Friday, August 6, 2010

Rue La La ruined my weekend

So remember when I posted Wednesday about how excited I was to get some great items from the Lily Pulitzer sale on Rue La La? Including this beauty of a dress that many of you commented I was lucky to have gotten?

Well... I was excited about this dress...ecstatic, because I LOVE peacocks and come on..it's gorgeous!

So, imagine my surprise when I opened up my email today and saw a lovely little email with the subject line, "Information regarding your Rue La La order". I open it and this is what it says...

"We are sorry to have to tell you that the merchandise listed below has become unavailable, and has been removed from your order.

1 Lilly Pulitzer "Sandpiper" Peacock Silk Dress

Before sending merchandise out to our Members, we take a close look at everything in the shipment. On rare occasions like this, an issue arises with an item and the order cannot be fulfilled. We've removed the merchandise in question from your order and, of course, you will not be charged for it.

We know how disappointing this is, and we sincerely apologize. If there is anything further we can do for you, please write to us at AtYourService@RueLaLa.com or call us toll-free at 888-992-LALA (5252). We will be glad to answer any questions or to assist you in any way that we can.

Thank you so much for your understanding, and for being a Rue La La Member.

Sincerely, Your Rue La La Concierge"
Um....

WHAT THE @$%#$%#$%!!!

First of all... that's all the explanation I get? That's all I get for a sale they know sold out in minutes, for a sale they knew was very, very popular? All I get is "has become unavailable"? What...did one of Rue La La's employee's sister's friend's nurse's aunt's cousin want the dress and they took it away from me to give to her??

And to top it off - to make it right and make me feel better about this huge loss, they offer me "we sincerely apologize". Oh. That makes me feel better. >:(

Rue La La, this would have been preferable for your email:
"We feel awful about this because we know you were one of the lucky ones to snag this dress - so in return, we have put you at the top of a waiting list - so if one of these dresses is returned in your size, it's yours - and at a $25 discount to ease your emotional distress.

However, if we do not receive a dress back in 30 days, we are giving you a $50 credit to your Rue La La account to make up for OUR mistake with your order. We know that when you got the email 'Your order is confirmed' that was a contract that we promised you that item - so we're making up for it with the $50 gift."

Seriously. Where is the customer service Rue La La? I know it's just a dress..but...you saw it... that wasn't JUST a dress. Ugg. I don't know if I'm more upset about the fact that I've lost this dress or upset about the way Rue La La handled it.

So I emailed them back and explained how disappointed I was in them... you know, because when your mom told you, "I'm not mad, just really disappointed", you felt worse?

I also explained that I was shocked at how poorly they handled it - by giving me no explanation and nothing to "make it right". I think I may have even mentioned that I was "in tears", which I'm not, but it definitely adds a dramatic effect to it, right?

While I'm sure Rue La La will feel so badly to hear little 'ol me is in tears and will rush to give me the dress or a credit... ha, right... I didn't think it could hurt to send them an email and let them know just how I feel. I have a feeling my email might be the "Hilarious and sad customer email of the week" at next week's Rue La La staff meeting.

But little do they know that I'm blogging about it right now - and hopefully this post will be the third or fourth (or 1 millionth) search result when someone Googles 'Rue La La'.

I AM really disappointed - because I've always been a big fan of Rue La La, over Gilt, Ideeli, etc. But now I'm like...should I continue to shop with them? What if this happens again? Can my soul take the emotional toll again?

So I'll keep you posted if I get a response. I might get three more emails telling me the rest of my order items have 'become unavailable', but at least I stood up for myself! :*(

Maybe I should email Lily herself! I'm sure she would want to know about this monstrosity involving HER brand.

FINE PRINT: In case you couldn't tell, this post is laced with sarcasm - I'm not that materialistic...but I am VERY upset...understandably, right?


Did this happen to anyone else with their orders??

