dbsnyc
Customer service and quality issues…
I have been shopping with A+O almost exclusively since 2012 and my entire closet is filled with their clothes which is why I’m giving 3 stars rather than one. I love the aesthetic and I love that their clothes generally run small enough to fit me which is an issue with other designers. That having been said, the customer service is absolutely atrocious. A few years back, I received a final sale item that had numerous pulls in the silk fabric and asked to return it on that basis. When I was denied, I was pretty upset considering how much money I regularly spend there and my response was a bit harsh, something along the lines of “You sent me garbage and expect me to be stuck with it?” Apparently my use of the word garbage was so deeply offensive that it prompted them to tell me that the company takes tremendous pride in the quality of their items (weird hill to stand on when you send defective items) and I was welcome to discontinue shopping with them. I will say they did allow me to “return” it once I’d provided confirmation that I’d placed a new order for the same item. Several years later, it’s still in my closet in the original plastic bag which I’ve never opened. Fast forward to now. Still shopping there because of the aesthetic and fit - truly the only reasons. Amazingly, the quality seems to go down from season to season. I have a handful of items that I consider archival pieces at this point which are still in perfect condition, yet I just had the embellishments fall off a brand new $295 t-shirt after 4 hours of wearing and a $395 skirt that pilled and frayed after just 2 wearings. I’ve contacted customer service literally 5x about the t-shirt asking how I can get it fixed since I can’t return it and haven’t even received the courtesy of a response. For my birthday this year, I treated myself to a skirt and sweater which I haven’t yet opened and now feel I have no choice but to return. I’d like to note that at $395 for a basic short sleeve sweater with a bow, I’d have expected that the bow be tied beautifully when I received it instead of haphazardly placed around the collar untied, but that in itself isn’t a dealbreaker. Quality is. I can’t rely on these items to fare better than any of my other recent full price purchases and I definitely can’t rely on customer service to respond to me or assist me if I have an issue. The sizing has also become increasingly inconsistent. Back in 2012, the clothes ran so small that I often sized up. Now the size 0s are sometimes too large for me and it’s not as though I can size down. I’ve had things tailored but honestly who wants to pay for the tailoring of low quality, high priced items? I think the company itself is so focused on celebrity culture and “influencers” that it genuinely doesn’t care about its loyal customer base. I’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars with a company that literally told me I should stop shopping with them if I’m going to complain about damaged final sale items. I worked in fashion retail for years and can’t wrap my head around that response to this day. Goodbye to my birthday present to myself this year. You’re beautiful, but I don’t trust you not to fall apart. I’d still keep you if only customer service cared enough to acknowledge any of my 5 emails about the t-shirt that fell apart. I asked for A+O gift cards for my birthday this year too - big mistake - and I already had my eye on a brand new top to buy (more than the gift cards would cover) but I can’t convince myself to go out of pocket for anything else at this time. I’m very sad that my favorite brand doesn’t care enough to give me the time of day. Fast fashion clothes should be at fast fashion prices. If I bought an embellished t-shirt from H&M, I’d expect it to fall apart! I didn’t expect that from Alice + Olivia. Lastly, I have to agree with other reviewers regarding the in-store experience - it’s why I generally shop online and not in stores. I actually had a great experience last week at the Madison Ave store in NYC and, come to think of it, I’ve always fared well in that store, but I no longer live on the UES so it’s a bit of a trek. In every other store I’ve visited, I’ve felt like I was being followed around by sales associates who tried to upsell me every five seconds, talk me into items I didn’t want, insist I try them on anyway and then tell how amazing they look even when I feel like the complete opposite is true. I’m my own stylist, always have been, and I have a knack for it. I also have prior experience as a personal shopper. The A+O store experience is a DON’T. You may get customers to buy more than they planned to, but you won’t get them back into your stores. People don’t like feeling pressured or manipulated. Please reconsider how you treat your loyal customers. There’s a finite amount of time we’ll stick around for poor quality and almost non-existent customer support.