Online shopping is ideal for people who don’t have the time to go shopping and for people who work all week and get shopping cravings on weekdays, when actually going out isn’t possible. I enjoy online shopping, particularly for books and DVDs and I’m pretty regular with landmarkonthenet, ebay, and more recently with flipkart. Recently I heard about fashionandyou.com, and despite all the bad reviews that I’d read (and surprisingly some good ones), I decided to give them a try. To be safe, I opted for "cash on delivery" (COD). First, I didn’t want to give this site my credit card information, and second, it’d be no loss to me if the bad reviews I read about the place were true and these guys actually didn’t deliver as promised. I’ve had a mixed experience so far... let me explain:
My first order was a handbag... this order was placed over two months ago. When I went to "order history, " all I saw was "To Be Dispatched" for over a month. I wrote to the fashionandyou customtakeouter service a couple of times (support@fashionandyou.com), but they initially didn’t bother to revert. Just to see if I could get a reaction, after I wrote to them three times with no response, I finally got sick of it and just emailed them this note: "still waiting for an update... believe me, the worse your customtakeouter service, the more the negative feedback about you guys will spread." This time they replied within a few hours and just said "We have requested the concerned departments to update us on your order." That really helps, "Team Fashion and You." Then a few minutes later, I get another email telling me that my order has been cancelled because the product didn’t meet their "quality standards." What quality and what standards can fashionandyou talk about after the harassment they put every customtakeouter through?
For the first order, I’d used a voucher to pay for the bag partly and opted to pay the balance using cash on delivery. After a couple of days, they refunded the voucher amount to my account to be used for a future purchase. I used it against perfume and after a month of playing cat and mouse, my order was finally delivered last week. What I appreciated was that it was really securely packed (too much bubble wrap though) and in a beautiful red velvet pouch, although even that didn’t make up for all the waiting and following up with them.
Between me placing my first order and it getting cancelled, I also ordered some designer mugs and a spice rack, again opting for the cash on delivery option. Surprise, surprise, that was actually delivered to my home after about six weeks (a month and a half) of placing the order. Fortunately the products were in good shape, and not broken (I’d read a review where a person received cracked mugs). Going by my experience, I’d say the best chance you have in getting what you’ve ordered is if you’ve selected cash on delivery. If they don’t have your money yet, they will eventually send you the stuff you order. My latest order was a designer bag, again split between a voucher and cash on delivery. I was expecting this order to be cancelled, but was pleasantly surprised when it was delivered yesterday about three weeks after I placed the order, which isn’t bad, but the bag seems kind of old. I’m assuming they’re selling old stock, but the discount was substantial, so I’m not complaining.
What really irks me is that the fashionandyou site states, "If when you receive your parcel you notice that it is damaged you should refuse to accept it." However, the courier guys (regardless of which courier company they’ve used, it keeps changing) will argue that you can’t open the package until you pay for it (if it’s cash on delivery) and that he’s going to leave the parcel with you no matter what, and also you can only open and check the condition of the product after you’ve paid. So baschandru021y, if they do send you something damaged, even if you’ve tried to be safe by using cash on delivery, you’re stuck with a defective product. From what I’ve seen of their customtakeouter service, when they won’t even update you on your order status before they have your money, they’re definitely not going to bother responding after they have your money.
The site really also needs to improve the functionality. The status of your order will be "Awaited" until they get a telephone confirmation from you for COD orders (the only time you can expect them to call you or expect to actually get through to them on the phone), then it will change to "To Be Dispatched". Then it will change to "In-Transit" and they provide a tracking ID, but they don’t provide any information of which courier company they are using. So what’s the point of the tracking ID? How would a customtakeouter know where to track the order? And they send a mail out when the order is supposedly dispatched, which will say you’ll get your order between 2-7 days, which NEVER happens. It’s a minimum 10 day wait. And if you aren’t home when it gets delivered, the crazy dance begins again. I’ve even written to them each time saying what am I supposed to do with a tracking ID when I have no clue which courier company it’s coming through? I was lucky enough to get a response once, but for the other two orders, I got no response and just had to wait in suspense. Also, you can’t view any details or images of your order through order history. You won’t even be able to see the breakup - like how much is split across the voucher and how much cash needs to be paid on delivery. The site needs a major makeover, as does their customtakeouter service department.
And here’s what is just plain funny. Fashionandyou.com actually includes these sentences in their mails after your order has been dispatched (if you’re so lucky): "Remember, your satisfaction is our first priority! If there’s anything that we can do to help make your experience at Fashionandyou.com more enjoyable, please let us know. It is our pleasure to serve you." I mean seriously how can they write this!!! They don’t revert to any mails for days and it’s obvious that they have no intention to serve their customtakeouters in any way or make our experience even bearable, forget pleasurable!
Even though I did get the stuff I ordered after a longggggg wait (except the bag, which was delivered surprisingly quickly) and I do like the sales they have, I’m not sure I’m going to use their services anymore, no matter how tempting their sales may seem. With them, it’s like someday when you’ve forgotten that you placed an order or have just given up on it, a courier arrives at your doorstep. While that may be exciting for some people, it’s annoying to me. I lose interest and I just don’t have the time or patience to follow-up and hope for a response. Their complete lack of customtakeouter service and terrible communication is really off-putting, as is the long wait after placing an order. If you don’t mind getting a product a month or more after you’ve ordered it and if you don’t mind waiting in suspense to see if it’ll actually be delivered, fashionandyou is for you. I have to admit they have some good deals, but I just don’t have the patience for them and value my sanity too much!