Edit: I finally received an apology about the incident from Charlene, the owner of Ichigo Shoes. They have seen the flaws of their online store and have since improved their online ordering process. Hopefully their customer service has improved as well! Now that I know they’re taking steps to provide a better customer experience, I will definitely give them another chance in the future. I must admit, they do have very gorgeous shoes.
Before leaving for San Francisco, I became enamored with the idea of walking around in brogue-like ballet flats, and purchased a pair of Billie navy flats from Ichigo Shoes’s Multiply store. My flight was on a Friday evening so I made sure to pay on Monday, thus giving them enough time to send it to me before I leave. After confirming that I did send my deposit, I heard no more from Ichigo until Wednesday afternoon. This is after I followed up the status of my order with two text messages, an email, and a message on Multiply. The only time I got a reply was after l I sent a firmly-worded SMS on Wednesday afternoon saying that I needed my shoes ASAP. Only then did I discover that they would be shipping my package that day, which is a day longer than the 1-2 day shipping window they describe in their site. No apology or explanation was given for the delay.
When the shoes finally arrived on Thursday, I found out just how accurate their size chart is (read: not at all). Their sizes run small and the size 6 I ordered was too tight on me. Since there was no time to get the shoes exchanged via shipping before my trip, I decided to go all the way to their Greenhills store, which totally defeats the purpose of shopping online. Before doing so, I confirmed through text if they had Billie in size 7. The reply I got said no, the next available size is 8 in the color brown. Disappointed, I did the next logical thing and asked for a refund. The infuriating response I got was, “No, we do not give out refunds, just exchanges”, which is really stupid. Why would I exchange these shoes for a size that doesn’t fit me or for a design that I don’t like? My irritated reply was, “Eh papaano yung exchange, wala namang size na kasya? The only time I’ll allow an exchange is if I get Billie in size 7; otherwise, I want my money back.” Whoever was on the cellphone just said “Ok ma’m.” No apology was given.
When I went to their Greenhills store Friday morning, I asked for the refund and got the same response – no, we don’t allow refunds, just exchanges. I did my best to stay calm and said that I would only agree to the exchange if they carried Billie navy flats in size 7. For some reason, size 7 was available in the color and style I wanted, so I agreed to an exchange. But even though I got my shoes, I was still a very unhappy customer. Even at the Greenhills store, I did not receive a single apology for the delay or inconvenience, and I can’t believe they had the gall to refuse a refund twice when it seemed that the design I wanted had no available sizes.
Bottom online – Ichigo may have gorgeous shoes and a network of fashion bloggers who speak highly about their designs, but the way they handle their online customers is just something else. Unless you enjoy being inconvenienced and treated rudely, please stay far faaaaaaar away from their online store. The hassle is just simply not worth it.
Ichigo Shoes, if you are reading this, I really do hope you take my comments as constructive criticism and improve your service ASAP. The inefficiency and the hassle of purchasing from your website wasn’t the worst part of the whole experience; it was the crappy treatment I got from your staff. Their indifferent treatment made me feel like like they simply didn’t care about whether or not I was happy with my purchase. So if you want your customers to keep coming back at all, do something to change this.
Was this blog post too vague about what steps to take next? Here are some suggestions that will hopefully make it clearer. Take it from someone who is an avid online shopper, has managed an online store for two years, and who currently works for an Internet retail company:
Train your employees to provide good customer service
When the customer hands over her money, she’s not just paying for the product; she’s also paying for her peace of mind. Customers want security, integrity, and the assurance that any problems or delays will be properly handled. Thus, it doesn’t take a marketing genius to realize that friendly employees who are attentive to the customers’ needs will keep people coming back. On the other hand, crappy service like the one I received will keep the customer and her network of friends from doing business with you. Invest time and energy into training your employees to be responsive, friendly, and polite. Teach them basic manners (e.g. when to use “I’m sorry”) and find ways to handle customer complaints smoothly and effectively.
Make it easy for customers to communicate with you
I have never received a reply to my two emails (including the complaint I sent), and I’m assuming this is because there’s nobody around to check them. Don’t assume that all customers (and potential customers) are okay with contacting you via cellphone, the only form of communication you provide at your online store. Some customers, like myself, like to ask questions and follow-up through email. Check your email regularly. You may have probably missed out on a few sales by refusing to respond to your customers’ email queries.
