Do you Rue?

I am a slight Rue La La-aholic. In my effort to curb my online shopping habit, I unsubscribed to almost ALL my shopping emails...but I just couldn't quit Rue. The shopping love just ran too deep to go cold turkey.

A few weeks back I was stoked to see a sale with lots of fun MLB tees, and scooped up a Phillies one to gift to MVP for his birthday. And maybe one or two for myself ;) I knew it might not get delivered in time for the actual birthday...so I just had a picture handy to show him and let him know the gift would be arriving soon. (Reminds me I am SO behind on posting and didn't even bother to post about MVP's birthday, oops! Must get caught up soon!)

Was excited to get the email yesterday that my package had arrived. Since MVP happened to be home early from work (AKA takne a half-day to go home to watch baseball), I told him he could go ahead and open the package. Expecting an email telling me how much he loved the Phillies shirt and how awesome I was for getting it for him, I was a little upset to get an email telling me that he opened the box and saw a women's Orioles tshirt (for me), a women's Phillies tank top (me again), and a women's White Sox tank (WTF?!?!) and he didn't think he could squeeze into any of them.

I quickly went back to my order to make sure in my haste I had not somehow goofed and ordered the wrong thing. Nope, should have been a Men's Phillies T in there instead of that rando White Sox wifebeater.

So I picked up the phone and called Rue. The customer service rep sent me a shipping label to send the rado tank top back and told me I would receive a refund in a few days. "But can I still get that Phillies T shirt?" I asked. "Probably not, but we will email you in a few days and let you know if we still have any. If we do, you can reorder it then." Rather than complain to him about how messed up this whole thing was, I asked that since the error was clearly on their part -- and casually dropped that this purchase was supposed to be a Bday gift -- was there anything else they could do for me.

He just reiterated the process for sending the tank top back and then a refund would get processed.

After stressing AGAIN that it was very upsetting that there was a BIG oops on their part in the order processing and fufillment stage, he credited back my shipping, and gave me a $10 credit for a future purchase. Ok, that's a little better.

But....I was still sad. I was so excited about all the gifts I had gotten MVP for his birthday. And that Phillies T was a part of it. Our first real date was to a Phillies game, so the cheesy sentimental part of me was still upset.

Taking a cue from one of my friends, I took my trouble over to Twitter.

Within minutes, there was someone from Rue responding to me and asking what had happened with the order. Amy (@RueLaLa_help) felt my pain in not being able to give my special gift and I think felt a special sympathy being a baseball girl herself. I gave her my order info and she wanted to see what she could find out about it.

To be honest, it just felt good to feel like I was heard by the company and that they cared about the screw up. Amy was warm and funny and I felt like she really did genuinely feel bad that Rue La La had let me down.

I was totally floored to get this message from her this morning:

I am so sorry we sent you the wrong shirt for your boyfriend’s birthday. Since we don’t have any more available, I have shipped you this guy from the Men’s Wearhouse:

I sent it rush delivery, so it should be arriving either tomorrow or Monday.



Please keep it (and gift it!) with our compliments. Let me know when it arrives!

I immediately wrote MVP and told him that he is NEVER allowed to speak badly about my Rue La La shopping habit ever again. I let know Amy how much her efforts meant to me. And then REALLY showed Rue the love by snapping up two dresses from today's Elizabeth McKay sale.

If you don't Rue...I hope you will shop them now (here's an invitation if you need it!)with total confidence knowing that they have people like Amy who will totally go above and beyond to make sure your shopping experience is an awesome one.