacement battery pack. Took about six weeks to get it.)

I have had three Dyson upright models, over the years, and I now own an upright and a Dyson Animal V8 stick vacuum. The uprights have had to be replaced because crucial (non-replaceable) plastic parts eventually break on them, while the motor on the vacuum still works perfectly well. Dyson offers a generous trade-up program, to get customers to purchase the newest models. I strongly suspect that this planned obsolescence is part of their business model: make a vacuum with a great motor but choose other materials that have a short lifespan. Since they can't milk you for crazy expensive vacuum bags and filters, like other companies do (Miele, for instance), they get you to replace your expensive vacuum every few years.

Their cordless vacuums are built using a plastic-encased battery pack that costs around $100 US to replace. The battery pack on my V8 died after less than a year of light use. It is under warranty, and Dyson told me that a replacement had been sent, shortly after I requested one. But it's been almost three weeks and I have not received it, nor have they given me the tracking number I requested. At first they told me it would arrive in 7-10 days. When I complained about the delay, they changed that to, "It generally takes 10-15 BUSINESS days" to arrive. Three weeks? I don't believe they have shipped it.

I would never purchase the stick vacuum again. It's obvious I am going to have to pay for battery pack replacements every year or two, after the warranty runs out. I will stick with the upright models in future.

Purchased a Speck case for an iPad. The one I received made the buttons on my decide impossible to use, so I contacted customer service. They said that all of their cases are "tested by a lab" before being sent out. Really? If so, it must be a Labrador retriever. The case also had horribly sharp edges that could slice skin. The response from customer service, when I complained about this, was, "Our cases are designed that way." Again, really? I ended up returning the case, using a prepaid label they provided. But the refund has been slow in coming. I won't be shopping here again.

I still buy the occasional Annie's Annuals plant at my local garden center, mostly because they're isn't a lot of choice, but I no longer order them online. I used to place huge orders. A few years ago one order was something like 65 plants! I was initially impressed by the quality of their plant stock and their packaging for shipping. But then they sent me some truly rubbish plants and did not replace them or reimburse me for the loss. They also misrepresented a plant and lied about it when I called them out for it. For that deception, they were selling a variegated mutation of a common plant, which I knew had to be propagated from a cutting. What they sent me was non-variegated seedling. When I contacted Annie's, their "expert" tried to tell me that the plant would change color as it got older. That is a blatant lie, and was insulting to me, a customer who is a knowledgeable plantswoman. The other incident that turned me off of Annie's involved plants that arrived nearly dead, and ultimately died. Annie's claims that they guarantee their plant stock. I reported those damaged or diseased plants upon receipt, and was told to keep an eye on them and report back if they did not make it. I was told that they would replace any that failed. When the plants died and I contacted the company, as instructed, I was brushed off. They simply stopped responding. So I stopped ordering. Do not recommend.