Offer refunds for online purchases
It’s really difficult to judge shoe sizes, even with a size chart, so offer refunds for online transactions provided that the design/color they want in the right size is not available and the shoes haven’t been worn. Don’t force your customers to buy shoes they don’t really want just because your stocks ran out.
Close the online store if you have no time to manage it
If you don’t think that improving your online services is worth the time, effort, and money, then don’t accept online orders. It’s that simple. Sure, you’ll miss out on lazy people like me who can’t be bothered to shop at crowded malls, but then again, you’ll also avoid pissing off lazy people like me with your inefficient shipping system and indifferent staff.
Have you ever bought from Ichigo Shoes? Was your experience better than mine or do you have similar complaints? Post them here!
I think this is well said. I’m not really an online shopper, but I do take note of the treatment I get from employees.
Hala, baka natarayan ko pa yan. Good for you that you kept a cool head though :)
Hehe, I was saving all my rage for when they didn’t have my size and still refused the refund.
thanks for this, these online stores and any other online service for that matter should always be aware of how their customers are treated. they might have forgotten the power of ‘word of mouth’…
oohhh! This is a major turn-off =/
OMG :( I encountered something similar to this. Their employees are such a disappointment. I even had to text the owner itself to get a decent reply.
What happened? What did the owner do to resolve the issue?
aww, i was planning on purchasing a pair of brogues from them pa naman. I’ll inquire first to test if they are responsive. I hate being ignored especially when I’m paying.
They’ll probably reply but don’t expect them to be helpful or sympathetic if something goes wrong with your purchase.
Boo!! I hate when this happens..on the side note, I had the same experience…wrong size was given to me, but this online store was so nice that it replied to me ASAP, apologized, and made a plan and effort to really change my order to the size that i need…(it’s POSH SHOES btw) :) Try their website and shoes, it’s pretty as well :)
Yeah, POSH Shoes has really great customer service. They even offered to pay for shipping when I asked for a size exchange. Ichigo should learn a thing or two from them.
i’d really like to check this store out. do you have the link? :)
So far, all of my ichigo purchases turned out well. I’ve featured the brand in my shop and they have sponsored me with a few items. However, it’s so sad to hear that they have employees that will turn you off. That’s really bad for the business.
In my case as a seller, there were many times I had to apologize even if I’m not at fault (but I really do rin naman especially when there are inconveniences). But saying sorry is the best way to at least make clients feel better in situations like this.
I hope you guys get to resolve this and I hope they’ll be able to avoid complaints like this.
Stay safe there Lauren! Enjoy your trip! :)
I hope it
I suppose it’s expected for a sponsored blogger to get great treatment from Ichigo; I mean, the goal is to get
you to sing praises about their store. As a paying customer who doesn’t get preferential treatment from the owner though, I beg to differ and say that Ichigo’s service downright SUCKS and should be avoided. It’s not just the attitude of the employees that bothered me eh. It’s the store’s policies, which make it difficult do you to be happy with your purchase when something goes wrong, and the owner’s seeming lack of involvement in the online business. I really hoped to get a reply from her when I sent my emails, but wala talaga. Because of all this, Ichigo Shoes seems like a really uncaring company and I feel so badly about being ignored that I will avoid buying from them completely, even at a physical store. They do not deserve to get my hard-earned money.
Gawd, what awful service. What would you have done if they didn’t have your size at the Greenhills store and still refused you the refund?
I would have flipped out and insisted on the refund, and if that didn’t work I would call up the owner (got her number from a fellow blogger) and demand the refund from her. And if that still didn’t work, I’d complain to DTI or whoever is in charge of consumer protection. And this blog entry would probably be a lot angrier.
It’s a good thing they had my size.
Ugh. Customer service is really the difference between a good and a great product. All things being equal, of course you’ll go with the product that gives you hassle-free service.
Thanks for the warning, will be avoiding this store in the future.
Sobrang weird niyang Ichigo na yan. I ordered a Yellow floral oxfords from them last year, yung na receive ko, color red.
When I asked them what happened, ang reply sa’kin, “Ma’am nabenta na po kasi namin yung yellow. Kaya red nalang sinend namin.”
Parang, okay… why the hell would you send those shoes to me when it’s not what I ordered naman!? Sana sinabi nalang nila na hindi na available. Sa irita ko, hindi ko na sila nireplyan. Still unused yung oxfords ko till now. Sayang lang.
