Random Rants
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This is one of those things that is bugging me in relation to online shopping in general (not IH specific and I'm taking my mod hat off for this). Buying multiples online of anything with the thought of returning items that don't fit or work out, cost businesses money and in the long term will cause the price of items to be raised to make up for those losses. I get the convenience of buying stuff online, personally love it, and know one of the downfalls is that items sometimes don't work out.
Those losses affect the money staff get paid, the investments in new technologies to make businesses more efficient, and the ability of shops to offer things we love and want.
I try really hard to make sure that each purchase counts so that I'm not making numerous returns. Owning a business myself, I see how everyone and everything costs money. ISP's, shipping, credit card fees, insurance, taxes, etc.
The next time you place an order and hit the buy now button, think about what you're doing and if you really are doing the best thing for everyone involved.
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@goosehd I agree with what you're saying above, but to play devil's advocate - with the online retail market dominating vs brick-and-mortar for many products, it can be pretty difficult to go out and try out limited production items. When the ONLY viable option is to mail-order, trial and error can be the only way to dial in something like fitment. I had to send back my first pair of IH jeans to figure it out. It took some trial and error, and if you're ordering, then returning, then ordering again, then possibly returning again, it can take a long dang time to get what you're after. So, I think there is a bit to both sides. On the positive - once you dial something in, and you know what works and what doesn't, the back-and-forth can be reduced for subsequent orders. I think the moral is for buyers to be conscious of your above message while being careful about excessive orders.
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I agree with the sentiment but when I buy Carhartt WIP off End Clothing, their shit sizing guides and customer service, does not leave me with any guilt when I buy two pairs and return one (sometimes both). I guess being a billion dollar company they can afford to tolerate the volume.
Appreciate that when the facility is there with more attentive service such is the case in a lot of our industry, it can be more frustrating.
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on the OTHER other hand. there've been countless times ive ordered something cheap, received it, hated it, but had to keep it because return shipping etc was simply not worth it. and thats sunk cost for a buyer. that shit sucks.
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Good points gentlemen! That's why you should support those businesses that put time and effort into what and how they offer it. If a company can't be half assed in what they do, then why do you support them?
I know that the businesses I frequent, are not afraid of picking up a phone or answering an email to answer simple questions that have saved everyone time and money.
"I don't give a shit what anyone else is doing, we will do what is best for us and our customers" - Giles P. :)
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As a general principle, we do not mind people buying a couple of sizes whilst they dial in their size. We want to make it easy for people to click-now, and we hope that if they become repeat customers, their sizing is a known thing, so the incidence of multiple purchasing diminishes with time.
But, a few things to bear in mind.
- If you buy 2 things with the express intent of returning one, you are potentially losing us a sale
- The days of free return shipping are rapidly coming to a close, as online retailers realise the cost to them of offering it
- We do not get credit card or Paypal fee's refunded for refunds - that is an actual cost for selling nothing
- You have to pay to return it
So, we would rather work with you to get it right first time.
My sub random rant is the number of people who purchase shit and then almost immediately ask for a refund, we do not get credit card or Paypal fees refunded for random acts of stupidity.
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You would not believe the "reasons" we get for cancellations.......
Here's my favourite from yesterday:
"asked to cancel, got no money"
Where you born without a brain, or did a lobotomy happen later in life?
Here's another, he bought a Ladies Medium (L-M) and thought he was getting a Large Medium....
"OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011
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I read an article once that some of the big e-commerce retailers just ship returns to a clearance warehouse to process and get rid of returned items. The big retailers have found it cheaper and easier just to write items off because of damages to the items, shipping related costs, and processing fees.
It's a sad state of affairs when we just dispose of things like that.
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@Giles said in Random Rants:
You would not believe the "reasons" we get for cancellations.......
Here's my favourite from yesterday:
"asked to cancel, got no money"
Were you born with a brain?
Laughing my fucking head off
Been over tens years. Amount of purchase I have done can’t remember.
Return can’t think of many. Hardly not at the rate I buy.
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@goosehd said in Random Rants:
@Giles What happens when IH gets returns that are in less than "new" condition?
I'll ask @Graham the current policy, but when I ran the show, we would make an offer of refund amount based on what we thought we could get for it in the outlet, or tell the customer that we would return it to him and give no refund.
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Still rolling with what @Giles said above.
We had a customer return a pair of jeans that were washed... hot.... WASHED HOT, he had only had them a couple of days.
I called him, he played dumb and said he didn't notice and it may have been his roommate?! so I posted them back to him
@gmac_ironheart
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@Graham said in Random Rants:
Still rolling with what @Giles said above.
We had a customer return a pair of jeans that were washed... hot.... WASHED HOT, he had only had them a couple of days.
I called him, he played dumb and said he didn't notice and it may have been his roommate?! so I posted them back to him
That’s bit unusual
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@goosehd I'll tell you in the world of choppers and car customization, or even making my own leather stuff: 1, you cant try shit out. 2, even stuff that is model-specific, sometimes does not fit as it should or has inconsistencies. 3, sometimes you have to source materials without knowing the quality. So you sample something to try out, and a few distributors/manufacturers may fail your quality level requirement. There's only one way to find out "if a company can't be half-assed in what they do". I wonder how many shit components Haraki and G went through when designing their products. from rivets to threads, the only way to know something will live up to your standards is to try it first. I wouldn't want to put IH through any more trouble than i have to, but you can bet pretty much anything on Amazon is the opposite end of that spectrum lol
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I'm assuming my recent thread about buying my buddy a pair of IH as a gift and buying multiple pairs to help zone in on the fit has in part spawned this conversation. Or maybe i'm giving myself too much credit.
I'm hoping to help a friend enter into this world of denim we love so much. He, however, would not enjoy going into a retail space, no matter how laid back the environment is. So, as a way to help ease his pain, I'm trying to present him with a few options at home.
I think as Giles mentioned, the chance to introduce this incredible product to a new customer seems to be the first order of priority. It would be great if my local shop had the various cuts in the prefered denim in the right sizes, but unfortunately they don't.
I realize there are many people that order and return merch with a haphazard mindset of not caring about the impact it might have both on the business and environmentally. We all know the world is filled with shitty people who can't see beyond their own two feet. However, those of us here, who love this brand and the values it represent, understand how to navigate these waters more holistically.
Once sizing is figured out, the balance is restored. We all have to start somewhere, and in this particular situation, I am helping to mitigate that as much as possible. "Most" people around the forum are supportive and the guys behind the brand represent the pinnacle of customer service. If i'm wrong, then please tell me so and I'll piss off...In the easy chair with my boots on, melted whiskey in my hand. Could'na been asleep for more than three hours...time to go to work again...
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for the record, i dont think anybody here is wrong.....except for the guy who wanted a refund for shit he washed hot.
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@Mizmazzle That is the catalyst that got me on this rant, but not the reason for posting it. Our current environment (locally) is everything is getting expensive as hell and our dollar isn't going as far as it used to. Every time I go to the grocery store, hardware store, etc., I'm feeling the pinch. Pretty sure this is commonplace in many areas.
Everyone I talk to now seems to be buying online for the convenience and doesn't think twice about returning items because it's not what they want or needed. As a business owner I try and explain that these actions are costing everyone in terms of time and money, potentially driving up the costs we see with everything.
@WhiskeySandwich is right in that no one on here is wrong, but as I stated before, that if we all just took two seconds before making a purchase, then we might make things a little better for everyone.
As I stated before, I applaud you in your effort to bring your friend onboard this denim journey. Again, this rant isn't directed to you in general, but society as a whole to slow down and think twice about what you are doing before hitting the "buy now" button.
