Stitch Fix Customer Service

I am sad to report that the jeans that looked so great from my last Stitch Fix didn't work out. I wore them around the house for a couple of hours the Sunday after I got them and by the end of that time they had gotten all stretched out and were sagging in the crotch and rubbing against my inner thigh in a most unpleasant way. I agonized about it for a while and tried to search online for other people's experiences. It didn't seem like anyone had ever tried to send anything back after they already sent back the other items - Stitch Fix didn't even address this possibility in their FAQ's. I reached out to Katie, but she had also never had that experience. She suggested I email customer service directly and just ask them, which was next on my list of ideas anyway. I had already received an email from customer service because I had rated my last Fix as "unsatisfying." It was nice of them to reach out, but at first blush, I also found that email "unsatisfying," as it was clearly generic and told me to do things I already had done, namely writing the stylist a note to let her know if there are any trends, styles, or items I was coveting. I pointed this out in the first part of my reply, saying "Thanks for the follow-up. I was very happy with my first Fix, even though only two items ended up being keepers. I was disappointed that the second Fix wasn't as successful, but please know that I am not angry about this. I get that this is a process and these things happen. I will try to be more specific (although I think I was pretty specific last time and both my style profile and pinterest page pretty clearly reflect my style interests)."

Maybe not the most well written of paragraphs, but it got the point across and when Erin, one of the customer service reps, replied, she noted "I see that you've been leaving great feedback on the items you are receiving and that is the best way to help you stylist improve on her selections so that we can send you pieces you love! If you have any additional feedback or suggestions for your stylist, feel free to let me know and I would be happy to help build your style profile." I appreciated that she took the time to check and offered to provide additional help. She then went on to offer to send the jeans in a smaller size or I could return them for a full refund. Since the jeans were just hovering on the edge of what I consider "too short" (I'm weird like that and I think we've already covered this), I decided a smaller size wouldn't work and I opted for the refund. Erin immediately sent me a return label to print out so all I had to do was buy a padded enveloped at the UPS store and we were good to go. Now, I don't know if "full refund" includes the $20 styling fee, but I'm okay with it either way. The process was easy; the rep was responsive; and I am walking away satisfied and still looking forward to September's Fix. In my note to the stylist, I will make sure to emphasize patterns, request no more blue denim (if they want to send another color, that's fine) and perhaps some transitional items, and include the direct link to the Cosima wore it page. I can't remember if I've linked to it before, but just in case, here it is.

Stitch Fix #2 - Sophomore Slump

I haven't posted in quite a while...not because I haven't wanted to, but because life has just been too busy around here with summer winding done and back to school looming ahead. Can I just say how utterly wrong the school calendar is out here in the heartland? The first day of school should be the Wednesday after Labor Day, no ifs, ands, or buts. August is too hot to go back and June is too soon to be out. The pools haven't warmed up yet and it's all just wrong. But unfortunately, I am not in charge. So next week it is. Sigh. However, I am taking the time to post because Stitch Fix, everybody!

If you are not familiar with Stitch Fix, here’s the deal: Stitch Fix is an online personal styling service. You can subscribe for regular Fixes or just schedule them as you like. You fill out an extensive online profile of your tastes, sizes, and budget preferences and for a $20 fee, one of their stylist puts together a box of 5 clothing and accessory items to ship right to your door! You have 3 days to try things on, solicit opinions, balance your budget, whatever — you send back anything that doesn’t work for you in a prepaid envelope, and keep whatever you love! Your $20 styling fee is applied to anything you decide to keep, and if you buy the whole box of items you get 25% off the entire box! Prices vary but they say the average cost per item is $55 – 65. If you haven’t ever tried it and are interested, please consider using my referral link. If you use my link to schedule a Fix, I get a $25 credit towards my next purchase! (Note that I do not receive any compensation for reviewing this service; I just enjoy doing it).

Last month was so fun even though I didn't keep everything that I was really psyched for the next one. The shipping notification came while we were on vacation in the Smoky Mountains and I of course peeked ahead and looked up pictures of what I was getting, all on my phone with very spotty coverage. At first blush, I was quite disappointed in what was coming my way, but resolved to keep an open mind since you never really know until you see the clothes on you. Plus there is no guarantee that what images you happen to find on Google are, in fact, the articles of clothing you are about to receive. That said....

