As I’ve mentioned before, it’s not always easy finding clothes that are flattering for women over 50. That’s why online shopping is often a good solution. You can search at the mall for hours and go home disappointed but if you Google exactly what you want, you’ll probably find it within minutes. Shopping at a trusted online store is always best and will help you to avoid online shopping hell like I experienced with FairyMiss.
Have you ever clicked on a Facebook ad because a stunning dress popped up you couldn’t resist? That happened to me a while back and I couldn’t help myself. The dress I saw was stunning, so I jumped on it. Thus, I suffered through an agonizing online shopping experience that still hasn’t been resolved.
Before that happened, I clicked on another Facebook ad and bought a BOHO style dress and skirt. They both arrived separately and rather quickly from China. When I tried on the dress it looked awful, so I emailed the company and they gave me a refund immediately. They also told me that I could keep the dress and didn’t have to send it back. Even though both items were flimsily made their customer service was great.
FairyMiss missed the boat
On August 29th I ordered a “stunning dress” from FairyMiss.
Weeks passed, and I checked to see when it was supposed to arrive. I clicked to view my order and saw that it was still being processed and hadn’t been shipped yet. I sent FairyMiss an email on Sept 28th asking them to either give me the estimated date of arrival or cancel my order. After several days, they sent me the email below.
We regret to inform you that the delivery of your item may be delayed. It will be scheduled to be shipped out from our warehouse in 5-8 business days. Could you wait for the item(s) and keep them for another event? We will email you a shipping notification once the order is shipped.
Even though I wasn’t thrilled with the fact it would be further delayed, I wrote back and asked them to proceed with the order.
On Oct 1 FairyMiss sent me an email:
Thank you for your patience. We will keep rushing your order and send out ASAP. Once it is shipped, we will inform you by email. If you run into any issue, please do not hesitate to contact us.
By October 15 I was getting impatient and emailed them asking for a FULL REFUND. I also threatened to blog about my experience in online shopping hell. Hey, as a blogger and influencer, I can do stuff like that. Two days later I received another email from them telling me my order had shipped. Yippee! I was looking forward to FINALLY receiving my dress. They also added:
For the delay issue, we would like to compensate you with 10% money refund. You can contact us to refund you this amount after you receive them and keep them.
I thought, Hmmm, sounds too good to be true. I’ll wait and see what happens when it arrives. On October 27th, I finally received the package and opened it to find:
A butt-ugly sweatshirt
I was livid and wrote them again demanding a FULL REFUND!
They emailed back a couple of days later:
So sorry for the wrong parcel sent! May I have the pic of the number under the shipping sticker label? Just tear off the shipping label.
WTF!
Like a dork, I sent them a snap of the sticker label. On Nov 2 they emailed back
We feel so sorry for the wrong item. How about offer you 30% refund and you keep the item? If you run into any issue, please do not hesitate to contact us.
They must really think I’m an idiot! I fired back:
I don’t want the item and want a complete refund. It’s an incredibly ugly sweatshirt. I will not spend a penny to return it either. If you want it back, send a return paid envelope otherwise I will donate it to a homeless person and blog about this insane experience.
They wrote back on 11/5:
Sorry, we don’t have prepaid return label.
Of course, they don’t! The next day I wrote:
Fine then just return my money right now! I ordered in August and it took months to receive the wrong item. What’s the big deal? Your company screwed up. It’s not my fault. I wanted the pretty dress I ordered and didn’t get it. Don’t you believe in customer service?
11/8 they wrote back:
Do you mean you can keep with 30% refund? Pls kindly confirm then we will help to process. If you run into any issues, feel free to drop us an email and we will get back to you ASAP.
Ready to blow them off the face of the Earth, I fired back again:
NO! I want a FULL REFUND. I have not received the dress I ordered. I don’t want a stinking sweatshirt. Do you UNDERSTAND? If you can’t provide me a free way to return the sweatshirt, that’s your problem and not mine. Refund my purchase 100% or I will report your company for fraud. Please do not give me any more bullshit.
I also requested a refund from Paypal and received a case number. I still have the ugly sweatshirt and this issue hasn’t been resolved. I’m sure a homeless person will enjoy it.
Avoid online shopping hell
DO NOT SHOP online at FairyMiss no matter how enticing their clothes look. Please visit my Fashion page to see my recommended online shopping stores. I have personally vetted them, and they are all trustworthy. Online shopping is convenient and saves hours of time for women over 50. Just be wary of ads from companies you’ve never heard of and report shady ones to the Better Business Bureau.
