February 22, 2010

Beware of BeyondTheRack.com

If you don't know by now, I'm an avid fan of online shopping. I love the sometimes overwhelming amount of choices, the ease of browsing and the great prices. I've been championing online shopping FOREVER to those I know are still leary about it. That being said, I knew I was long overdue for a "bad online shopping experience".

Enter BeyondTheRack.com...

Beyond The Rack (BTR) is similar to all of the other sample sale sites (ie: ideeli, Gilt, Hautelook) that offer nice and sometimes unbelieveable discounts on designer brands. In most cases, you have to be ready with credit card in hand when the sale starts and also be prepared to make a decision and check out within 15 minutes or you will essentially miss out. With that type of pressure, it's impulse shopping at its finest!

I sign up for all of the sites and usually only visit when I see a designer I know and love. That being said, when I saw that a Dolce Vita sale was happening at BTR, I immediately went to the site in hopes to find the "Claire" shoe I'd been stalking on other sites a few days prior. When I saw that BTR had the shoe in my size AND in the color I wanted for more than 60% off retail, I ran to my purse and grabbed my credit card like a mad woman! Typing as fast as a stenographer, I had my order completed and paid for in under 10 minutes. I felt so accomplished! LOL!

Now, here I am over 3 weeks later...BTR has charged my account and my item has yet to ship. I experienced a similar situation with Gilt when it took over a month to receive my UES shoes BUT Gilt did not take out the money until the shoes shipped. Now, THAT I can live with. I hate the waiting but at LEAST I still have my money. As I began researching BTR, I stumbled upon some interesting reviews at storecrowd.com (click here to read them). There are several complaints of exteremly long shipping times as well as bad and unresponsive customer service.

I should've done this research prior to my purchase but being that BTR is associated with O Magazine, I thought it would be a reputable website. My mistake. Needless to say, I sent an email to BTR inquiring about my shipment and have yet to receive a response (big surprise). If and when I receive my order, I will be severing all ties with Beyond the Rack and its shenanigans.

As usual, I'll keep you abreast of any new developments within this soap opera. Until then, happy non-BTR shopping!



P.S. If you've had a good BTR shopping experience, by all means, please share your story. I would love to know how it feels to have BTR on my good side.


**UPDATE**
I finally received my shoes on February 26th which was 4 weeks after my order date. Although I love my shoes, the lack of communication on BTR's part still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It will be awhile (if ever) before I order from BTR again.

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12 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

This is so very important! Thank you for sharing.

February 22, 2010 at 10:28 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've had a great shopping experience with Beyond the Rack. Yes my goods took 3 weeks to get to me, but this was something they made me aware of from the start. As well, all my emails to customer service have always been answered and I found the customer service staff to be very helpful

February 22, 2010 at 1:13 PM  
Blogger Nikia Jefferson said...

@NikStar, thanks for reading! I just want to keep my readers informed.

@Anonymous, it's been 3 weeks and my items haven't even shipped yet. Plus, it's now been 4 days since I contacted them and I still haven't received a reply. I'm glad your experience was better than mines. :-/

February 22, 2010 at 7:41 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I waited over 5 weeks before my item shipped out. A friend of mine explained to me the likely reason: some online stores are less like stores than they are brokers. They charge you right away for the items you purchase so that they can buy the items from their supplier. That way, they have zero risk because they don't purchase anything that hasn't already been bought and paid for by their customer.

March 5, 2010 at 11:42 AM  
Blogger Nikia Jefferson said...

Yep! And I learned that the hard way. My biggest gripe is moreso about the lack of communication. If it's going to take 4-5 weeks for me to receive my item, let me know that...and preferably up front. That's all I'm asking.

March 6, 2010 at 10:00 AM  
Anonymous Beyondtherack said...

Dear chi-town fashionista, I hope this will help you and your readers better understand was has been going on. Sometimes a company grows so quickly that the needs of its customers temporarily outpace its ability to provide the superior service those customers deserve. Over the past few months, more than a half million new members joined Beyond the Rack. While this growth in membership has brought incredible energy to our Club, it’s also strained our capacity to deliver your orders, and respond to calls and emails, as quickly as we should.
I want to assure you that we’re fully aware of the inconvenience these issues have caused, and to tell you that we are working around the clock to make things better. To ensure the best service moving forward, we’ve invested in new systems and improved internal processes that will allow us to keep pace with our growth. We’ve added more team members in customer service and our warehouse, and are working closely with our suppliers to reduce the time it takes to deliver your orders.
Our goal is to be your number one fashion shopping choice. For us that means the best brands, the best prices, and the best service. There’s lots and lots of great shopping to come, and we want you with us all the way! Feel free to contact me at twitter@beyondtherack.com if you have any questions or if you would like me to check on an order for you. Thanks.

March 10, 2010 at 4:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear Chi-town fashionista, I have had very bad experience with beyond the rack. I have placed a few orders with them, I have only received 1 of the items so far. Orders have either been 1. not shipped (over a few months now) 2. shipped partially. I am particularly pissed with the shipped partially one because I was never advised that the order will be split. I am a few thousand dollars out and I only received $30 worth of my order! I am so upset!
@ Beyond the rack - I got the above message from "the CEO" too but you have to understand that when I am out a few thousands dollars here, it's hard to stay patient for months on end.

March 15, 2010 at 3:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm so angry, I've been waiting for more than 2 months, and my items are not yet shipped! Now I just don't want them, I want money back, and BTR din't answer 3 my emails... never again!!!

April 8, 2010 at 5:20 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

BTR has come a long way. Since my email from the CEO, they have been sending me post order emails letting me know what the status is on my orders. Love this since i am now informed. I also ordered a Prada bag a few weeks ago and I got it one week later. Loving them right now!Keep it up. BTW, I also called customer service on another order and they were so nice and helpful. I think they are turning around nicely.

April 21, 2010 at 9:51 PM  
Anonymous BeyondtheRack said...

Hi there!

We’ve greatly improved our customer service response time since the beginning of the year (we actually listen to our customers’ complaints!), so it’s really strange that you didn’t receive an answer from us—especially after three tries! Yikes!

If for any reason your issue is still pending, I invite you to contact me directly at sharona@beyondtherack.com. I assure you I will get back to you within 24 hours.

April 26, 2010 at 8:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I get replies back from Beyond the Rack...but not my order!!!
It's been delayed for weeks!!
Why is it that they don't even consider to make it up to us?
They should!!
We order...and then keep getting emails about how our order will be delayed! And they don't even offer some way to make it up to us!!

April 28, 2010 at 2:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hai abt the money being taken be4hand. you should check out fashionandyou it has a cash on delivery policy which is very cool.

June 1, 2010 at 11:25 PM  

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