Now, you may have to excuse my ignorance as I am unaware of popular opinion, but when I make any order, whether it be fashion related or an addition to my abundance of books 1) I expect it to arrive in pristine condition, and 2) I expect it to arrive! I'm not one to order regularly from these online warehouse distribution corporations, and definitely shall be reconsidering my online wish lists after recent acquisitions!
For my first port of call I headed to ASOS, deemed the "global fashion destination for 20-something's" they are renowned for "cutting-edge fast fashion" and being "the hub of a thriving community" selling over 80,000 branded and own-branded products, such as a personal favourite 'Denim and Supply' by Ralph Lauren. I have shopped with ASOS previously in Summer 2014 purchasing a leotard for a low key festival I was to attend: in this instance I suffered no misfortune with regard to quality or delivery time so must vouch that my most recent experience could well be anomalous, though anomalous or not, the quality of the product that arrived with me was unnaceptable.
On this occasion my purchase was based on the necessity for a cheap and completely utilitarian product for an event at Junk this Easter Sunday: my outfit was to be based primarily on it's success to meet a certain level of practicality, seeing as almost every time I walk into the God-forsaken place I end up with at least half a drink poured down me by some hopeless junkie! I opted for the £25 'Bardot Wrap Jumpsuit' a skimpy, catsuit like, piece I planned to twin with my trusty Grace Vagabonds for a slinky yet alluring night look. I specifically chose to go a size up (10) as I could see on the model the fabric looked a little thin around her thighs, and new all too well my own weren't one to do me justice! With regard to delivery time I placed my order late Thursday night with 3-5 working day delivery and received my parcel that coming Tuesday, which I believe to be pretty impressive... Sadly my next experience wasn't so much. On opening my product the overall fit and look seemed to matchup to that of the provided picture: the fabric was, as I thought, rather thin and of poor quality yet I overlooked this due to the price; I came down with the jumpsuit on to show my family the purchase to only be told there was a substantial hole in the crotch with the seam higher up starting to snag in a similar way. Instantly I took a picture of the issue and emailed this to the ASOS customer service team, with no prompt reply I took to their Twitter account to coax out the devil! SUCCESS: their Twitter customer service team were incredible, instantly I received a reply and a follow in order to direct message about the issue at hand. On giving my correspondent the order details they instantaneously offered me the choice of a replacement in the post or a refund, I choosing the latter received a full refund later that evening.
I placed a second order, courtesy of my wonderful beau, again for use this Easter weekend with Missguided. Having never ordered with the company I went to a friend to ascertain the website's credibility, as all sensible young ladies would do, and with her confirmation went ahead with my virtual browse. I picked out a summery halter neck dress for twenty five pounds, with a beautiful rose print from neck to trim; to be accompanied by a pair of strappy, rose coloured, kitten heels for the same price. My order should have been £50 but Missguided were running a promotion where party outfits this Easter received 20% with discount code 'PARTY20'... Although this ended up saving me a mere £2.01 after my only available choice ended up at £2.99 for 'saver delivery' to be received in the next five days! The infuriating thing is: after not giving me the choice to pay extra to have my outfit come in time, the next day they were offering customers 'next day delivery' for £1.29! I contacted their equivalent of the customer service advisor I had used on Twitter with ASOS, as I could not understand how my order could still be 'processing' whilst customers who had ordered a day later would be receiving their deliveries on time, and for less money, whilst I would be made to wait. With these Twitter accounts you start by mentioning them in a tweet, they reply and you then direct message on the matter-at-hand after giving your order number and personal details: I followed procedure and in return received what I can only refer to as pure SASS! To my first DM I received a reply of 'how can we help you?' Despite my understanding of their team receiving a vast volume of complaints each day, I at least thought, after having taken the time to put my dilemma into the initial tweet, they would have at least taken the time to put two-and-two together to ease my distress. I explained once again my issue and was given a monosyllabic reply that this was my own fault as I had picked this delivery option and would receive my delivery in due cause. I honestly do not believe this outcome is acceptable! Having worked in a similar environment where you are dispatching male order ON TOP of our shop floor workload the policy of 'first-come-first-serve' is of the essence when dealing with customers. I understand entirely the concept of differentiation between rates when picking a delivery option, my qualm is not with this: it is that Missguided had the audacity took take away a premium delivery option for an entire day in order to boost their sales the next, and for a cheaper cost than a standard dispatch!
ASOS dealt with their mistake, taking entire responsibility for their minor mistake with an instantaneous solution. The fact that their efficiency with dealing with customer complaints is of such an impeccable standard offers sheer commendation. Missguided, on the the other hand, have taken to dealing with a matter they somehow believe to be a smart loophole in trading standards with complete blame passed to the consumer. I may be one of many, but losing one person's custom can be like losing a thousand when word-of-mouth is put to the test. From now on my perception of this organisation is condemnation, and I shall make this known to all that shall listen. I am whole-heartedly disappointed with their dealing in this matter.
Melanie
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That is terrible customer service! So many places are like that though, its sad! This is why im wary when ordering anything online.
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