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| (Image Source: www.asos.com) |
So you finally take a chance and place an order for a lovely dress that is right above the shipping minimum (free shipping over $45 CAD). You wait excitedly. And then you continue waiting - somewhat less excited. And then you wait some more. A month passes. Two more weeks pass. Your excitement has pretty much withered away. Now you're sure A) they never shipped your order or B) they messed up your order so that it went to someone else or C) your order got lost by a Mr. Postman or D) is stuck in customs prison.
And yes - this story is very transparent - the "you" is actually a "me" - the story is about yours truly and how her single order from ASOS has been lost in the mail multiple times.
To get a better idea of how things work with ASOS, I have to start from the beginning. Gather around, my children:
ASOS was pretttty much my online shopping gateway drug. I have placed more orders on this website than I have for any other clothing site, I think. I was enticed by all that was mentioned above - the crisp white pages, the to-die-for pieces, the way the models show you how every inch of fabric looks so you don't have to worry about any unpleasant surprises hidden in the design.
Sizing (4/5)
There were some puzzles to solve along the way, however. When I was placing my very first order for a clothing item, I had to first figure out my size. I watched the Catwalk Demo over and over again, but I was still unsure. I mean, not everyone is 5'10 with a model physique. True, a 360 degrees viewing is helpful, but I wondered at the accuracy of the models demonstrating how the pieces fit. Even though they always proclaim on the side that the model is wearing "UK 8/EU 36/US 4," if they slapped a smaller or larger size on the model to have the pieces fit better, we would never know.
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| (Image Source: http://www.asos.com/Women/dresses-size-guide/?szgid=1&szgtid=1) |
I took a gander at the ASOS Size Guide and measured myself at the indicated points. Here is the confusing part. I measured myself with very basic attire on (undergarments, thin tank, and leggings), and I got (approximately) Bust: 36 inches, Waist: 30 inches, Hips: 37.5 inches. Based on these measurements, I should be somewhere between a size 10 and 12. I thought, that doesn't sound right, I generally wear US Size 4 and Small in a regular retail store, so technically I should wear the equivalent in UK size, which is UK 8. After much inner debate, I took a stab and placed the order for UK 8. And guess what - it fit perfectly. EVEN THOUGH my body shape is nothing at all like the models (obvi some of us are much shorter and perhaps pudgier), I wear the same size that ASOS proclaims them to be wearing. So whenever I see an item on a model I try to picture it being more filled out and perhaps a bit lengthier. But my conclusion is that generally speaking, ASOS clothes are pretty true to size.
But then - sometimes this happens. Sometimes UK 8 is listed as XS. And in my mind this mathematical equation surfaces:
If:
US 4 = UK 8
And
US 4 = Small (Generally)
Then
US 4 Actually = X-Small??
Mind blown!!!
(Okay, not really. But you guys get the point I'm trying to make here.)
I am giving ASOS sizing a 4 out of 5, because the general rule is that you should follow your regular size. I know, I know, all that "true to size" bull can be so confusing, and every brand/store has its own sizing standards (like at Gap X-Small always fits me like a Small). But when shopping here, the general rule of thumb is to take your regular size (aka the size you mostly buy when you shop...and if this is your first time shopping ever then, um, I suggest you try some store-fronts first). And if anything does say "UK 8 - X-Small" and you wear a US 4/Small, then order the UK 8, even though it is listed as X-Small.
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| (Image Source: http://www.asos.com/vero-moda/vero-moda-shirt-dress/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=5134196&clr=Babyblue&SearchQuery=vero+moda+dress&pgesize=36&pge=1&totalstyles=183&gridsize=3&gridrow=4&gridcolumn=1) |
Quality (4/5)
I think ASOS only agrees to carry brands that are of relatively good quality. Some of my favourites are River Island, MinkPink, Oh My Love, Vero Moda, and the list goes on. And of course, the ASOS brand itself, I also really like. Their items are of pretty good quality and I think they have been getting even better as of late. This is going to sound like total common sense - but a good indicator of item quality on ASOS is the pricing. The higher the price, the better quality. Again, this is generally speaking. (There are always those pieces where you looove the style and color but you just can't dish out $100 for that flimsy material.)
Shipping and Duties (3/5)
Uh oh...someone's got a three-star in this category! There's a reason I left this category for last, because boy, do I have a lot to say about this. As previously mentioned, ASOS kick-started my love for ordering things online. (It's just so exciting to come home to presents, as my friend says.) My first order from ASOS was a Paul's Boutique bag that I had been coveting for awhile. I thought hey, a bag is safe, there won't be any sizing issues. So I ordered it, it came in about a week or so, I paid some duties on it, and I have been loving that bag ever since (you will see pretty often in my OOTDs).
So I started venturing into ordering clothing, and pretty soon, I was placing ASOS orders left, right, and dead centre. Now, this was back in the day when ASOS had free shipping on everything, no matter where it was going, no matter how much the item was. You could order socks for $3.00 and there was free shipping worldwide. The good ol' days!
