La Redoute - The name is the only French thing left on the site
Written: Sep 20 '06
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I have been beaten over the head with catalogs and email offers for Le Redoute lately so I finally took the bait and ordered from them again. I have made several online purchases from the site and I find the prices higher than similar sites and the quality no better. But the incentives and sales drew me in this time.
Le Redoute is under the umbrella of Redcats USA which owns several online stores that you can use any of their credit cards with. These include MetroStyle (Lerners), Chadwicks of Boston, Lane Bryant, Jessica London, Romans, King Size Direct, and the Brylane family. "Redcats USA is a wholly owned by PPR, a leading retailer of consumer goods based in France," says the site but their executive offices are in New York City and their fulfillment centers are all in the US.
Le Redoute is the "French store" of the family which has greatly Americanized itself over the course of the last few years which is both a positive and a negative.
When it was strictly a French site (which was in English with lots of French words tossed about), the styles were very different and much trendier than their affiliates. They also sent orders straight from France. Now they come from warehouses in the Midwest. The site is now very much like MetroStyle (formerly Lerners) which just makes it a more expensive version of the same ole stuff.
However, the sizing has changed to American and that takes much guesswork out of what the heck size a person is in French terms.
What the Site Sells
The site sells a variety of women's clothing from casual to formal, shoes and boots, lingerie, accessories, and outerwear.
Navigation
This is a professional website that has categories on the left side and lots of deals in the middle where you can click on the pictures and go right to the promotion. There is also a catalog and keyword search.
They have many online exclusives you won't see in their catalogs so it is a good idea to check those out. All sales are clearly marked and easy to get to but, despite being advertised, often they are out of stock on items. That is so annoying.
They have several designers' clothing on the site but, to be honest, I never heard of any of them.
You can browse by category, clearance items, online exclusives, or by whole outfits. Photos are good and descriptions are adequate. Sizing is now American (It used to be French and I never knew what size to buy. Now it is standard American sizing.) and more true to size than it was when the clothing came from France.
If you like an item, pick a color and size and pray it is available in your choice of color and size combo. The less expensive the item, the less chance you have of getting exactly what you want. In the clearance section, you WILL be disappointed at least once while shopping because they leave the clearance stuff up long after it has completely sold out.
Items go into your cart which you can check at any time.
When you are done shopping, you will go to the checkout.
Shipping charges will be clearly noted as you add items and at check out.
You will need to enter your email address and password or, if you are a first time shopper, fill in your personal info and pick a password for tracking packages and other onsite things.
If you have a promotional code (They only allow one.), fill that in and then use your Redcats (any of the store credit cards under their umbrella) or major credit card to pay. They do not accept checks or money orders.
You will get a confirmation number and an order summary email immediately. When your order ships, you will be notified via email with a tracking number.
Orders take around a week and usually come in dark blue poly bags with items in clear plastic crinkly bags inside. If you have a big order, your order will be boxed but it's rare. I have made orders with boots and other items and they still came in a bag.
For some reason, this site seems slow to change pages. I am on a DSL and find myself waiting for the pages to load often. The other sites that are under the Redcats umbrella don't seem slow but this one takes its time.
My Experience
I liked the real French site better because they had unique clothing. Now, it's just more expensive Lerners stuff. There is a nice variety of items to choose from though, from casual to formal, and I can always find something I like.
Jeans and pants usually come in either 30 ½" and 32 ½" inseams which is great for me because I need at least a 32" inseam. But the waist sizing is confusing and it is hard to figure out what size I need.
Tops are nice and sometimes unique. Their shoe and boot selection is varied but expensive.
I generally buy sweaters and tops from the site. I like their styles and their fit is perfect because their sizes run a tad differently from other online stores. Medium usually is a size 8-10 in most tops. I am a straight on 10 and size 8-10 usually is snug. Often, I am in between a size Medium and Large (which is usually 12-14 which is too big). Le Redoute's Medium is size 10-12 so tops usually fit perfectly. In jeans, I am a size 4 (How's that for proportional?) and they are much harder to fit because there is no waist listing on the site and each jean style runs differently.
I am never thrilled with their shipping cost and try to wait for a sale of some sort to offset that. I am also charged sales tax. Yeck.
In all, I rarely shop at Le Redoute these days because they are no longer really trendy and unique. They have pretty much the same styles as their affiliate sites and department stores all over my area. Now and then, they have a good clearance sale but getting what I want in the size/color combo I want is crapshoot, one that I often lose. I get so frustrated picking out clothes I want and choosing colors and sizes only to be told the item isn't in stock. Unlike Victoria's Secret, they don't have a "What's Available in your Size" chart that pops up when something you want is out of stock, so I have to go through every color choice and see if it is in stock. Usually it isn't. Or it's the one weird, off-season, ugly color no one wants.
The sales are getting better these days - perhaps because they see their fan base shrinking.
When I do order, I usually have no problems getting my items and delivery is usually around a week or less.
I have made returns and have had no problems with exchanges or refunds.
Basically, if you really like something on this site and it is available in your size and color choice and it's not too expensive, you'll probably have a positive experience.
But don't expect anything too exceptional or too "French" anymore. Now it's just another American clothing store with somewhat elevated prices.
Shipping and Returns
Shipping prices are $4.99 to $15.99 for standard shipping with additional fees for faster shipping.
Returns are accepted within 90 days after receiving the order. You can cross exchange by reordering and then sending back the item you want to exchange. You will be credited when the item arrives at their warehouse. If you want to exchange via mail, just fill out the exchange form on the back of the invoice and enclose it with your return. Sometimes they see the exchange and sometimes they don't and they just credit you. Shipping charges are nonrefundable and you must pay to send items back as well.
They charge sales tax in Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, and Texas - a negative for me as I am in New York.
Conclusion
I shop at this site now and then but I am not blown away by their offerings. They seem to carry the same stuff that the other Redcats sites sell only more expensive. I see nothing French about this site any longer.
They're not even that trendy anymore. A search for "skinny jeans" came up with no actual skinny jeans. I mean, they are all the rage right now and very today and this site only has straight leg jeans which are nothing like skinny jeans which are slim with impossibly narrow leg openings.
I like some of their sweaters and will shop on the site from time to time but I am not impressed with much of what they offer. Their prices are higher than similar sites, their shipping is mediocre, and they charge me tax. Ugh.
Combine all that with so many out of stock items and it can lead to a very frustrating shopping experience. When they have what I want in the size and color I want, I usually have no problems and returns are straightforward. Still, nothing about the site knocks my socks off.
I give this site 3 stars. They're OK but I miss the super trendy French styles they used to sell even with the funny sizing.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Lots of clothes, boots, lingerie
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