La Senza, for the lingerie obsessed! (lasenza.co.uk)

Member Name: CherryVegas

Product:	lasenza.co.uk
Date:	16/05/09 (57 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great range, good quality, affordable prices

Disadvantages: Non-existant customer service

I have to confess I'm slightly lingerie obsessed. I just love the feeling that wearing a gorgeous lingerie set gives me, it makes me feel good about myself (and of course it perks up the fiancé as a bonus into the bargain!), so I do find myself spending a hefty part of my wage on new lingerie sets every month. As a result of this little obsession of mine I've found myself spending more and more time (as well as money) on lasenza.co.uk. La Senza have stores around the country but unfortunately I don't have one (or any other lingerie store for that matter) anywhere near me, so I was really pleased to find that they also have an online store.


The site always loads fairly quickly and so far I've never experiences any kind of technical problems with the site. It's a pretty aesthetically pleasing website in my opinion, with a black background and all the major lettering in a bright magenta type pink - both sexy and girly. The homepage is not cluttered like some tend to be, but it still has all the major links you would look for on a homepage, and pictures of items on offer or new ranges.

The site is pretty well laid out overall, with a department menu bar across the top of each page, and sub-menus down the left hand side. The terms and conditions and help type links are always visible at the bottom of each page, so there's no need to go hunting around for them when you need some information. The terms and conditions are clear and easy to understand and the help pages, whilst not extensive, do answer most questions you would initially have about the site.


They are primarily a lingerie site, but they do also sell a selection of beachwear, sportswear and accessories including perfume and cosmetics.

The main reason I keep coming back to this site is the wide range of styles available. They sell everything from the most basic plain cotton styles, to flirty frilly numbers, to full-on sexy silk and lace. There's definitely something here to suit everyone's taste and every occasion. With other lingerie stores I can usually only ever find a couple of styles that really appeal to me, but when I browse the virtual shelves of La Senza I find myself wanting practically everything!

The prices are pretty good when compared to other lingerie stores. The most basic styles start from around £7 for bras and £2 for knickers, with the most expensive styles being around £25 - £30 for bras and £12 - £16 for knickers. They also have regular special offers on like 2 for £25 on bras which would normally be £16 each, and 5 for £12 on knickers which are normally £4 or £5 each, so you can get some really good bargains.

I find the sizing is generally very accurate on La Senza's items, bras particularly. I'm a 34c and find that their 34c bras are, on the whole, a perfect fit, whereas with other stores I can find that the sizing is completely different from item to item so I never have a clue which size is actually going to fit. I've only ever once had a bra from La Senza that wasn't a perfect fit, and on that occasion it just seemed that the band size was slightly smaller than usual, but as I say, overall I find their sizing to be very good.

The quality is also generally very good, especially for the price range it's in. I find the quality to be on a par with the likes of Ann Summers, and far better than most clothes shops 'in-store' brands, such as New Look and TopShop. I've never had any quality issues with anything I've bought from them, they all look nice and high quality, and wash well.


The hosiery and beachwear sections of the site are slightly lacking for choice, but there are still some nice items to be found. The accessories section has some very nice looking items, but I've yet to try anything from this department so cannot comment on the quality.

Most of the departments are updated regularly with new items being added, and there is a 'New' section in the left-hand menu, so it's easy to look for new items without having to trawl through loads of pages of things you've already seen. There is also a separate section for specials where all the special offers are listed so you can quickly see if there are any bargains to be had.


The checkout process is quick, simple and secure, and they accept all the major payment cards. You don't have to register to place an order, you have the choice to register or not, but I can't see any reason not to, and it's a quick registration from to fill in. They'll send a confirmation email to the email address you give them when you've placed your order, and another when your order has been dispatched.

UK delivery options are Standard, which should take 3-5 working days, for £2.95 or free for orders over £35, or Next Working Day for £6.95. They will also deliver to within Europe for £7.95, or the rest of the world for £14.95. I've always ordered over £35 worth of stuff from them, so have always gone for the free standard delivery option, and have found that my orders usually arrive 3 working days after placing the order. They also throw in a free gift box on orders over £35, which are just a black box with la senza on the front, but they do look nice as presentation for a gift.


The first time I ordered from them I was extremely annoyed when I recieved my order. I had ordered several items that were on special offer on '2 for £10' and similar deals, which were displayed as being in stock, but when my order arrived more than half of these items were not included because they were out of stock, which meant that they no longer qualified for the offer, which in turn meant that I ended up paying more money for less items! Not only that but where items ordered as part of a set, i.e- matching bra and pants, were not in stock, they still sent the matching item that was in stock, so I had bras with no pants to match and vice versa. I felt very put out by this, especially as I was going to have to pay to return the items that were of no use to me without the other half of the set. So, I emailled them, explaining that I was not happy at all with the way my order had been dealt with. After recieving no reply to my email (don't you just hate when 'customer service' departments just completely ignore your emails? what are they actually there for?!) in the following 3 weeks, I said I'd never order from them again. Unfortunately my resolve on that one didn't last long as they really are the only lingerie store that consistently stocks styles that I like.

I have since placed many orders with them and have not encountered any more problems, though I do tend to now stay away from special offer and sale items where they could end up doing the same as with my first order.


Overall I think this is a great site. It has, in my opinion, the best range of any lingerie site, and this is what just keeps me going back to them. If it wasn't for the non-existant customer service I'd have given them 5 stars, and I will be shopping with them until I find a cure for my lingerie obsession!

Summary: A fantastic site for all your lingerie needs, but customer service leaves a lot to be desired.