Retailers and their customer service - good and bad.

[guardimp]

I cannot understand how sharing positive experiences is balancing out the discussion. Darklands has policies that go against the law. The store has terrible customer service for the online store unless you just pay them and like what you get. They refuse to provide measurements, don't offer returns, blacklist people who speak any ills of their business.

[upsilonkng]

It's not necessarily defending them, it is sharing positive experiences people have had with the store rather than negative, balancing out the discussion. People clearly have axes to grind, some of us are just happy with the service we receive from the store and and are uncomfortable with the perception being that DL only provides poor service when that obviously isn't the case.

imagine if DL was able to reproduce their online experience instore?!?
that would be amazing, things would be hung above u in 4 sizes but in a random order, u would walk up to the item u wanted w/ no way of seeing the sizes and u would push one of the unmarked black buttons hoping u picked the right one, once u do that u enter ur CC info and the item drops down and if the item doesn't fit, tough titty. U can hang that item which doesn't fit back onto the rack which goes back up and a voucher appears from the machine and if u ask for help they will have security throw u out w/ a threat to never return. thus making ur voucher extremely useful or not...

[DudleyGray]

Darklands is like the soup Nazi of the fashion world. No CCP for you!

[grapefruitpop]

My experience with DL:

3 BBS items, over $1000+ (back when his pricing wasnt retarded) no customs/taxes at all. Campbell gave me his signature sizing advice and it was actually spot on.

At the end of the day, their reputation is what it is and rather than whining about it just choose not to shop there. Easier for everyone.

[Mikevigar]

My experience with DL:

3 BBS items, over $1000+ (back when his pricing wasnt retarded) no customs/taxes at all. Campbell gave me his signature sizing advice and it was actually spot on.

At the end of the day, their reputation is what it is and rather than whining about it just choose not to shop there. Easier for everyone.

Afuckingmen.

[the breaks]

Obviously nobody who's gotten the wrong end of the stick with DL is ever going back to them.

Are you saying you don't see any point in also warning others about what might happen when if shop there?

e: and for what it's worth, while a thousand dollars might not be a big deal to a baller like you, someone else might actually feel like having a bit of a whine when they're out a grand and the store is telling them to fuck off...

e2: oh and before anyone says it, I'm not one of those people... I saw the warning signs and took my business elsewhere :)

[Zenith]

...thus making ur voucher extremely useful or not...

Some of us didn't even get the voucher/credit.

[Lucky Strike]

Obviously some people had great experiences with DL...I don't think anyone is debating that. To me customer service is not about taking your order, and shipping it to you. I don't tip when I buy a burger at McDonalds.
Its when things actually go wrong that customer service is tested. So to those people who are vouching for DL...in what way did DL help you other than providing correct measurements? (which in my book is pretty standard anyway).

Maybe we just have different opinions on customer relations? I consider 1/10 bad transactions to be an awful record. And considering DL is a pretty big player on this market, I think people should me told about their policy.

[byhand]

...in what way did DL help you other than providing correct measurements?

Campbell doesn't provide measurements to online shoppers. He asks the shopper for weight, waist and height measurements and then HE picks the correct size. A shopper who is familiar with a particular brand's sizing quirks can simply ask for a particular size and then complete the transaction. Otherwise, one is in the hands of the staff's best judgement, which theoretically isn't a bad policy. Sizing can be wonky for a lot of this niche stuff, and as a person who handles the items daily, Campbell and staff are uniquely qualified to pair an online shopper with the correct size.

As a psychological tool this policy is also a way to engage the online shopper in conversation, a sort of meet and greet, which is an opportunity to build relationships and possibly help ensure repeat business.

[Lucky Strike]

...in what way did DL help you other than providing correct measurements?

one is in the hands of the staff's best judgement, which theoretically isn't a bad policy.

engage the online shopper in conversation, a sort of meet and greet, which is an opportunity to build relationships and possibly help ensure repeat business.

I agree. That is all good. However that is just part of the transaction. Purchases are made in 3 steps. Before, during and after. Firstly you must present and market the goods. Then make the actual purchase as pleasant as possible. In these two categories Im sure DL is doing just fine. But equally important is after the purchase is made.
And if DL are serious about building repeat business, neglecting returns that are constituted by EC law, is a very very bad strategy. One unsatisfied customer equals ten unsatisfied customers.

Ive never shopped at darklands, because of their policy. Im sure Im not alone. That's a lot of money lost because of a few returns.

[Faust]

It's not necessarily defending them, it is sharing positive experiences people have had with the store rather than negative, balancing out the discussion. People clearly have axes to grind, some of us are just happy with the service we receive from the store and and are uncomfortable with the perception being that DL only provides poor service when that obviously isn't the case.

What THE FUCK are you talking about, balance out? We are not discussing a Rick Owens collection here. I understand a mix up or two, even a confrontation or two. This shit is out of control.

[Faust]

My experience with DL:

3 BBS items, over $1000+ (back when his pricing wasnt retarded) no customs/taxes at all. Campbell gave me his signature sizing advice and it was actually spot on.

At the end of the day, their reputation is what it is and rather than whining about it just choose not to shop there. Easier for everyone.

It's not whining, it's preventing others from getting scammed.

[550BC]

they do give measurements when you ask for it politely, yes they might be difficult about it compared to other retailers and thats a bad factor. nonetheless if you ask it the correct way, the always give you the measurements. Campbell and Estefania most of the time provided me with this when needed. Besides the online experience, Darklands is by far the best in-store experience when it comes to this niche

[byhand]

It's idiotic that Campbell doesn't manage online customer relations in a more friendly way. Driving a customer to vent about his bad experience online over the mismanaged selling of a ring is full-on retarded.

The EU law enables unscrupulous shoppers to use stores like Darklands as a personal closet. A shopper can purchase various items online, wear them and then return them. Rinse and repeat. I have firsthand experience with retail customers who are quick to abuse a policy of a full refund upon the timely returning of a purchased item. I worked at a high-end jewelry store, and shoppers got banned regularly for abusing the policy. Women were using the store's stock as their personal jewelry box. One well-known socialite in NYC was photographed wearing a recently purchased necklace (well into six digits) at a gala, a perfect match to her gown, and returning it three days later. Management had already had her on the watch list for abusing the policy. The photo was seen in a newspaper. She was banned for life after returning it. The gown, if not borrowed from the designer, was probably returned as well.

I understand Campbell's frustration with the law and his impulse to ban people, but there is no excuse for the crappy service he shows customers when things go wrong. I remember the conversation he participated in within this forum awhile ago when he was still an affiliate. His performance there made it clear that doing business with him online was a risky prospect.

[lowrey]

This is starting to sound quite repetitive, so unless someone has something groundbreaking to add, let's move along...