What online stores do you shop at and trust? Please leave a comment below to help save us from online shopping hell.
Wow Rebecca! So sorry to hear of your terrible experience with online shopping. Mine have been mostly good with Leos Imports and National for dresses. My only complaint is the undependable sizing which causes me to buy the wrong size over and over again!
Good to know, Laura. I know there are plenty of legitimate companies out there and I love to hear about them. Unfortunately, there are some you should definitely avoid.
I ordered a winter coat from fairymiss and it never arrived. Australia post stated tracking number for coat ordered was for a letter (500gram) and not coat. PayPal denied my claim for refund. I have now gone to the bank with dispute to refund my money. What a scam!
How awful, Jenny. Mine took months to arrive only to be the wrong item. Sorry you are going through this.
I’m sorry to hear of your bad experience. It’s companies like this that give online shopping a bad name, which is a shame as there are so many good ones. I buy online all the time.
Thanks, Pauline. You’re so right about online companies with no customer service skills. They are the complete opposite of your company – Covered Perfectly – that is excellent at it.
Oh my what a saga. I will definitely avoid shopping on line this holiday season.
Great, Pat. I wanted to give my readers a heads up to beware.
Yikes! Just 5 minutes ago I ordered a scarf from amazon. I’ve had good luck with clothing from amazon but I always read the reviews carefully for a sizing decision. Thanks for the warning about MissFairy – I won’t be ordering from them no matter how fun the clothes look!
That was the thing, Ellen. The dresses looked gorgeous and were hard to resist. They come from China so anything can happen.
Since I run an on-line business I always like to hear about what other companies do. Evidently there are no working fairies at Fairy Miss! What a bad experience you got going! Yes through the Christmas season we will have maybe one package go missing but we insure the mailing and pride ourselves that orders go out the same or next day because we believe in customer service. Something this company is clueless about!
Customer service makes such a difference, Haralee! They emailed me that they are sending me payment in one week. I’ll believe it when I get it.
I will say the same thing for Adorable Kids. (www.adorablekids.ca) DON’T shop there. I lost $500.00 worth of dresses and no refund or anything! I’m scared of online shopping now.
Oh NO! That’s awful, Diane! For the most part, shopping online is so convenient and I’ve had great experiences with it. You just have to stick with trusted sites. So good to know, especially with the holidays coming up.
Missed the boat, sounds like FairyMiss burned and sank the boat! What a train wreck of a company, ugh!
Among your Fashion page links, I have only had experience shopping on Etsy and not for clothes, but I do have a lot of positive buying experiences there and not a one has been bad. That’s due to my checking the feedback of every seller I contemplate doing business with. Check the reviews if a website lists them. They can really help you be forewarned of any negative experiences so you don’t become one!
You’re so right about FairyMiss sinking the boat, Kristine. I love Etsy. You can really find some unusual stuff on it. I love their jewelry too.
I’m going through the exact same thing right now!
Livid doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel!
AND, they DON’T CARE!
Horrible people.
Jamie & Finn have sent the emails and offered me 15% to remake the clothes myself… are they NUTS?
I’m slamming them on every review I can find and all over Facebook and Twitter.
They messed with the wrong old woman… I just lost my husband and I don’t need this sh*t.
Wow! Marilyn. That’s awful! They’re awful. I’m so sorry about your husband. I’m a widow too. They finally refunded me but you have to keep fighting. Offering a 15% discount on a refund was something they tried to offer me. Maybe my review online and on Pinterest speeded up the process. It took forever. Despicable.
Is there a way to put this company on blast in a big way so trusting people everywhere will see and avoid them?
I have a nightmare saga with this company that I am too embarrassed to share.
Hi Beverly,
I totally understand. They have gorgeous images and all I got was an ugly sweatshirt I didn’t order. Please feel free to share this post anytime you want using my social sharing buttons.
Don’t touch Fairymiss— rotten sizing rubbishy fabric and online pictures are an illusion…. plus they took an extra )23.00 on top of the shipping cost — a pack of crooks !!!!!!?
I agree. Thanks, for your imput, Celeste.
Same story – but the products finally came after 6 months. Wanted dresses for a Cruise – didn’t happen. When they finally arrived, none of the dresses fit. Not even close. I had been careful in my size selection. Chiming in to say “Don’t ever order from FairyMiss.
What a nightmare. Thanks, for sharing this Phyllis. At least you got a dress. I got a butt ugly sweatshirt instead of the dress I ordered. LOL