Can you afford it? (designerclothinguk.com)

Member Name: Foxy-Lady

Product:	designerclothinguk.com
Date:	20/05/08 (587 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent stock range

Disadvantages: Refund? What refund??

A black home page offers a great introduction to the Designer Clothing UK website (www.designerclothinguk.com). It looks instantly modern, simple and stylish - perfectly suited to the nature of the site and the products that it offers. As the name of the website suggests, genuine designer clothing is available in abundance...but for men only I'm afraid! I'm not sure how long the site has been in existence but they certainly seem to offer an established range of high end designer clothing from various reputable brands such as Armani, Lacoste, Penguin, Lyle & Scott, Vivienne Westwood and Evisu.

In terms of usage the website is neatly presented and I find it easy to navigate as a result. Simple category selections make searching quick and manageable. You can choose to browse via brand name or the type of item you are looking for. For example...t-shirts, knitwear, jeans, shirts, trainers or accessories. If you like to keep bang up to date with the latest trends there is also a 'new stock' section. The product images featured on the site are nice and clear so you can see what you are ordering.

Prices on the Designer Clothing UK website are reasonable. They are by no means cheap and you won't particularly grab a bargain (unless visiting during sale time) but you certainly won't pay any more for an item than what you would if you visited a store. The bonus of using this website is that most articles of clothing are available in a wide range of colours - a greater choice in comparison to many offline retailers who only have the space to offer a limited selection. A quick search tells me that Lyle & Scott polo shirts are £45, Armani jeans range from £85 - £150, Lacoste t-shirts are priced at £35 and you can pick up an item of Vivienne Westwood knitwear for £130.

We wouldn't normally pay these kind of prices for clothing (Matalan, Primark and TKMaxx are where I usually shop!) but my husband was looking for a particular item for his birthday treat. He'd decided that he wanted a Lyle & Scott tracksuit top but there didn't seem to be much choice on the high street with many shop assistants claiming that they were "like gold dust" at that particular time. In his quest to find one, he stumbled across the Designer Clothing UK website. Impressed by their available range of colours, he placed an order. The purchase method is much the same as any other online retailer...click on the item you are interested in to bring up further product information, select the desired size and then 'add to bag'. You then proceed to check out as usual, entering delivery and payment details. Payment is accepted by credit card, debit card or via Paypal and the website utilises SSL (secure locket layers) which encrypts your details for security during transit.

The jacket ordered by my husband was £74.99 and First Class delivery was free. This is standard for any order but if you require faster delivery you can choose to pay between £2.50 and £4 (dependent on the size/value of your order) for a next day service. The First Class delivery was adequate for us on this occasion and the top arrived two days after placing the order, well packaged and protected - meaning no complaints about the service received so far.

Unfortunately, the size my hubby had selected didn't fit and the next size up was out of stock. An exchange was therefore not an option but the website does claim that they will issue refunds as long as an item is returned within 10 days, in original condition and with tags still in place. You just need to print off a returns form (found on the website) and fill in your details, quoting order number, your reason for returning and action required (refund or exchange). Don't forget to include this form with the item. The buyer is responsible for the return postage costs and it's recommended that you send packages back using Registered Post so that if anything goes missing you have some comeback.

So, I parcelled the jacket back up the next day, enclosing the returns slip, and sent it off via Registered Post. An online check of the tracking number told me that it was promptly delivered the following morning. This is where my complaint surfaced and the reason why I have only given the website one star. Designer Clothing UK received the item back on the 4th of April but after four weeks they still hadn't issued me a refund. Considering that the website states 24-48 hours for a refund to be given, I'd say that it was long overdue.

I sent numerous emails using their online contact form which promises that 'the customer service team will get back to you as soon as possible'...but I never had any response. When we first found the website there was a phone number (my hubby tried to call with an enquiry before placing his order but never got an answer) but it has now disappeared completely. An address is given for returns purposes but they are located in Wrexham. As we live in Yorkshire we decided it was a bit far to trek to demand a refund!

I think if we'd paid using a debit card we would've quite simply lost our money. Fortunately we paid for the jacket through Paypal who do offer a certain amount of buyer protection. We have just processed a claim through them and luckily they have managed to retrieve the full amount for us. It was a relatively quick and simple process where we filed a complaint and Paypal contacted the retailer, giving them chance to respond (over a certain number of days). When the deadline was reached, Designer Clothing UK hadn't responded so Paypal decided the claim in our favour. They then swiftly took the money and put it back into our account! I think there would have been more of an issue if the retailer hadn't actually had the funds available - I'm not sure exactly what would've happened in that situation but thankfully, it's not something I have to worry about now.

I would therefore advise anyone to stay away from www.designerclothinguk.com. You may be lured in by the brilliant range of stock (and I'm not disputing that what they have to offer is great) but their customer support is non-existent. If you are happy with your purchase then it's a thumbs up, but if you want a refund it's questionable wether you'll ever get it. With items priced as highly as they are, I'm sure it's not a chance that many consumers can afford to take.

Avoid!!!!!

Summary: Website offering great designer mens gear but no customer service