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

That has happened to me before as well and I was S.H.O.C.K.E.D. Distraught, yes. Emotional, definitely. I wish I had thought to email! I've learned that when I am disappointed with a product or service someone has offered that it is important to be assertive in my handling of the situation. Many, many times over, I've gotten exactly what I asked for-- and more. I hope that pans out for you as well. It's the least they could do for causing you so much emotional stress! That dress is to die!

Angela Noelle said...

I've never shopped at Rue La La, but I have had it happen with other orders before--I think Anthropologie was a culprit one time. It's such a bummer to think you're getting a great deal on something you really love and then have the rug pulled out from under you like that. I guess it's just the risk of shopping online. Sort of like shopping in a store and two people grab the last scarf at the same time... except it just takes longer to realize you're the loser in online shopping :/

Liane said...

I'm surprised they did not offer a credit - usually when I've had this happen in the past with Rue La La, they did give some kind of credit for the issue. I'd suggest calling them, the squeaky wheel gets the oil, you know...

L.A.S. said...

Oh NO! I cannot believe that happened to you. Good for you for emailing them! Hilarious, but true and to the point. Hope your weekend gets a little bit better after starting off on RueLaLa's sour note.

Lauren said...

Ooooh Girl! I would be at Rue La Pssh's headquarters with a posse in tow.

One little thing can ruin a huge outlook. I'm sorry it was you. I loved the dress too and was disappointed I weigh too much to fit into it.

Hannah said...

Ohh, that stinks--I am so sorry! I have always loved that dress, but never got it. They should at least give you a little something for the trouble! I have always liked them over the other sites, too. Found you via Friday FOllow!

Token Yankee said...

That is ridic. They should have offered you a discount on another item. I mean something at least!

living well said...

Yeah, this actually happened to me with another Lilly sale on Rue La La about two years ago. I was sooo bummed. Did you say they are giving you a $50 credit though? That's definitely better than the $10 I got! That really stinks though - so sorry to hear it!

Mimi said...

that is really horrible! while i was reading the email they sent you, i was looking for something to explain why it "has become available". it all really sounds so shady. sorry about that, hope your weekend turns out okay though.

<3, Mimi
http://whatmimiwrites.blogspot.com/

Katy said...

I'm sorry for your loss. :-)

I didn't order that dress, but everything I ordered shipped. The last time I ordered Lilly I sent one of the dresses back because it didn't fit. They wound up crediting me for the entire order. When I emailed them telling them they credited me too much they just told me not to worry about it for being honest. So it helped fund this purchase.

I would just email them back and ask about a possible waiting list for any returns. RueLaLa actually has a pretty great customer service once you get ahold of them.

Sunshine and Summertime said...

OHHH NO!!!!

I'm so sorry RLL did that to you! Maybe they will reply to your email with something to make you feel a little better! This didn't happen to me, in fact, my order will probably come either today or Monday, according to UPS's tracking site.

You should definitely email Lilly and inform her of this injustice! While you have her ear, make sure to tell her that I NEED this dress too! :)

Don't let it ruin your weekend! I keep hearing it shows up on eBay pretty frequently. Right now there's a size 2 listed.

xoxo

SprinklePrep said...

i hate it when this sort of thing happens! especially if you cant get hold of somthing you really love! or dont live near a lily store :( (like me lol) xXx

Glitterista said...

That is so diasppointing! Sorry to hear that, but I am very glad to be a new follower of your blog! I am excited to read your older posts this weekend! :)

Miss Southern Prep said...

That's so sad, I hate when that happens! I'd suggest looking for it on ebay!

DSS said...

I did have that happen to me once from RuLaLa. I wondered the same thing...'DID SOMEONE WHO WORKS THERE WANT IT???'. I never found out, but I was irritated for a long, long time. I have only recently begun to shop them again.

So sorry for your loss :( When you are really excited about something, and then it doesn't end up happening it is always a downer. RuLaLa had better watch itself...a bad reputation is almost impossible to reverse in blog land!