What about duties? Well, what about duties? Duties is a mysterious thing, my friends. From experience, I was only charged duties when 1) I used the Express DHL service (you will always be charged duties on this, and that added with shipping costs makes it crazy expensive, so this is totally not recommended unless you really need that dress for a wedding or something) and 2) when the order was higher than $100. So I ordered one item at a time, in order to not have all the items add up and be more than $100 CAD. And it worked! I would come home and see my order in my mailbox about a week after placing the order. The longest it ever took was a week and a half, two weeks, tops.
There was, however, a one time where I was charged duties on a single shirt worth about $40 CAD. And another time, I received a package close to $200 CAD and there were no duties on it. As I said, duties charges is a mysterious thing. There is no way around this, but try to decrease your order value and separate your orders if you can. And avoid express, no matter how tempting it may be to have your package speed to you on the fast lane.
I was happy. I was getting my ASOS fix without having to pay an extra arm and leg. But one day, tragedy struck.
Customer Service (4/5)
Let's go all the way back to the beginning to my story about never receiving items from ASOS. I forgot to mention one little detail - if you ship by regular, free shipping, there is no tracking number. I don't know what arrangements they have with their carrier, but it is total bull, I know.
So one day I was doing my ASOS thang, I placed an order for a single item as I usually do...and it never showed up in the mail. I still remember which item it was - a dark green dress. I played the waiting game until I couldn't anymore. A week after the "Expect By" date ASOS sends you in the order confirmation email, I shot an inquiry to their customer service. They have a standardized procedure where they will first tell you to wait a couple of days more. Then they will explain that there may be delays in your area due to postal service errors. Then they will ask that you check with your neighbours and the closest post offices to see if they are holding the item. Then, if at that point you still can be bothered, they will say they can either reship the item for you or credit you for the amount you paid. I had to go with the latter, even though I really wanted the dress, but there was no stock left.
I thought this was probably a one time thing, a fluke. So not before long I placed another order for a single item. You guessed it. It never arrived, either. And to this day I still have no idea where these two missing orders are or where the fault was - was it ASOS, who didn't even ship these orders, or was it the carrier, who had left the order in a truck somewhere/dropped it somewhere by accident on their route/delivered it to the wrong address (and that person said "whoop-ee, free clothes")? Or does the package gremlin appear here and there to pick off unsuspecting stray orders?
After this, I was waned off from ASOS and I went to explore greener online ordering pastures.
Recently, I was on an online window shopping binge (get it - Windows shopping - har) and something drew me back to the ASOS webpage. That's when and where I laid my eyes on an absolutely gorgeous dress. I had to have it. This is where we are connected to the beginning of my post. I waited for ages but it never arrived. I was messaging Customer Service more than I did my friends and family. Back and forth. Finally, they agreed to re-ship the dress and I wouldn't be charged anything for it. Yay, finally, some results!
Shipping was fast and there was a tracking number attached to it (although originally the person helping me out had told me there may not be a tracking number, but I guess they didn't want to make the same mistake twice, or perhaps they just weren't sure about the tracking info themselves). It was shipped out at the beginning of the weekend, and on the following Monday I received a notice that it would arrive at my doorstep soon and I had to pay for duties. Drat, I thought, couldn't avoid the whole duties thing this time.
But when I got home, the dress was there. Whaaat? I asked my friends and family if this had ever happened to them, if they received something in the mail even though they hadn't paid duties. Everyone shook their heads. I had half the mind to not pay the duties at all, since here was the item in my hands, but I thought nah, better be a good girl and stick with the rules. I also didn't want an enormous envelope being sent to me later on with a huge bill inside it.
The duties were paid, the dress was in my hands, and it was more beautiful than I'd ever imagined. I was finally satisfied.
Two days later, another package from ASOS for me arrived. I was confused at first. I hadn't ordered anything else from ASOS lately. I dove towards the package and ripped it open - and out fell - dun dun dun - the exact same dress in the exact same size.
Based on my (albeit feeble) powers of deduction, here is what happened, guys: The first dress that had arrived for me was the dress I had originally ordered and I thought would never get to me. It just so happened that it showed up at my door the exact date that the second replacement dress had arrived at customs. That's why I was so confused about having the dress delivered already when I still had yet to pay for customs - it was because this was the original dress. The second dress I received was the replacement dress customer service had agreed to send out. (This is also another example of how if you separate your orders you are less likely to get hit with duties - but if you get it express delivered, which customer service did for me, then you will always have to pay duties.)
In conclusion: I am giving ASOS customer service a 4 out of 5, because even though they ask a lot of questions that are seemingly pointless at that time, they eventually do help you out. Just take note, you will be passed from one person to another, it won't be the same person assisting you the whole time. But of course, there is that email trail there that they can follow. I think it's awesome that they replaced my order and credited me back for when my previous missing order was out of stock.
Of course, don't abuse this generosity, as I'm sure they have some "greedy customer" protocol.
Whew! I think it's time to go plan some new OOTDs. What did you guys think about this entry? Was it detailed enough or not? Do you feel like placing an order with ASOS now? Let me know in the comments below. See you at the next post!
[Disclaimer: I tried to include as much information as possible, but sadly I have yet to order pants/undergarments/shoes , or selections from the plus and petite. But if you have a question and I didn't cover it please leave me your inquiry in the comment box below, and I will try to answer it the best I can. Cheers!]
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