First up, the Elisha Zipper Accent Structured Satchel in...let's just call this color tangerine. And let's just say I don't like it for me. Katie has the exact same bag in a lovely shade of teal and I think it's adorable, but both colors are definitely spring colors and therefore not very useful as a brand new item in August (and please know, I am pretty much an idiot when it comes to shoes and handbags so I don't actually care about this stuff, but I also know I am not drawn to these colors as the weather cools down). Plus, this bag is huge and not designed as a crossbody. I am all about the crossbody bag, which does not mean a very structured bag with an optional strap to put across your body. That just looks weird. My daughter looked at it and just shook her head. Verdict: returned.

One of the (many) weird things about this Fix is that it's a different stylist than last time. Katie assured me that this happens and I'm okay with it, but this stylist didn't appear to have looked at any of the Pinterest stuff or even read the feedback I gave on my last Fix. Well, she read one part where I asked for some tops to match the fantastic maxi skirt and she claimed that both tops matched it. Let's examine this claim, shall we?

This is the LaRoux Dolman Knit Top in peach. I guess you could make an argument that the color matches the skirt - in the picture it appears to, but in person, no. Plus it's way too big to pair with a maxi skirt. The cut does nothing for me either way (as you will see when it's paired with the jeans) - too boxy and the line up the middle of the shirt pulls in a strange way. The color is also very blah. As Katie said, it's basically the same color as my skin and there's just something disturbing about that! And from the back, it looks like pajamas. Verdict: returned.

Here is the shirt again, but this time with the Maribel Straight Leg Jean...well, hello, jeans!

They are stretchy, well fitted, and a definite keeper. Katie, my daughter, and the husband are all in agreement. Katie's exact comment was: They look "ditch-an-older-pair" level amazing. So there's a bright spot! Verdict: kept!

Then the Henri Surplice Ruche Sides Knit Top happened. I was intrigued by this one when I peeked beforehand, but the actual experience of it was pretty awful. It hits me in all the wrong places in the front - I look very wide in the hips and stomach here and very small in the bust...I prefer shirts that have the opposite effect! The shoulders have all kinds of weirdness going on - zoom in on the picture to see - I have really wide shoulders and it takes a lot to make them look too thin, but this shirt did it. Plus the color is awful. Gray is a tough one for me - it has to have a lot of blue in it to work, I think - whatever it is, this shirt didn't have it.

Which is frankly too bad because the back is pretty great. Sigh... But let's bear in mind that the stylist said it would pair with that maxi skirt. I didn't even try because the colors aren't close and the fits would have given me nightmares. Verdict: returned.

Anyway, last but not least we have the Harper Bootcut Pant, shown with the same shirt because why not? These pants aren't terrible. The problem here is that she seems to have mistaken me for someone who works outside the home. If I worked in an office, these would be close to a winner, but I don't. And I already have several pairs of black pants in my closet that I never, ever wear. So I certainly don't need one more. Plus there is the issue of the actual fit of these pants. They are very comfy, but a little big, especially in the waist, as you can see from the last picture. Verdict: returned.

So there it is. Only one out of five, which is too bad. I'll admit, I was more disappointed at first than the situation merited. As Katie and I messaged back and forth about this, she said she had the same experience when she first started, feeling "WHY DON'T YOU GET ME I WANT YOU TO SO MUCH" which is it exactly. There is something almost weirdly parental about this service, where I have someone to understand and pay attention to what I need and take care of it so I don't have to. Because being an adult sucks. So when they don't get it, it's pretty easy to get all those childhood needs triggered in the strangest way. But recognizing it as such helped me move past that pretty quickly. Because I am an adult and can take care of myself and this person doesn't know me at all (although I will point out again the stuff on the Pinterest board....if it's all Cosima from Orphan Black, I really don't need black office pants!). And as an adult, I can give feedback and be understanding of the process to make it more a conversation rather than the demands of a petulant child. As I said to Katie, it puts a whole new spin on the term "retail therapy"!