Extremely Disappointing
Extremely Disappointing Customer Service and Returns Experience
I am genuinely shocked and disappointed by my experience with Alicia and Chloé. I had followed this boutique for quite some time and was excited to support what appeared to be a lovely, professional Irish-owned business. Unfortunately, my experience has been anything but positive.
I purchased a dress for €175, which is a significant amount of money to me. I subsequently decided to return it and exercised my right to cancel within the statutory 14-day cancellation period by posting my cancellation notice.
Despite repeatedly explaining my understanding of my statutory consumer rights and referring to Irish consumer legislation, the business has continued to refuse my refund.
At one stage, I considered the possibility of an exchange as a compromise. However, I never agreed to an exchange, despite the business subsequently insisting that I had. There is a significant difference between considering an option and actually agreeing to it.
I also made it clear that there was nothing currently available on the website that I liked or wished to exchange the dress for. Despite this, I was told that I had to select an alternative item from the website by the end of that very day. I found this unreasonable and pressurising, particularly when I had never agreed to accept an exchange instead of a refund.
What has disappointed me most, however, is the customer service.
The tone of the correspondence I received felt rude, dismissive and unnecessarily confrontational. Rather than trying to find a fair resolution, I felt as though I was being spoken down to for simply questioning the returns policy and standing up for my rights as a consumer.
I have remained polite throughout, despite finding the experience incredibly stressful and upsetting. I never imagined that returning a single dress would result in so many emails, so much back-and-forth and such an unpleasant experience.
I have contacted the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) for guidance, as I have serious concerns about the business's interpretation of statutory cancellation rights and its returns policy.
I am not someone who normally leaves negative reviews, but I genuinely feel that other customers should be aware of my experience before spending their hard-earned money here.
What makes this particularly disappointing is the contrast between the friendly, welcoming image presented by the boutique online and the customer service I experienced when something went wrong.
Supporting small Irish businesses is important to me, but being a small business does not excuse poor customer service or remove a customer's statutory consumer rights.
I would strongly encourage anyone considering purchasing from Alicia and Chloé to familiarise themselves with "her own consumer rights, particularly regarding online returns and refunds that are not in compliance with Irish Statute Law"
After this experience, I certainly would not purchase from this boutique again, nor could I recommend it.
€175 spent, an extraordinary amount of unnecessary stress, and an extremely disappointing experience.