Gilt Feelings

I signed up for the member-only designer sale site Gilt Groupe about a year and a half ago, and while there have been some items that have interested or tempted me, a lot of what they offer is just too fashiony for my tastes, and a lot of it is still too pricey for my wallet.

I hadn't felt strongly enough about anything to make a purchase from the site until last week, when an offering dovetailed nicely with my ongoing, ridiculously difficult search for satisfactory gray undershirts. Gilt had underwear from a company called 2(x)ist, and normally the name alone would be enough to keep me away, but as I browsed idly I saw undershirts offered in white, black, or gray. Turned out they were selling them in groups of nine, all one color, for $50. This is about in line with what I've paid for them in the past, so I ordered them after making sure they were 100% cotton.

On Monday I got an email saying the order had shipped, and yesterday I got home from work to find a medium-sized flat box on my porch. Turns out their fulfillment is done out of Andover, which explains why I received it so quickly. When I got inside and opened the box, there were three three-packs of shirts bundled together inside another clear wrapper. The shirts were the kind without tags, which is fine. I could see the printed "label" through the clear packaging, which said 60% cotton/40% polyester. Oops, we have a problem.

The purchase was final sale (Gilt's items are usually returnable; maybe this one was not because it was underwear?), but I called customer service anyway. My call was answered right away, and when I explained why I was calling, and that I wouldn't have bought the shirts if the fabric content had been listed correctly, the rep immediately offered me a return label, and said that my refund would include my original shipping charge. He also made a note to inform someone about the incorrect information, even though the sale for that brand was over.

So, I'm disappointed that the purchase didn't work out, and that I have to keep looking, but I'm very satisfied with how my issue was resolved. Gilt's customer service was quick and painless, and made me feel more likely to order from them again.