Great Online Service from a Great Clothing Chain
Written: Aug 08 '01
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The Bottom Line
The selection, customer service, and the site's ease of use are all excellent features of this site. You can also find great deals/sales exclusive to jcrew.com
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As a small person who buys clothes for myself as well as for people even smaller than I am, I am always looking to buy clothes online. I get fed up in shopping malls because nothing in the store is in my size, or worse, the store does not even make clothes in my size ... and I am quietly directed to the children's department. At jcrew.com, though, there are hundreds of designs, ranging from dressy to casual.
Selection
Although I have shopped jcrew.com selection of men's and women's clothing, I usually stick to wearing the clothing meant for males. Usually I am on the lookout for dressy pants, because these are the most difficult articles of clothing for me to find in a regular store. At jcrew.com, though, you can specify the waist size (between 28 and 42) and inseam length (26" - 36" or unhemmed)on most pairs of pants. So, if you know your sizes, the process of buying pants is as easy as clicking to find the pair you want, selecting the color your want and your sizes, then entering in your shipping/billing information. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? I think so. The only problem that I have run into is that sometimes items are not available in my size or the color I want. If this is the case, jcrew.com tells you when the item you requested will be available, and gives you the option to pay for it with your current order or wait to pay once it is back in stock. If only one element of your order is out of stock, such as the size or color, jcrew.com suggests another color or asks you to pick another size. Usually you can find a 31 instead of a 30 or gray instead of black, or you can just wait until it is available again.
Pants are not the only items I shop for, though, so don't worry! The links I always click at jcrew.com are the ones that take my poor self directly to the jcrew.com sales. These links are divided into "men," "women," and "childrens" categories, much like the format of the rest of the site. Whatever category it is that you are interested, there is bound to be something on sale. Click on the topic you want (pants, shirts, skirts, dresses, etc.) and a few pictures will pop up and a list of the rest of what is featured in that category. I like to click the "view all" button because I don't really know what "garberdine" is and really need to see it. The "view all" button will pop up little thumbnail images of every article of clothing in that particular category. If you like something you see or want a better look, just click that thumbnail and a larger picture will appear.
Site Ease
Once you arrive at jcrew.com, the menu that greets you is pretty self-explanatory. You click on the button that represents what you want to do/for whom you want to shop. The words "men," "women," and "kids" appear right at the top of the page. You just click one of these and it will take you right to the proper catalog. Other helpful links at the top of the home page, once you've placed an order, are "your account" and "help desk." You can log into "your account" and check the status of your orders, and track their shipping progress (you will be prompted to register an account when you place your first order).
Other points of interest on the home page are the "store locator" button and the clearance deals. If you find what you want online but still want to check it out, you can use the store locator to find a jcrew store near you. And, of course, the clearance button will lead you to the current specials running on jcrew.com. There are always some good deals . To hear about these without visiting the site all the time, you can just join their email list, by clicking the "join our email list" link on the home page, and you will be kept informed of new sales, many exclusive to jcrew.com.
Customer Service
I have talked with jcrew.com representatives on the phone several times. They are always cheerful, helpful and courteous to me. The one thing i absolutely hate about calling any business is getting some automated person giving me thirty options, none of which I what I want. At jcrew.com you won't have to worry with this one bit. If you need help just click the "help desk" link at the top of the home page. At the bottom there is an option for "live help." This is amazing and I didn't believe it, but all you do is enter your phone number and they call you ... instantly. How is that for customer service?! The man on the phone that time was very helpful and answered my question right away. You can also write them, email them, and call them yourself (links to all of these options are provided in the online help desk).
The only (minor) problem I have ever had with jcrew.com is I ordered something in June, which they told me would not be available until late July. When it became available they would send it to me. Just the other day I received a postcard from them saying that they were sorry but there has been a delay and it would be a while longer. The postcard was such a nice touch that I have politely forgotten that I was supposed to receive the item last week!
Shipping and Returns
Related to customer service is the topic of shipping and returns. I say this because I have received items from jcrew.com that either did not fit me or did not fit the person for which they were intended. This is no problem. All I did was answer a few questions about why I wanted to return the item (one of which was "I just don't want it"), put the return label on a package, and mailed the item back to them for a full refund (they also do exchanges).
The shipping options jcrew.com provides are very reasonable . Shipping starts at five dollars (for the first twenty-five dollars) and increases a dollar or so every twenty-five dollars after that. You can also select faster deliveries, which is five dollars extra for three business days and ten dollars extra for overnight mail.
Conclusion
Overall, I would say that jcrew.com is one of the best, if not the best online apparel store I have found. The selection is great, the sales are plentiful, and the customer service representatives are quick to serve, helpful, and friendly.
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 4 members
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