Whaaaat. If I were you I would have demanded a refund! Sayang naman yung binayaran mo cos you never really got the shoes you wanted. And knowing them, they probably had yellow ones in stock but just didn’t look carefully enough. I was told na wala nang size 7 but it turns out they had it in their Greenhills store.
Oh God. This is just awful. Plus almost all the other comments have the same bad experience. I sell on eBay and feel really bad if I don’t get to ship the day after payment. Plus, Ichigo’s customer service is so bad! I work for a big retail company and if we get customer complaints we make sure we deal with it ASAP and offer compensation when needed. This store acts as if you should be grateful they share their business with you.
I had a similar experience! Im trying to fimd the email exchange I had with them. Sobrang frustrating!
This is AWFUL!!!!!! I wanna know, did you get any apology or message from them yet?
No apology or message whatsoever. :\ I’m not even sure the owner knows that I blogged about my experience.
Another shoe store which I looove is Suelas! They have great customer service and they ship fast! They inform you of the sizes that run a tad bit smaller than the usual and they offer refunds and discounts if you buy 5 pairs or more =)
oh my god same here. after i sent the payment they don’t respond anymore and then after 2 weeks ko pa nareceive yung package ko after kulitin ko sila araw araw.
That really sucks. :\ Customers shouldn’t have to follow up their items everyday for that long.
The owner replied to me and apologized and reserved the item I wanted. But looks like the employee thing hasn’t improved. Not too hands on..
tsk tsk tsk….
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OMGOSH! same thing happened to me! their size 6 fits too tight!!!!!!!! and super tagal ng shipping nila!!! GRABE NAKAKAINIS!!!!!!!!!!
Ichigo should disclose that their sizes run a little small or instruct customers to order a size up. :\ Were you able to get your shoes exchanged or refunded?
wow! thanks for this blog I’m not considering Ichigo anymore.. awful service!
Thanks for this info, I’m planning to purchase pa naman from them, siguro mas mahihirapan ako makipag deal sa kanila since I still come from the South.
I just ordered something from Ichigo which I did not receive.
I paid them last Thursday, Nov 24, so I was expecting them to ship it the next day. After I sent the payment, there were no replies at all and I had to text them the next day to check if they have already ship it, but according to them, they just have it scheduled friday and it will be pick up sat. That was fine with me, then Saturday came, I sent them another message and they said it was shipped already but they did not give me any tracking info or whoever the courier was. But I waited monday, no sign of delivery adn I have texted them million times before I receive a message that they will contact the courier, I tried to ask them whats the tracking number and sabi nung katxt ko, ma’am, sarado po pala office today, mashishipo naman po un kahit walang tracking #. Ginawa pa akong tanga.. So I said, kung naship nyo yun ng Saturday there’s no way na d ko marereceive yun today, I just asked them for a refund. Tuesday, Im waiting for my refund since ayoko na magintay pa at punong puno na ako sa kanila. I duno how many time Ive texted them, there was a reply na ma’am isship na po namen tom, lalo akong nainis, sabi ko mga sinungaling naman pala kayo, sinabi nyo na naship na ng Saturday then sasabihin nyo ngaun na isship nyo tom?, d girl Im texting with sabi hindi naman po kame sinungaling, pasensya na daw sa delay, d naman daw maiiwasan un. So sabi ko hindi kau sinungaling pero sinabi nyo na naship item ng saturday tapos ngaun isship nyo plang kinabukasan.. grabe I tried calling them a million times pero 2 beses lang nila ako sinagot.. At bago ko makuha refund ko eh kung anu anu pa sinabi ko.. grabe, magdadahilan pa na offline daw gcash since morning.. sabi ko maraming malls na may globe center until 9 pwede kayo mag gcash.. then it ended up na sa western union pinadala.. Haiiyyy.. I would never ever shop with them again.. Sayang ok pa naman mga items nila..
Hi! I love Ichigo shoes’ designs but their service is really awful. I was about to order. I texted. They didn’t reply. So i called about my inquiries then the saleslady didn’t seem to know about their process of shipping. She’s a Visayan. So i made a decision not to order. They could have increased their sales if it weren’t for their worst service. We are the customers and yet we’re the one pursuing them.
Oh man, I was planning to buy a pair of oxfords from them pa naman :( Greenhills is too far from where I am staying right now. So I sent my order form about 2 days ago.. & still waiting for their reply. I really really wanted their shoes though. Jeez, I hope my purchase would turn out great. Ugh! Or else, i’ll have to look for another store. Urgh.. :/